Originally conceived for use in low-power notebooks, Chrome OS has come a long way since it was first introduced back in 2011.
These days, it's far more than a glorified web browser.
For one, most late-model Chrome OS-based hardware can now run Android apps out of the box.
And it's not all about laptop-shaped Chromebooks, either.
Sporadically, we've seen miniature Chrome OS desktops dubbed "Chromeboxes" pop up from makers such as Acer, Asus, and Lenovo.
The latest eruption is Acer's Chromebox CXI3 ($239 starting price; $519.99 as tested), which houses up to an eighth-generation Intel Core i7 processor (heavy iron, as Chrome OS-based devices go), 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and 64GB of solid-state drive (SSD) storage.
It may not look it, but for business and academic environments that involve serious multitasking and already have an installed base of monitors, the Chromebox CXI3 as reviewed here will be one of the fastest ways for students and users to experience Chrome OS.
Opting for one the CXI3 configurations with premium parts, however, will put this Chromebox well within the price zone of some fully configured stand-alone Windows 10-based mini PCs.
Light on Cosmetics, Heavy on Ports
You can certainly buy a Chromebox CXI3 for use at home, converting an HDTV or spare monitor into a Chrome OS-based work or viewing station, but the real core of the market for higher-end Chromeboxes is schools and business.
The Acer Chromebox CXI3 is compact enough to fit on any desk, measuring 5.9 by 1.57 by 5.85 pounds and weighing 1.14 pounds.
You can position it standing on edge, or flat; it comes with a vertical stand that adds a few feathers to its weight.
Also in the box: an optional VESA kit for mounting the Chromebox onto the back of a monitor, a nifty way to assemble your own makeshift all-in-one computer, or for bulk buyers who own lots of existing displays to integrate Chromebox CXI3 units neatly en masse, say, into a computer lab.
Squarish in shape with rounded edges, this machine sports a plain black finish with two gray panels surrounding the ports.
In the center of the left side is the Acer logo, with the Google Chrome logo in one corner.
On the right side is a long series of air vents for letting out heat.
Under that are four rubber pads that let you seat the Chromebox flat on its side.
On the base of the machine are two small holes that engage with the vertical stand, if you choose to keep this system standing on edge.
The Chromebox CXI3 has a wealth of ports split across the front and rear faces.
On the front, below the power button, are two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports, a microSD card slot, and a 3.5mm jack that serves as a headphone and mic combination...
On the rear of the machine, you'll find an HDMI output, an Ethernet jack, three USB Type-A ports, a single USB Type-C port (this one with support for data delivery, display output, and power delivery), and a Kensington-cable locking notch...
All of the USB ports support USB 3.1 Gen 1, which is functionally identical to USB 3.0.
In all, that's more USB than most Chrome OS users will ever need.
A Keyboard Keyed Up for Chrome
The Chromebox CXI3 also comes with a basic laser mouse and a chiclet keyboard.
The keyboard mirrors the keyboards on Chromebooks, which have special browser-centric shortcuts in place of the function-key row.
(Plugging in your own mouse and keyboard instead will work, too.) The mouse has tiny crevices in its left and right sides for your thumb, ring finger, and pinky finger to grip.
It's as ordinary as mice come.
Apart from the Chrome OS key-layout customizations, the included keyboard is nothing special, either, as it feels just like any other chiclet keyboard—fast enough to type on, but mushy and unsatisfying if you're used to quality keyboards.
In using it to write this review, I found myself making more mistakes than I normally do with, say, the Roccat Vulcan 120 AIMO($119.99 at Amazon), my daily driver.
(That's only partly fair, though; I'm not aware of any premium-design keyboards with Chrome OS customizations.)
Nevertheless, the handful of dedicated media buttons is handy enough.
These include Back, Forward, and Refresh, in addition to a shortcut to make your current window fullscreen and another to switch windows altogether.
You'll also spot dedicated brightness up/down controls to the left of mute and volume up/down audio controls.
To the right of those is a Lock key that logs you out of the system completely, as well as a dedicated key that triggers web search.
As for wireless communications, the Acer Chromebook CXI3 supports Bluetooth 4.2 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi, both standard fare.
Acer backs the system with a one-year limited warranty.
