No one will probably see this comment but to anyone that does I hope this helps. This is kind of a general guide to chrome emulation from my limited experience. I've been messing around with chrome os for about a month and the whole reason I bought a Chromebook was just for it to be a light laptop I could carry back and forth to campus easily. I have a Samsung Chromebook 4 (2021 refresh with the celeron N4020) just for reference spec wise. I've only really been emulating: SNES, GBA, N64, PS1, and Dreamcast with my Chromebook. I've tried just about every emulator on the play-store but I've always come back to Retro-arch (plus version specifically because core support). Retro-arch will pretty much work for all of your desired emulation needs, but that's not to say it won't have its quirks. The thing with Retro-arch is that it can have kind of a steep learning curve when it comes to trying to use it on chrome. Skip the next section if you don't want to know about the Linux environment and the torture that is running Retro-arch through chrome Linux. I would HIGHLY advise against going this route unless you have a lot of time to figure out how to make it work properly on chrome. Just to get this Linux version out of the way it will perform better than the play store version just because it is the full desktop version, but the amount of time effort and frustration you will receive is not worth the not even 10% gain in performance trust me. If you really wish to know more there are a couple guides that will show you how to install it through flatpak and the terminal out there but the way this version runs it is not user friendly at all. From how chrome as a limited operating system makes file browsing an absolute pain and how it makes Linux have its own dedicated file space on your drive ( which is hidden from you to access by the way) you can only access a very limited amount of files this way. And in many instances just running the terminal will have major impacts on your performance (assuming you are using low end hardware and just experimenting like I am). After you manage to get it up and running and have it running properly without crashing you run into another problem. Hmmmmm, why cant I navigate the menu? Yeah this is another fun part, to have Retro-arch recognize a gamepad you need Drivers... Bum bum bum! Yeah this is where I stopped for a while. Like how old emulation systems worked you would need to install drivers for it to recognize that it has a gamepad attached to the system, if you can find the files and haven't thrown your poor Chromebook at this point I would suggest something like xpadneo and install it through your terminal. This reminds me of the horrible old days when everything wasn't plug and play, it was plug and troubleshoot then maybe play. But after all this you got to go through: drivers for Retro-arch itself, trying to figure out the directory and how chrome stupidly set it up and finally you can play a game. So that's essentially everything I wish I knew before I started my journey to try and get Retro-arch on Linux to work, I hope this helps you avoid doing this. TLDR you can install steam this same way, don't do it. Trust me just don't, to explain why you should't and explain why it doesn't work is not worth another block of text. You will run into many of the same problems. Okay! This is where actual the fun begins. Retro-arch on chrome through the play store is semi user friendly but it has its perks. Just to list a few: it has extensive options that you can tweak to your hearts content, all of your emulators and games you can play all in the same place, and its compatibility with pretty much any game pad without any frustration is wizard. But those are just a few of the many perks to running Retro-arch compared to many other google play emulators. The actual difficulty to Retro-arch for newcomers is learning how to set it up, I'm not going to go through this here but I will point you in the right direction. Just about any guide on youtube for Retro-arch on android will get you covered for this. To preface this next section SNES, GBA, PS1, and Dreamcast run perfectly through Retro-arch and there associated cores from what I've tested, experiment around with the many cores at your disposal the systems that I just listed will be the easiest to run without slowdown. Also as a sidenote for Dreamcast you can run it in Retro-arch but I would suggest just getting the play store version of re-dream. I mainly want to focus on N64 because that is the system I have had the most problems with. So in the android version of retroarch you have two core options when it comes to running N64 titles. The two versions of mupen. In my testing the first option will run but will give me a black screen but audio still functions. I looked into this and its some problem with Retro-arch's version of mupen running on chrome OS on low end celerons. And the second version will run but it will have graphical issues and like in the video will have a weird stutter. It is playable but not enjoyable. From here you have two options for flawless N64 emulation from what I've tested. You can install another core to Retro-arch which is parallel64 or get the plays tore version of mupen. If you are determined to stay in Retro-arch you can go through the process of trying to install an outside core, its a little tricky but doable. Parallel64 worked for me without slowdown or any graphical hiccups. But the easier way would be to just download mupen and play it through there. It's easy to set up and from what I tested I did not experience any slowdown using the app version. So that's pretty much it when it comes to those systems, anything more graphically demanding you wont be able to run it. I didn't try dolphin more so because I didn't see any point in doing so. I'm sure there might be one or two games that are not very demanding that will run well but on a machine like this you just don't have the power. I hope this guide helped someone, I wasn't trying to be a know it all when I wrote this but I wish I knew all of this information before I started emulating on my Chromebook. ETA Prime I love your videos and I have been watching for a long time keep up the great work! Thank you for reading I hope you have a great day and have fun emulating on your Chromebook!
