The Haswell-powered Asus Chromebox that we featured last month is now available with a price tag of $179 and comes with free shipping. The model that is currently available is the M004U that sports a 1.4GHz Intel Celeron 2955U, 2GB DDR3 memory and 16GB SSD storage. Check out more details about the Asus Chromebox below, and be sure to watch the video as well.
The model that is currently available is the Asus Chromebox-M004U, which is the base model. It is powered by an Intel Celeron 2955U processor clocked at 1.4GHz. You also get 2GB DDR3 RAM and a 16GB SSD for storage plus 100GB Google Drive storage. For connectivity, it has a total of four SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port for wired LAN connectivity, an HDMI and DisplayPort for video outputs and a WiFi with Bluetooth for wireless connectivity. This is a really small box, measuring 4.88″ x 4.88″ inches and is 1.65″ inches thick only, and it weighs only 2.2 pounds.
The Asus Chromebox runs on Chrome OS, a light weight operating system but heavily depends on an internet connection. But this is not meant to replace a Windows-based HTPC. Chromebox are great for multimedia (watching videos, listening to musics, photo viewing), chatting and for web surfing purposes. Below is a video, courtesy of PCDIY, showing what you can do with an Asus Chromebox and how you can upgrade it in the future.
Price and Where to Buy
Like I said earlier, the Asus Chromebox-M004U is now available for $179 only. I’ll update this post, or post a new article once other variant becomes available.
Asus Chromebox Specifications
| Operating System | Chrome OS |
| CPU | Intel® Core i7-4600U Processor or Intel® Core i3-4010U Processor or Intel® Celeron 2955U Processor |
| Chipset | Integrated |
| Graphic | Intel® HD Graphics 4000/4400 (depending on CPU) |
| Memory | 2 GB Up to 4 GB Dual Channel, DDR3 at 1600MHz |
| Storage | 16GB SSD |
| Wireless Data Network | 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth V4.0 |
| LAN | 10/100/1000 Mbps |
| Side I/O Ports | 1 x 2 -in-1 Card Reader 1 x Kensington Lock |
| Front I/O Ports | 2 x USB 3.0 with BC1.2 capability |
| Back I/O Ports | 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x HDMI, 1 x RJ45 LAN, 1 x DC-in, 1 x DisplayPort, 1 x Audio Jack(s) |
| Card Reader | 2 -in-1: SD/ MMC |
| Power Supply | 65 W Power adaptor |
| Dimensions | 12.4 x 12.4 x 4.19 cm (WxDxH) |
| Weight | 0.6 kg / (1.32 lb) |
| Color | Midnight Blue |
| Accessories | Keyboard+Mouse (On selected models), Wireless AC Adaptor Warranty Card User Manual VESA Mount Kit Quick Start Guide |