Now You're Playing With (Chrome OS) Power
Chromebooks, Chromeboxes, and their less common cousins called Chromebases (all-in-one systems based on Chrome OS, such as this model from LG) tend to be built around low-power processors and come with only the minimal RAM and storage needed to operate.
As a result, the high-powered Chromebox CXI3 performed favorably in benchmarks versus other Chromebox and Chromebase units we have tested.
This test unit uses an Intel Core i5-8250U processor, complemented by 8GB of RAM and 64GB of SSD storage space.
For graphics-intensive tasks, it has Intel UHD Graphics 620 integrated into the CPU.
Acer offers six total versions of the CXI3.
Pricing on these discrete configurations spans from $239.99 to $759.99; the Core i5 model reviewed here falls into the upper midrange of the line.
The starting model, at $239.99, has a dual-core Intel Celeron 3865U processor, 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage.
At the other end, the top unit at $759.99 packs a beefy Intel Core i7-8550U processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 64GB SSD.
With that in mind, this particular Chromebox CXI3 is most comparable to, of the Chromeboxes we've reviewed at Daxdi, a Lenovo ThinkCentre Chromebox Tiny($109.99 at Amazon) tested several years ago.
Featuring a fifth-generation Intel Core i3 processor, the Tiny still performed only about half as well as this Chromebox CXI3 in our benchmarks.
For example, I ran the machine on Principled Technologies' WebXPRT 2015 suite, which emulates everyday productivity tasks you might perform in a web-based environment that an OS like Chrome OS madates.
The Acer Chromebox CXI3 rang up a score of 554, while the Lenovo ThinkCentre Chromebox Tiny netted a 284...
I then moved to the same company's CrXPRT, a similar, but Chrome OS-specific, test suite.
CrXPRT measures performance in everyday activities such as gaming, watching movies, and editing photos.
Here, the Chromebox CXI3 scored 256, compared with the ThinkCentre Chromebox Tiny's 123.
To give these numbers and the competing systems some context, consider that the Lenovo ThinkCentre Chromebox Tiny has a dual-core Intel Core i3-5005U processor and 4GB of RAM, while the Acer Chromebase DC221HQ( at Amazon) uses a quad-core Nvidia Tegra K1 CPU, also with 4GB of RAM.
The Asus Chromebit CL10($169.99 at Amazon) employs a low-end, ARM-based Rockchip RK3288-C processor and 2GB of RAM; that and its tiny, USB-stick-style form factor explain why it scored the lowest of the bunch.
Because the Acer Chromebox CXI3 houses a comparatively powerful processor typically found in midrange laptops, it makes sense that it dominated here.
In our Boot Time Test, I recorded how long it takes to power on to the sign-in screen.
It consistently took the Acer Chromebox CXI3 10 seconds to reach it.
Meanwhile, the Lenovo ThinkCentre Chromebox Tiny was faster to boot, at 6.5 seconds.
Being the relative powerhouse that it is, the Chromebox CXI3 configuration I reviewed is best suited for business multi-taskers or more sophisticated older students bouncing between lots of tabs, either while working or leisurely browsing the web.
To test for its multi-tasking ability, I opened around 50 tabs of web pages—including YouTube and Daxdi—on the Acer Chromebox CXI3 with little noticeable slowdown.
When launching new tabs on top of those open 50, the Chromebox CXI3 would hiccup for a second or two at most before returning to its normal smooth use state.
On the other hand, lower-end configurations of the Acer Chromebox CXI3, such as the Intel Celeron- and Core i3-equipped models, are better for lower-grade school computer-lab setups where students will be concentrating on just one or two tasks at a time, or for other focused, single-use situations.
More Chrome Power Than You Need?
For $519.99, you could buy an entry-level Windows 10 PC that could run all the basic applications and utilities most users would ever need.
The Acer Chromebox CXI3 only makes sense in that price range if you or the business/school you're buying for is specifically in need of one or more of the strengths of Chrome OS: easy manageability, automatic updating, and inherent resistance to malware, to name a few.
Whether you need a Core i5, though, and its attendant cost depends on the factors raised above: multitasking or no? This model packs a performance punch, all things considered.
