It was not so long ago Google did a little chest beating by announcing support for gaming Chromebooks. I was really excited by this announcement not because I am an avid gamer, but because it finally gave the industry a reason to build performance driven solutions without all the nay saying. Why do we need performance Chromebooks? I like to say you will never be disappointed with too much power.
This product may be purchased with either an i3-1215U, i5-1235U, or i7-1255U Intel processor. The i7 processor has 10 cores running at 3.5 GHz in standard mode, 4.7 GHz in turbo mode, and has 12 MB of cache. When you think about this for a moment, this is really desktop performance.
The i7 CPU is paired with an Iris® Xe Graphics GPU, which is responsible for managing graphics processing. With a total of 96 execution units, it is capable of supporting 4K resolutions and can be connected to as many as 3 additional monitors for those who wish to extend their screen.To provide context, the nVidia 4090 GPU is rumored to have 304 execution units, but a gaming Chromebook does not need that much power because the graphics are processed remotely rather than on the device itself.
The display is a 14-inch, WUXGA (1920x1200) IPS panel operating at 144 Hz. Although it makes no sense on a gaming Chromebook, it also includes touchscreen and stylus support. Not as high as the PixelBook’s 3:2 aspect ratio, the 16:10 display does provide a bump to the 16:9 viewing area found on many laptops.
Available with either 8GB or 16GB of RAM, this should be adequate for supporting multiple open browser tabs or the concurrent operation of multiple applications.
Connectivity includes 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x 3.5mm audio combo jack, and a microSD card reader. Wireless connectivity includes dual-band 2x2 Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2.
For me, this Chromebook checks all the right boxes. Availability and pricing are not available, but based on selected features, I anticipate it will retail between 700 and 1200 US dollars.