Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

Would you buy a Chromebook or budget PC laptop for travel?

Apr 26, 2019 3:34PM PDT

Hi I hope your readers can help me make the right decision. Here it goes. I will be doing some traveling this summer and I'm right now contemplating on buying an inexpensive laptop to take along with me. As for my purpose of the laptop, I will most likely be using it for email, checking on photos I have uploaded to my photo site from my phone, writing some personal journals, social media as well as using it for some entertainment like watching videos and reading, but nothing heavy on computing. Initially I was dead set on buying a budget PC laptop around $300 as I am a Windows user, but then saw some Chromebooks that were less expensive and much lighter in weight, however I'm not familiar with them and assume there are certain limitations as compared to a PC running Windows. I have a couple of months until I take off on my first trip and I would like to get some opinions on a Chromebook vs. a budget Windows PC so I can weigh out my options and hopefully make a good decision on one and not regret something I must lug with me throughout my travels. Looking forward to your help. Thank you.

--Submitted by Bruce D.

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
depends what windows pc you are considering...
May 5, 2019 3:42PM PDT

Comparison in my views need to be done here: if you do no t intend to do anything else than web surfing, communication, it's a thing. But if you aim to install MS /office, forget those 32GB or so laptops. Have you ever realized space taken by... just Windows ? Nothing left on these $200 - $300 laptops to install - even just an anti-virus (you're talking about travelling, right ?... Of course, no space for Office if you also plan to work (computers were first conceived for this, remember?... not just an extension of your cell... )

Not sure about the Chromebook but assuming you get more space and are able to perhaps shed in some additional stuff, then we're possibly more serious here... Personnally, I would never consider - even just a ''nice to have'' additional laptop under 500 GB - keep in mind that hotels usually do not offer realistic connexions to download those ''more than 500MB'' files you would store on One Drive, iCloud or any of these ''cloud-based'' services that try to make you believe you can access to whatever you want wherever you are... My two cents Happy

- Collapse -
Chromebook, no doubt.
May 6, 2019 4:55AM PDT

About 3 years I picked up a $100 HP Chromebook (Yes, it was Cheapskate deal!). I use for almost the very same reasons as Bruce. It starts lightning fast and is perfect for any web-based activity like email, social media, photos etc. I have a decent laptop but I've hardly used it since I bought the Chromebook. I'll use the laptop if I'm doing serious photo or video editing or any other activity that demands more memory or processing power. But I have found very little I can't handle with my Chromebook. As far as onboard storage goes it's very cheap to add a 128gb or 256gb sd card to the Chromebook. I'm sure a tablet would also do well to for the tasks he's looking to accomplish. It comes down to preference, comfort and familiarity... mine is the Chromebook.

- Collapse -
Offline movies?
May 6, 2019 5:36AM PDT

If you are going to be someplace with no wifi access is there a way to download movies ahead of time and then watch them with the chromebook like if you are going a a long plane ride and don't want to pay for web access?