Though its functionality is mostly limited to what you're able to accomplish in a web browser, the Chromebox CXI3 also has the secondary appeal of access to the Android-derived Google Play Store, giving you near-infinite opportunity to mess with Android apps (albeit, with a mouse and keyboard; most are designed with a smartphone or tablet touch screen in mind).
Most schools and business users won't care about this aspect, but if you're considering the CXI3 for making a Chrome OS-based home PC out of an old monitor, that may come into the equation.
That's really part of the value proposition here: Do you have an existing LCD or LCDs to use with the CXI3? As configured and tested here, the Chromebox CXI3 is pricey, even if it is powerful enough for multi-taskers to take advantage of.
Thus, you might opt for the $449.99 Intel Core i3 model unless you are one of the heavy multi-taskers in question.
If even that is out of your budget, the $239.99 Celeron-based Chromebox CXI3 should suffice for undemanding use.
Plenty of Celeron-based Chromebooks I've used are responsive enough if you're doing just one thing at a time.
That said, Windows-based alternatives like the Intel NUC Kit NUC6CAYS($329.99 at Amazon) are readily available, too, fully configured and ready to go with Windows 10 installed.
Note that not all Intel NUC mini PCs and machines of its kind are complete systems out of the box.
Some are bare-bones models that make you provide certain internal components, as well as the operating system (which is often the biggest outlay).
But the point is, you can find similar Windows-based solutions.
That said, whether you have a spare monitor (or 50 of them) lying around, the Acer Chromebox CXI3 is a quick, easy way turn it into an all-in-one (or a computer room full of them).
Unlike some mini Windows PCs, you don't have to install anything yourself; out of the box, the Chromebox CXI3 just works.
If that kind of setup and manageability are what matters to you, this is as powerful a Chrome OS desktop solution as we've seen.
Pros
Wide range of configurations.
Ships with mouse, keyboard, vertical stand, and VESA mounting kit.
Supports Android apps by way of the Google Play Store.
The Bottom Line
Packing a late-model Intel Core i5 processor, the Acer Chromebox CXI3 is a powerful, pricey Chrome OS-based machine for schools and businesses looking for easily manageable desktop solutions to use with existing monitors.
Originally conceived for use in low-power notebooks, Chrome OS has come a long way since it was first introduced back in 2011.
These days, it's far more than a glorified web browser.
For one, most late-model Chrome OS-based hardware can now run Android apps out of the box.
And it's not all about laptop-shaped Chromebooks, either.
Sporadically, we've seen miniature Chrome OS desktops dubbed "Chromeboxes" pop up from makers such as Acer, Asus, and Lenovo.
The latest eruption is Acer's Chromebox CXI3 ($239 starting price; $519.99 as tested), which houses up to an eighth-generation Intel Core i7 processor (heavy iron, as Chrome OS-based devices go), 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and 64GB of solid-state drive (SSD) storage.
It may not look it, but for business and academic environments that involve serious multitasking and already have an installed base of monitors, the Chromebox CXI3 as reviewed here will be one of the fastest ways for students and users to experience Chrome OS.
Opting for one the CXI3 configurations with premium parts, however, will put this Chromebox well within the price zone of some fully configured stand-alone Windows 10-based mini PCs.
Light on Cosmetics, Heavy on Ports
You can certainly buy a Chromebox CXI3 for use at home, converting an HDTV or spare monitor into a Chrome OS-based work or viewing station, but the real core of the market for higher-end Chromeboxes is schools and business.
The Acer Chromebox CXI3 is compact enough to fit on any desk, measuring 5.9 by 1.57 by 5.85 pounds and weighing 1.14 pounds.
You can position it standing on edge, or flat; it comes with a vertical stand that adds a few feathers to its weight.
Also in the box: an optional VESA kit for mounting the Chromebox onto the back of a monitor, a nifty way to assemble your own makeshift all-in-one computer, or for bulk buyers who own lots of existing displays to integrate Chromebox CXI3 units neatly en masse, say, into a computer lab.
Squarish in shape with rounded edges, this machine sports a plain black finish with two gray panels surrounding the ports.
In the center of the left side is the Acer logo, with the Google Chrome logo in one corner.
On the right side is a long series of air vents for letting out heat.
Under that are four rubber pads that let you seat the Chromebox flat on its side.