I still remember back when I can get a 20 FPS on playing Megaman Legend on ePSXe somewhat 15 years ago. Now we can get a max on Dreamcast on a Chromebook
Hell, I can recall similar performance on an i3-powered HP Pavilion laptop in 2013. I had to stick with 2D games, and other relatively undemanding games. Can't honestly recall GBA performance, but anything up to SNES/Genesis was solid. Edit: After some more memory probing, I now recall that I had PS1 performance issues on the Atom-powered Toshiba netbook. PS1 was fine on the i3-powered HP Pavilion, as was GBA. Beyond that, everything was uncertain.
@@robmalcolm8042 In my experience, GBA emulation was more demanding. I can recall having more issues with it than SNES emulation. That might be due to the GBA being a 32-bit system. After probing my memory, I probably struggled with GBA emulation on an Atom-powered Toshiba netbook, but SNES emulation was fine. GBA emulation was fine on the HP Pavilion.
@@MrNobody47710 it probably was but snes has its moments being demanding too. But what I meant was gba and snes many games resemble since gba games are similar to snes with sprites and more
I have a chromebook from 2018 with an intel processor (dual core 800 - 1.1 MHz) and even this could run emulation up to PSP surprisingly so. Runs PS1, N64, DS, PSP perfectly. My chromebook cost $250 refurbished, orignally $330. It's astounding to see how powerful that AMD CPU is in this video, it blows mine out the water and at $98!
At $98 is hits the sweet spot. At the manufacturer prospective final price, it will likely sell next to none. With it being not that much more powerful than a Pi 4, it kind of tells you where it is and reflected in this price. Likely more suited to those that want a cheap but effective daily machine for browsing, video and light tasks, for which it would sell very well indeed at $98.
I imagine it'll probably sell much better than next to none. My dad got suckered into a "cloudbook" like this with very low powered specs and 32 gb on board. Was really upset after I explained to him how much of a deal it wasn't
My suggestion is to buy a 1080p Chromebook (Some are a little more than $100 during sales), not a 720p Chromebook. Cloud gaming platforms, such as Stadia and GeForce Now, support 1080p to 4K resolution. 720p is not the current standard.
@@yifeipei5484 for 150, you can get a ryzen chromebook that's 1080p and has an m.2 nvme lol, those beat this a4 chromebook so damn hard lol. 98$ for those is also not a good price, 50$ at most, they have heat issues and don't run windows or linux well
Picked this Chromebook up for my kid's homework at $99 a few months ago and was pleasantly surprised that it ran Dead Cell, Minecraft, and cloud gaming pretty well with the correct settings. We may have to do our own emulation testing as a summer break project. Any tips for installing Steam, Epic, and/or GoG (presumably via Linux) to see if we can play some old school PC games on this thing?
@@kevinhapr that's the aim, but my understanding is that I would have to install Steam, Epic, and/or GoG via Linux because standard Steam for Chromebooks would get blocked because this laptop's chipset isn't good enough for that applications install standards. Hoping others have insights on the Linux options.
I’m so glad that I found this video I have a chromebook that I barley use because I felt like it useless, didn’t know you could do gaming on it,definitely can’t wait to put some emulators on it now!
THANK YOU eta I have to say I'm one of the people that's been asking for more Chromebook videos. They actually have some higher powered Chromebooks now and some even allow steam. Im wondering if you could test the full capability of a powerful Chromebook. Also I just have to say since I discovered your channel I realized I've been in love with tech but never knew much about it and now that I do I ended up getting a job with spectrum and for once in my life I've been feeling like I'm getting somewhere.
I just started getting into emulation on my chromebook. Picked it up for $100 from Best Buy less than a year ago. Not sure what model I have, but I can run GBA, N64, and PSP pretty smoothly. Really enjoying getting back into my childhood games.
@@ianjay4596 I think you have to set up Linux to run ps2 games because you have to dump bios, but I’m not sure. I would say that ps2 might be too much for the chromebook to handle, due to getting dropped frame rates and sluggish gameplay on a few psp games.
