HP Chromebox Desktop (Ocean Turquoise) for US $154.75 Delivered @ Amazon

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Pdaerka on 30/08/2014 - 08:11 amazon.com (1100 clicks)

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A$ 172.02 @ Amazon exchange rate

HP Chromebox Desktop
Ocean Turquoise: US$ 142.88
White: US$ 144.68
Smoke Silver: US$ 149.99

Shipping: US$ 11.87

These have all been $149.99 for a while, but have never been posted as a deal, but with the Ocean Turquoise and White having dropped even further now, it is about time.

Excellent units. These can also be modded to function as Linux Ubuntu/Mint desktop and/or run as XBMC/Kodi media center.

HP Store Link

Price History at CamelCamelCamel.

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• 

  [Deactivated] on 30/08/2014 - 08:16

  +1

  "These can also be modded to function as Linux Ubuntu/Mint desktop and/or run as XBMC/Kodi media center."

  Well for $38 you can just get a Raspberry Pi Model B+.

  • 

    OzBLover on 30/08/2014 - 08:23

    +3

    This is much better looking than the Pi :)

    • 

      Namesareapain on 30/08/2014 - 08:25

      +4

      And much more powerful.

    • 

      foonman on 30/08/2014 - 09:07

      +5

      My raspberry pi experiment ended recently, after the brand name SD card became corrupted for the third time from a blackout. daerka is spot on, you also need a case, usb hub, decent power supply and usb disk - makes for an untidy little setup. If you've got the parts already it can be fun to setup, the first time at least - you definitely want to take an image of your SD card, because it gets old pretty quickly reconfiguring again and again. I was using it as a NAS, torrent box and DLNA server for my tele and stereo (no transcoding). I'm now running the same functions in a virtual machine under Proxmox on an intel NUC and couldn't be happier.

      • 

        GooseHoward on 30/08/2014 - 12:59

        +2

        SD card corruption can be avoided by running from a USB flash drive. And the Chromebox will need an external HDD too or something if you plan on storing any serious amount of content.

        I think a model B+ (which has 4 USB ports, so you don't really need the USB hub) delivered with case is like ~$55, so if you have a flash drive, SD card, suitable power supply (many android chargers are adequate) and an external HDD lying around the Pi setup is a lot cheaper.

        Though the Pi can play 1080p content no problem, the Chromebox smashes it in terms of performance, is a neater setup and it can passthrough HD audio. Depends what you're looking for.

      • 

        daerka on 30/08/2014 - 13:16

        @AMG: The Pi+ is still a good buy if it suits your needs, especially if you have a lot of the additional parts you need already. As you've said, it all depends on what you're looking for, and I'm still running a Pi as XBMC box in one of the kids rooms, I'm still running an Ouya as XBMC box in the kids games room, neither of which is sufficient for my personal needs. The Chromebox is, in fact, just about the cheapest device I've come across that is. Though there are the odd occasions where I need to swap over to my i3.

  • 

    daerka on 30/08/2014 - 08:25

    +4

    To get the board you mean? How much to include all the accessories you still need? Take the total price, then put the prices next to each other, together with what both these units will provide in terms of XBMC/Kodi performance. Can the Pi handle artwork without issues? Can the Pi handle large libraries? Can the Pi handle some of the more intensive skins? You cannot tell me you can get all that for $38.

• 

  [Deactivated] on 30/08/2014 - 08:29

  -8

  Specs? It looks nice but whats to say this isn't a cheap chinese mobile phone with no touchscreen, etc.

  • 

    daerka on 30/08/2014 - 08:31

    +3

    Did you miss the HP Store Link?

    In short, it's a Intel Celeron 2955U on Haswell architecture with Intel HD graphics.

• 

  HeDanny on 30/08/2014 - 08:46

  Ordered. Thanks OP.

  Wanted something like this just to play with for a while now. Pretty and cheap is a good combo. Possibly useful is a nice bonus.

  • 

    daerka on 30/08/2014 - 08:52

    +1

    You're welcome. Pretty it is. I've got the white one. Wife loves it, cos it even sparkles!

    • 

      dbrent12 on 30/08/2014 - 09:03

      +3

      I hear it's hideous in the sun! Hideous

      • 

        daerka on 30/08/2014 - 09:23

        +1

        Tell to not put it into the sun then!! I personally prefer the Asus, but it's ~US$25 more than the turquoise HP at the moment.

• 

  mikelp on 30/08/2014 - 09:00

  I think that's no any problem to running windows

  • 

    daerka on 30/08/2014 - 09:30

    If you meant that it should be able to run Windows, then the answer is yes, but not without issues. It can be modded to run Windows 8.1, but audio over HDMI does not work. If you want to run it as a small desktop with a small set of stereo speakers, or headphones, attached to the jack, then this should work for you. If you want to attach it to your TV to play media, then this will not work unless you purchase additional hardware, like a (rather ugly) external usb audio card.

• 

  goingDHfast on 30/08/2014 - 09:56

  Will the celeron processor handle 4K output or do I need to choose an i3 model?