On the base of the machine are two small holes that engage with the vertical stand, if you choose to keep this system standing on edge.
The Chromebox CXI3 has a wealth of ports split across the front and rear faces.
On the front, below the power button, are two USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports, a microSD card slot, and a 3.5mm jack that serves as a headphone and mic combination...
On the rear of the machine, you'll find an HDMI output, an Ethernet jack, three USB Type-A ports, a single USB Type-C port (this one with support for data delivery, display output, and power delivery), and a Kensington-cable locking notch...
All of the USB ports support USB 3.1 Gen 1, which is functionally identical to USB 3.0.
In all, that's more USB than most Chrome OS users will ever need.
A Keyboard Keyed Up for Chrome
The Chromebox CXI3 also comes with a basic laser mouse and a chiclet keyboard.
The keyboard mirrors the keyboards on Chromebooks, which have special browser-centric shortcuts in place of the function-key row.
(Plugging in your own mouse and keyboard instead will work, too.) The mouse has tiny crevices in its left and right sides for your thumb, ring finger, and pinky finger to grip.
It's as ordinary as mice come.
Apart from the Chrome OS key-layout customizations, the included keyboard is nothing special, either, as it feels just like any other chiclet keyboard—fast enough to type on, but mushy and unsatisfying if you're used to quality keyboards.
In using it to write this review, I found myself making more mistakes than I normally do with, say, the Roccat Vulcan 120 AIMO($119.99 at Amazon), my daily driver.
(That's only partly fair, though; I'm not aware of any premium-design keyboards with Chrome OS customizations.)
Nevertheless, the handful of dedicated media buttons is handy enough.
These include Back, Forward, and Refresh, in addition to a shortcut to make your current window fullscreen and another to switch windows altogether.
You'll also spot dedicated brightness up/down controls to the left of mute and volume up/down audio controls.
To the right of those is a Lock key that logs you out of the system completely, as well as a dedicated key that triggers web search.
As for wireless communications, the Acer Chromebook CXI3 supports Bluetooth 4.2 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi, both standard fare.
Acer backs the system with a one-year limited warranty.
Now You're Playing With (Chrome OS) Power
Chromebooks, Chromeboxes, and their less common cousins called Chromebases (all-in-one systems based on Chrome OS, such as this model from LG) tend to be built around low-power processors and come with only the minimal RAM and storage needed to operate.
As a result, the high-powered Chromebox CXI3 performed favorably in benchmarks versus other Chromebox and Chromebase units we have tested.
This test unit uses an Intel Core i5-8250U processor, complemented by 8GB of RAM and 64GB of SSD storage space.
For graphics-intensive tasks, it has Intel UHD Graphics 620 integrated into the CPU.
Acer offers six total versions of the CXI3.
Pricing on these discrete configurations spans from $239.99 to $759.99; the Core i5 model reviewed here falls into the upper midrange of the line.
The starting model, at $239.99, has a dual-core Intel Celeron 3865U processor, 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage.
At the other end, the top unit at $759.99 packs a beefy Intel Core i7-8550U processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 64GB SSD.
With that in mind, this particular Chromebox CXI3 is most comparable to, of the Chromeboxes we've reviewed at Daxdi, a Lenovo ThinkCentre Chromebox Tiny($109.99 at Amazon) tested several years ago.
Featuring a fifth-generation Intel Core i3 processor, the Tiny still performed only about half as well as this Chromebox CXI3 in our benchmarks.
For example, I ran the machine on Principled Technologies' WebXPRT 2015 suite, which emulates everyday productivity tasks you might perform in a web-based environment that an OS like Chrome OS madates.
The Acer Chromebox CXI3 rang up a score of 554, while the Lenovo ThinkCentre Chromebox Tiny netted a 284...
I then moved to the same company's CrXPRT, a similar, but Chrome OS-specific, test suite.
CrXPRT measures performance in everyday activities such as gaming, watching movies, and editing photos.
Here, the Chromebox CXI3 scored 256, compared with the ThinkCentre Chromebox Tiny's 123.
To give these numbers and the competing systems some context, consider that the Lenovo ThinkCentre Chromebox Tiny has a dual-core Intel Core i3-5005U processor and 4GB of RAM, while the Acer Chromebase DC221HQ( at Amazon) uses a quad-core Nvidia Tegra K1 CPU, also with 4GB of RAM.