Funny thing about this chromebook is that is the exact model that my school gives students. Of course this is what the "EE" stands for which means "Education Edition." This chromebook is very good for work and school. Also from the performance of the emulation, apps, etc. This is a great laptop for the nice good priced $98
I think the killer for self hosting is the lack of hardware ethernet. My pi was so much more responsive once I attached it to ethernet. That being said, wifi was good enough. I think you'd struggle with Plex on this due to less hardware threads (2 vs 4 on a Pi) and ethernet which definitely is a factor for enabling remote access speed
What a deal this thing is. Those excavator cores may not be the fastest on the market but they surely slap around atom cores when it comes to actual computations since they don't run a macro architecture. Also those very basic Graphics are more than enough to run many thousands of old school PC games as well as many of the Great classic retro games as you showed a few in this video. It's amazing how this computer would honestly match the computer that I had in high school and yet it cost only $98 with a screen... Kids today don't know how good they have it in terms of tech....
Would like to see you do a video in developer mode, enabling hyperthreading and GPU Rasterization, and compare gaming with the settings enabled/disabled/default settings.
AMD Stoney Ridge APUs pre-date Ryzen and don't have hyperthreading unfortunately. It would be cool to see one of these Chromebooks powered by an AMD 3015e - same 6 watt TDP, but double the threads, with higher clocks on 14nm, faster DDR4 memory, etc.
@@rhekman I am new to Chromebooks, bought my first one in January and bought my 2nd 4 days ago, both are Intel based. I learned about turning the Hyperthreading on a few days ago, i do see a better response. I am not a gamer so i would not be the best to judge performance, but i am sure ETA has access to a chromebook he can do some hyperthreading testing on.
@@69mazzz Welcome and I'm glad you're finding ways to tinker and unlock performance. "Hyperthreading" specifically is an Intel feature that basically makes one cpu core look like two cores to the operating system. Then behind the scenes it fills the mix of instructions from two different running programs across all the functional units of the CPU core to give a performance boost. For example if one program wants to do a comparison of two values, while another program wants to multiply some floating point numbers, the CPU can do both at the same time. AMD added a similar feature called Simultaneous Multi-Threading starting with Ryzen.
I'm actually wondering about DS and 3DS emulation on some of these devices. I notice you tend to go from GBA to PSP where those devices sit kinda in the middle and have tons of both 2D and 3D games, but the system requirements for them tend to vary a bit which be about the emulators themselves, but might still be worth taking a look at on lower end hardware.
...pffft, your trying to compare the "2DS/3DS" to a "PSP? The "NDS/NDS Lite/DSI" & "PSP" (PSP slim, PSP Lite & PSP Go) are in the generation slot while otherwise "2DS/3DS" (XL, New 3DS & 2DS) & "PSVita" (PSVita slim) is another. You gonna need a Snapdragon 845 or higher to run "3DS" games.
@@superkoopatrooper4879 While I have not run many Android apps on my Pixel Slate, the ones I have run, mostly games, have run the same or sometimes faster or more stable than on my Pixel 5 or my Chromebook Duet.
I forget where i saw it, but there is either a chromebook or windows laptop with an AMD Athlon 3150e for something like $129. Now a few things to note, this may be a 3000 series processor, but AMD in their infinite wisdom has chosen to just modify and re-name a Zen1 14nm processor as a 3000 series processor. I CANNOT wait for AMD Mendecino to replace this $50 class of processor and hope they come to AM4/AM5 as low powered desktop CPUs for things that dont need a $200 6 core thats really an 8 core with a price to reflect it.
I saw this on Walmart and was really tempted to pick one up last week to replace the $170 Chromebook I bought from them with a Mediatek processor that I inadvertently killed by spilling lemonade on the keyboard a few months back. I liked that it used an AMD processor, though I held back to get one with a touchscreen instead. I am even more intrigued by the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook, though I don't like that it used an Intel processor. AMD, LINUX, CHROME... the future.
Cool vid 👍. Chromebooks = good to add to a mix of devices; less guilt if lost or broken. Nuke it OTA if stolen, as least "in theory." ETA = unmatched rate of output for new video content, all very strong production value (no cursing, no innuendo). With much appreciation.
Was hoping for a Zen based Athlon chip or even a more modern decent MediaTek ARM chip, but the A4-9120C is OLD. Still running on Excavator 28nm platform.
@@gigabusterexe there's a significant architecture performance difference though. If anything, I wouldn't be surprised if the IPC of AMD's Excavator cores is about the same if not even worse than Sandy Bridge.
