- Aug 17, 2012
- 2
- 0
- 10,510
Hey guys!
I thought this is the best place to get some advice about my problem.
So, I'm planning to buy a Chromebook.
I've researched a lot about them, and it really suits me.
I'll be using it for what it is for; writing in office (Google Docs), searching/browsing/researching on the internet, no big stuff.
I've a high-end custom built desktop pc with a large screen to get heavy stuff done at home, but I need something for the previously mentioned usages, mostly at school. A Chromebook is quite ideal, and a large decisive factor is, that I don't want to/have much to spend on such a note/netbook.
So, a Chromebook it is.
But, my biggest problem, even after researching for hours, is actually which of the three (Lenovo is out of question, I don't need it to withstand that much damage, and it's expensive. Lets not even talk about the Pixel...) I should take.
By the way, the prices here (The Netherlands) are almost the same for all three Chromebooks, being the Acer ~270, the Samsung ~300 and the HP ~315 euros.
The price difference is not that important, with the Acer being an exception, as I could use the little price difference to upgrade it with some more RAM and/or SSD (possible later on).
The choices are, with some researched (dis)advantages:
Samsung 3 Series XE303C12-A01US Chromebook
This one looks probably the best, is sleekest and has definitively the most battery life, being sometimes almost twice as long as the other two (or around 1.5x as long). These factors are actually important for me for a Chromebook, as it should be a light but capable gadget, very mobile and thus also long battery life.
I read something about the Samsung having the best (or "better") keyboard and touchpad. This is also important for me, as I'll be using the touchpad and writing on the keyboard a lot.
I know I don't have to expect a Macbook quality touchpad and keyboard, however.
Acer C7 Chromebook
This is the cheapest option. You are able to upgrade some parts of the Acer, specifically the RAM and the HDD. You can spend the price advantage to upgrade the RAM (like add a 4 GB stick to max the RAM to 6 GB, which is I think a reasonable amount, as having more is bottlenecked by the rest of the system and having like 4 GB is... less, the 6 GB can be used effectively).
And, you can replace the HDD with a (not the extreme fast or large storage, but still) SSD.
The HDD is for me also the weakest point of this Chromebook. I don't need a lot of storage on the Chromebook, as I have at home storage available, so like 16-32 GB is enough. But, the storage needs to be fast, the Chromebook is not able to do that lot of things, but the things it can, must happen quickly. So having a short boot time is a very important factor.
HP Pavilion Chromebook
This Chromebook gets me with its larger, 14" instead of 11.6" screen. I'm used to having large screens (27" for example at home), so having a different OS may not be such a big change as the smaller screen. However, I don't see problems in using 11.6", but I still like the fact of having a larger 14".
SD Card and Ethernet
The Acer and HP also have an advantage over the Samsung for me, is for example an SD card completely goes into them, while in the Samsung it's half hanging out.
The Acer and HP also have an Ethernet port, which may be surprisingly useful for me, as for example in our school, Wifi is not quite everywhere nor is it fast, but there are everywhere, especially in the computer room, Ethernet cables which we may use.
Conclusion
So, there's a huge confusion for me, as every Chromebook has its advantages.
The larger screen of the HP is maybe not that important for me, but having an Ethernet port is quite important.
Also, the longer battery and sleeker design of the Samsung gets me.
I now want to ask people for advice for these things.
Is the bigger screen of the HP worth it? Is the HDD of the Acer really slow in daily usage? Is the touchpad and keyboard of the Samsung really "superior"?
Thank you a lot guys for your time and answers!
Edit:
I also want to add, that very unfortunately (otherwise I'd have done this surely), I am not able to test the Chromebooks where I live, so I can't compare them in real life.
I thought this is the best place to get some advice about my problem.
So, I'm planning to buy a Chromebook.
I've researched a lot about them, and it really suits me.
I'll be using it for what it is for; writing in office (Google Docs), searching/browsing/researching on the internet, no big stuff.
I've a high-end custom built desktop pc with a large screen to get heavy stuff done at home, but I need something for the previously mentioned usages, mostly at school. A Chromebook is quite ideal, and a large decisive factor is, that I don't want to/have much to spend on such a note/netbook.
So, a Chromebook it is.
But, my biggest problem, even after researching for hours, is actually which of the three (Lenovo is out of question, I don't need it to withstand that much damage, and it's expensive. Lets not even talk about the Pixel...) I should take.
By the way, the prices here (The Netherlands) are almost the same for all three Chromebooks, being the Acer ~270, the Samsung ~300 and the HP ~315 euros.
The price difference is not that important, with the Acer being an exception, as I could use the little price difference to upgrade it with some more RAM and/or SSD (possible later on).
The choices are, with some researched (dis)advantages:
Samsung 3 Series XE303C12-A01US Chromebook
This one looks probably the best, is sleekest and has definitively the most battery life, being sometimes almost twice as long as the other two (or around 1.5x as long). These factors are actually important for me for a Chromebook, as it should be a light but capable gadget, very mobile and thus also long battery life.
I read something about the Samsung having the best (or "better") keyboard and touchpad. This is also important for me, as I'll be using the touchpad and writing on the keyboard a lot.
I know I don't have to expect a Macbook quality touchpad and keyboard, however.
Acer C7 Chromebook
This is the cheapest option. You are able to upgrade some parts of the Acer, specifically the RAM and the HDD. You can spend the price advantage to upgrade the RAM (like add a 4 GB stick to max the RAM to 6 GB, which is I think a reasonable amount, as having more is bottlenecked by the rest of the system and having like 4 GB is... less, the 6 GB can be used effectively).
And, you can replace the HDD with a (not the extreme fast or large storage, but still) SSD.
The HDD is for me also the weakest point of this Chromebook. I don't need a lot of storage on the Chromebook, as I have at home storage available, so like 16-32 GB is enough. But, the storage needs to be fast, the Chromebook is not able to do that lot of things, but the things it can, must happen quickly. So having a short boot time is a very important factor.
HP Pavilion Chromebook
This Chromebook gets me with its larger, 14" instead of 11.6" screen. I'm used to having large screens (27" for example at home), so having a different OS may not be such a big change as the smaller screen. However, I don't see problems in using 11.6", but I still like the fact of having a larger 14".
SD Card and Ethernet
The Acer and HP also have an advantage over the Samsung for me, is for example an SD card completely goes into them, while in the Samsung it's half hanging out.
The Acer and HP also have an Ethernet port, which may be surprisingly useful for me, as for example in our school, Wifi is not quite everywhere nor is it fast, but there are everywhere, especially in the computer room, Ethernet cables which we may use.
Conclusion
So, there's a huge confusion for me, as every Chromebook has its advantages.
The larger screen of the HP is maybe not that important for me, but having an Ethernet port is quite important.
Also, the longer battery and sleeker design of the Samsung gets me.
I now want to ask people for advice for these things.
Is the bigger screen of the HP worth it? Is the HDD of the Acer really slow in daily usage? Is the touchpad and keyboard of the Samsung really "superior"?
Thank you a lot guys for your time and answers!
Edit:
I also want to add, that very unfortunately (otherwise I'd have done this surely), I am not able to test the Chromebooks where I live, so I can't compare them in real life.
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