Then, if you absolutely need a desktop program download, run whatever you need from the selection in the Windows Store.

Instead, use this laptop like a Chromebook, so focus on using it for web apps like Google Docs or Office Online. It’s running Windows 10 Home in S Mode and we would not recommend upgrading this laptop to regular Windows 10. For a price around $200, however, we’re willing to overlook these shortcomings but with some big caveats.įirst, you’ll get exactly what you pay for with this clamshell, but that just might be a good thing given the price. We’re not huge fans of laptops with just 128GB of onboard storage (especially this one’s onboard eMMC storage) and generally don’t recommend Windows PCs running Celeron processors. See the MSI Creator 15 at Newegg Asus Chromebook CXB170CKA Either way, be sure to dial down the resolution when gaming. Nevertheless, if you want to game on this thing, you can expect a no-compromises experience at 1080p and a decent 1440p experience if you’re willing to tweak the graphics on a per-game basis. This machine is a pro-level creative laptop–hence the name “Creator”–with a solid GPU for video editing, graphic design, photography, and so on. This isn’t meant to be a gaming PC where the display resolution matches the capabilities of the GPU. It also has 16GB of RAM, 512GB of onboard storage, and the GPU is a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060. The CPU is an eight-core, sixteen-thread Intel “Tiger Lake” Core i7-11800H with a maximum boost to 4.6GHz. The MSI Creator 15 features a 15.6-inch 4K OLED display. If you’re willing to deal with a mail-in rebate, this is an excellent deal worth considering. See the Asus VivoBook 15 at Staples Asus Chromebook For that reason we’d suggest sticking to what’s available in the Windows Store and avoid installing a ton of programs.

Anything beyond that and you’ll need something with a little more power. It’s a good choice for basic operations such as email, social media, web browsing, a few light spreadsheets, and video streaming. You can find desktop apps in the Windows Store now, and this laptop isn’t going to do a lot of advanced stuff. It’s running Windows 10 Home in S Mode, and you might want to keep it in S mode. For RAM you’ve got 4GB and onboard storage is 128GB. It’s an older CPU, sure, but it’ll run your favorite browser just fine, as well as productivity apps like Microsoft Office. The CPU is an Intel Core i3-1005G1, which is an Ice Lake processor with two cores, four threads, and a max boost clock of 3.4GHz. The Asus VivoBook 15 doesn’t have a ton of oomph, but it’ll get the job done while running Windows desktop apps, and for a killer price. If you like the idea of a Chromebook, but really wished it ran Windows, we’ve found something similar.

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