Asus Chromebox M031U review

Chrome OS has long been associated with budget laptops, with its lightweight operating system and browser-based applications very suitable for people who have modest needs while on the move. We've seen substantially less desktop-based Chrome machines but, when you think about it, there's very little reason why a Chrome desktop PC can't be a great buy.

Step in the Asus Chromebox. There are several specifications of the this PC available, including a rather over-specified, £500+ Intel Core i7 version. The one on test here is the more reasonably priced £208 version, powered by a 1.4GHz Intel Celeron 2955U processor. It's a pleasingly designed mini PC, with a footprint a little smaller than a CD case. The dark metallic blue top and black sides look classy and don't give away this PC's ultra-cheap origins. Its tiny size means it can fit practically anywhere: on a desk, on the back of a monitor (with a mount) or even in your media cabinet if you fancy a dedicated web browsing PC for your TV.

In such a small form factor the Chromebox would be forgiven for failing to provide all the ports and connectors you'd expect of a larger PC, but it's actually surprisingly well-endowed. You get full size HDMI and DisplayPort connectors at the rear, along with two USB3 ports, a gigabit Ethernet connector and 3.5mm headset jack. There's two more easily accessible USB3 ports on the front of the Chromebox, and there's also an SD/MMC card reader on the left-hand side. There's also built-in dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4 as well.

Included in the price is a wireless keyboard and mouse set, although the two peripherals require a USB dongle and don't take advantage of the Chromebox's Bluetooth connectivity. This means one of the four USB3 ports is permanently occupied, which seems like a bit of a waste. Still, the mouse, while comically small, is reliable and comfortable to use. The keyboard, meanwhile has a childlike feel to it and certainly won't suit quick typists. What's more, it's slightly weird dimensions means some of the keys feel out of place and takes a fair amount of time to get used to. The keyboard also replaces the entire top row of F-keys with Chrome OS-specific functions including window management, browser navigation, audio controls and, oddly for a desktop PC, brightness controls.

Despite the leisurely 1.4GHz clock speed of the dual-core Intel Celeron 2955U processor that powers the Chromebox, performance is assisted by the lightweight Chrome operating system. With very little overhead, the processor is able to put all of its effort into the things you're doing in the foreground, with very little going on elsewhere. Image-heavy web pages opened with surprising ease and streaming Full HD videos were lag- and stutter-free.

This means you get a much higher bang:buck ratio than you'd get with the comparatively lethargic Windows 8.1. Of course, you can't run any Windows applications on your Chromebox, but there are plenty of web-based alternatives to consider. Google Photos is great for your images, while online music streaming services such as Spotify, Google Play Music, Netflix and YouTube and other should satisfy your entertainment needs. You can even play some very light games on the Chromebox, although you'll be limited to the very simple titles available in the Chrome Store.

There's 4GB of RAM If you're going to be storing files locally on the Chromebox, you will want to use this SD card expansion because you only get 16GB of dedicated storage. However, using the Chromebox for large local files would be missing the point of Chrome OS, which is much more suited to online content and web applications.  

We're not huge fans of the new search menu in Chrome OS

It is possible to use the Chromebox like a traditional desktop PC, although some recent changes have changed Chrome OS for the worse. The once fairly simple app selection and search menu which opened in the bottom-left corner of the screen now opens dead-centre and can't be moved, and features a Google search bar and large Google Now cards, making accessing shortcuts for web apps much more difficult. It seems like an unnecessary complication to what was a fairly usable system in the past.

The Asus Chromebox is a bargain mini PC, undercutting its Windows-powered rivals in terms of price while still offering capable performance and reasonable specifications. There are of course limitations with an operating system that's so reliant on web content, but since it's so easy to get a large amount of your computing done online, the trade-offs of switching to Chrome OS are nowhere near as severe as they once were. It's not going to be for everybody, but if your demands are modest and you're willing to start moving your work and personal life to the cloud, the Chromebox is a great way to do so.

If you have more money to spend and want a PC capable of doing a little more for your media, consider the Acer Revo RL85, a tiny PC with a huge amount of room for internal storage for £400. Want something with more oomph? Check out our Best Desktops 2015 buying guide.