The Asus Chromebit CL10($169.99 at Amazon) employs a low-end, ARM-based Rockchip RK3288-C processor and 2GB of RAM; that and its tiny, USB-stick-style form factor explain why it scored the lowest of the bunch.
Because the Acer Chromebox CXI3 houses a comparatively powerful processor typically found in midrange laptops, it makes sense that it dominated here.
In our Boot Time Test, I recorded how long it takes to power on to the sign-in screen.
It consistently took the Acer Chromebox CXI3 10 seconds to reach it.
Meanwhile, the Lenovo ThinkCentre Chromebox Tiny was faster to boot, at 6.5 seconds.
Being the relative powerhouse that it is, the Chromebox CXI3 configuration I reviewed is best suited for business multi-taskers or more sophisticated older students bouncing between lots of tabs, either while working or leisurely browsing the web.
To test for its multi-tasking ability, I opened around 50 tabs of web pages—including YouTube and Daxdi—on the Acer Chromebox CXI3 with little noticeable slowdown.
When launching new tabs on top of those open 50, the Chromebox CXI3 would hiccup for a second or two at most before returning to its normal smooth use state.
On the other hand, lower-end configurations of the Acer Chromebox CXI3, such as the Intel Celeron- and Core i3-equipped models, are better for lower-grade school computer-lab setups where students will be concentrating on just one or two tasks at a time, or for other focused, single-use situations.
More Chrome Power Than You Need?
For $519.99, you could buy an entry-level Windows 10 PC that could run all the basic applications and utilities most users would ever need.
The Acer Chromebox CXI3 only makes sense in that price range if you or the business/school you're buying for is specifically in need of one or more of the strengths of Chrome OS: easy manageability, automatic updating, and inherent resistance to malware, to name a few.
Whether you need a Core i5, though, and its attendant cost depends on the factors raised above: multitasking or no? This model packs a performance punch, all things considered.
Though its functionality is mostly limited to what you're able to accomplish in a web browser, the Chromebox CXI3 also has the secondary appeal of access to the Android-derived Google Play Store, giving you near-infinite opportunity to mess with Android apps (albeit, with a mouse and keyboard; most are designed with a smartphone or tablet touch screen in mind).
Most schools and business users won't care about this aspect, but if you're considering the CXI3 for making a Chrome OS-based home PC out of an old monitor, that may come into the equation.
That's really part of the value proposition here: Do you have an existing LCD or LCDs to use with the CXI3? As configured and tested here, the Chromebox CXI3 is pricey, even if it is powerful enough for multi-taskers to take advantage of.
Thus, you might opt for the $449.99 Intel Core i3 model unless you are one of the heavy multi-taskers in question.
If even that is out of your budget, the $239.99 Celeron-based Chromebox CXI3 should suffice for undemanding use.
Plenty of Celeron-based Chromebooks I've used are responsive enough if you're doing just one thing at a time.
That said, Windows-based alternatives like the Intel NUC Kit NUC6CAYS($329.99 at Amazon) are readily available, too, fully configured and ready to go with Windows 10 installed.
Note that not all Intel NUC mini PCs and machines of its kind are complete systems out of the box.
Some are bare-bones models that make you provide certain internal components, as well as the operating system (which is often the biggest outlay).
But the point is, you can find similar Windows-based solutions.
That said, whether you have a spare monitor (or 50 of them) lying around, the Acer Chromebox CXI3 is a quick, easy way turn it into an all-in-one (or a computer room full of them).
Unlike some mini Windows PCs, you don't have to install anything yourself; out of the box, the Chromebox CXI3 just works.
If that kind of setup and manageability are what matters to you, this is as powerful a Chrome OS desktop solution as we've seen.
Pros
Wide range of configurations.
Ships with mouse, keyboard, vertical stand, and VESA mounting kit.
Supports Android apps by way of the Google Play Store.
The Bottom Line
Packing a late-model Intel Core i5 processor, the Acer Chromebox CXI3 is a powerful, pricey Chrome OS-based machine for schools and businesses looking for easily manageable desktop solutions to use with existing monitors.