  • 

    daerka on 30/08/2014 - 10:06

    +2

    I've seen reports of 4K working, but haven't actually tried this myself, nor do I have a 4K display. Unfortunately, can't currently confirm this. Most likely, it will depend on the framerate of the content. The Celeron may have a limit as to what framerate it can support. If I wanted more future-proof 4K support I'd probably choose a different box.

• 

  superuser on 30/08/2014 - 10:12

  Wireless Type: 802.11abg so no n…

  • 

    daerka on 30/08/2014 - 10:14

    +1

    802.11a/b/g/n (2x2); Bluetooth® 4.0

    Confirm it does have N, does not have AC.

• 

  samboread on 30/08/2014 - 11:49

  Would like to replace an old laptop running 24/7 for a weather station and plex media server with this.
  Would this do the job? How easy would it be to mod windows 7 or 8 onto this?

  • 

    jackau on 30/08/2014 - 12:21

    -2

    better off get a 2xx win 8 tablet with HDMI than this thing then.

  • 

    daerka on 30/08/2014 - 12:23

    +2

    I don't see why it wouldn't do the job, though if you're set on running Windows it may be worth it looking into alternatives. From what I've heard, too many issues with Windows 7, not even worth it. Windows 8 should run, Windows 8.1 is confirmed to run, but not without issues either. In order to mod it you have to open the unit, remove the write-protect screw, and then you can flash a custom firmware. There's a Brix with the same CPU which would probably be a better option, though likely more expensive with the same specs.

    • 

      jackau on 30/08/2014 - 13:32

      -2

      It you need hours of engineer level fine tuning and modification, then it won't be for every one, for the general public : time = money.
      A Toshiba encore 32gb like tablet with hdmi and USB at 199 aud would not only get free office and win 8, it also runs loads of free apps, on top of the chrome.
      That's almost plug and play dual screen netbook, given user has a micro USB hub and micro hdmi cable.
      Any one with the skill level, feel free to play with this.

      Just like I brought a 200 aud core I 3 nuc on clearance and turn it to a micro server, after 5 hours if modes and fine tuning.

      • 

        daerka on 30/08/2014 - 15:28

        +2

        I'm not sure why anyone would want to replace a laptop with a tablet if they essentially want to run a server.

      • 

        jackau on 30/08/2014 - 19:15

        -1

        @daerka:
        just saying technically this box is not idea for general buyer who is looking to convert it to something more than what it is, and alternatives exist which gets more for a little extra.

      • 

        daerka on 30/08/2014 - 19:59

        +2

        @jackau: But surely, a Windows tablet is not a viable alternative, right? Particularly not if you want to run a server. Or do you disagree?

      • 

        King Tightarse on 30/08/2014 - 23:07

        +1

        "I brought a 200 aud core I 3 nuc"
        where?

    • 

      daerka on 30/08/2014 - 21:46

      +1

      Ummm, just had a look for pricing of the Brix with the 2955U, and even the cheapest would cost in excess of $200 and that does not even include RAM or SSD yet.

• 

  smoke87 on 30/08/2014 - 11:59

  For close to that price you can get a zotac zbox quad core Celeron…to be released soon bundled with 64gb ssd and 4gb-8gb ram under $250 delivered. Or bare bones delivered 210.

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 30/08/2014 - 12:11

    link?

  • 

    daerka on 30/08/2014 - 12:14

    Do you mean the CI320?

  • 

    Lenneth on 30/08/2014 - 19:50

    What is that?

    • 

      daerka on 30/08/2014 - 20:21

      If you're referring to my comment, the CI320 is one of Zotac's new fanless mini-PCs. It's nice, though that particular model is still a Bay Trail model, and even though it's got a quad core Celeron that has somewhat better multi-threaded performance than the 2955U in the Chromebox, it isn't necessarily better in terms of overall performance.

      That said, my CI520 should get here soon, 'cos a fanless i3 Haswell really rocks! Not quite as cheap as the Chromebox, though.

• 

  MasterScythe on 30/08/2014 - 13:13

  Expired now; but hardly seems worth it when you see these deals are possible
  http://www.cplonline.com.au/intel-nuc-dn2820fykh0-celeron-n2…

• 

  JuryWheel on 30/08/2014 - 13:18

  how does this compare to a nuc celeron as far as power goes (xbmc for example)

  • 

    daerka on 30/08/2014 - 15:19

    +2

    The Chromebox is definitely better performance-wise in terms of CPU and GPU performance, it's also Haswell architecture, which is the same architecture as the NUC i3/i5, while the N2820 is Bay Trail, and somewhat lacking in performance compared to Haswell. The average CPU mark of the Celeron N2820 in the NUC is 1011, while the average CPU mark of the 2955U in the Chromebox is 1555.

    If you take the N2820 pricing from the link MasterScythe posted, and add to that pricing for memory and SSD to have the same specs as the Chromebox, then the Chromebox isn't all that much more expensive (if it even is more expensive), while being a much faster machine overall.

    Then again, depending on your particular use case, you may not be able to tell the difference, while in my particular use case, I would notice the difference.

• 

  daerka on 01/09/2014 - 20:52

  Ocean Turquoise back up to US $159.99, White cheapest at US $149.99, Smoke Silver no longer in stock.