@@gigabusterexe Sandy Bridge was a monster when it launched, Excavator was terrible and it nearly killed AMD. Honestly I'm really perplex at this Chromebook, I would buy it even at 60€, the obsolete APU was already bad at launch and those thick bezels remind me of those old netbooks from the late 2000s.
Recently bought a €50 second-hand device like this as effectively a client for my gaming PC to use from the sofa. Steamlink works really well, also linux terminal (mostly for SSH)
damn for $98 this is a freaking amazing deal to have a laptop in "emergencies" my emergencies: -when you stay in hospital for 1-2 days -for blackouts that last 5-6 hours -traveling out of town if it can do youtube 1080p and browse facebook then it's all I need!
I have an HP Chromebook with this same processor and a 1080p screen. It would consistently run at 90-100% watching 720p video, overheat and crash. I got another Chromebook with the Celeron n4020 and it runs at 15-20% watching 1080p video. It stays cool and performs great. The AMD processor is just too old to handle much.
@@kuchengireng Even in the best case scenario as outlined in this video, 1080p video brings this laptop to its knees. Even budget smartphones can handle that. This thing seems like complete e-waste to me, but at least it can technically browse the web and emulate some things.
Sounds like you weren't using hardware acceleration for video decoding and thus the CPU had to handle it, which wouldn't be pretty even on a good desktop CPU, nevermind a low-power one. On a quick search it looks like the GPU can decode most contemporary video codecs so 1080p video playback shouldn't be a problem. Still, it's a 2 core (or rather a "1 module") bulldozer-based CPU, it boggles my mind how anyone would recommend it for anything in 2022, low power CPU market has moved A LOT since the bulldozer era, I would pick a last gen Celeron Nxxxx over this thing any day, and the price wouldn't be THAT far off...
I would love a tutorial on how to install Linux/SteamOS on this. I realize it's under powered but works good for older games which is what i want to use it for.
I have the intel model, but everything else is literally the same including the wallpaper and I do recommend it. I have a new gaming laptop but I find myself using this 90% of the time due to the battery life and portability aspect
I remember i had laptop with10gb hdd, memory storage. This laptop reminds me of something that will always need more space, and external drives dont work good for apps..I can only use apps in system memory which is a downgrade from $200 laptops with 320gb. Maybe im wrong but have a 64gb memory card in my phone. And it only has photos store. Theres a few other feature i have tested, that would make devices worth having with downloading files and back up. But i just like and save to the cloud. Theres a few issues, But a dedicated cheap device, with usb ports and screen isnt a bad deal for $98. Enjoyed seeing all of the built in features. Not quite a gaming app laptop. Maybe for a good mmo game. But needs more system memory for more gaming apps.
i have a slightly older 11inch acer chromebook, i use it at the hobby table for youtube and web browsing, rather excellent, it does have android app support, i've yet to try any. I ould try emulating older games on it, its not too strong but i really like the chromebook!
There are websites and web services that are just easier to do on this than using a phone. For the modern folks who live on their phone this would be great. Throw it in a drawer. Use when you want to do a document or something.
This is where RASPBERRY PI HAS LOST ME: I bought a 1st or 2nd (can't recall) gen Pi years ago to run Kodi, and then didn't follow the progression. Imagine my surprise when Pi 4 B is now 3-4 times as expensive at $115 on Amazon. Yeah, yeah, more power, features... BUT, compare that to the ENTIRE LAPTOP ABOVE for $17 LESS: LCD screen, keyboard, casing, power supply... etc. Pi, to me, is PRICING THEMSELVES OUT. And I get it, the laptop and a Pi are not interchangeable, I'm just talking value for $$$.
I saw this deal and thought wow that’s a great price put it in my cart a few days later or week or so I watch your review, and it definitely made me want it even more. So I finally went out and got it the other day. I was just wondering because I know nothing about Chromebook’s is it possible for me to put 3rd party apps on this chromebook and if so can you please help me out or point me in the right Direction. Your reply would be greatly appreciate it! Thanks again for a great review on this and everything you review!!
An ARM processor Chromebook is the way to go if you are looking for emulation. Aethersx2 won't even download to a X86 powered Chromebook and if you get it to install it won't run. I made that mistake 2 years ago. I'll be looking for a good black Friday deal on a Galaxy Tab S8 this season for my emulation needs and with Dex it will cover my laptop needs.
hey man, big fan of you channel, the amount of stuff I have learned from you is just 🤯🤯🤯 I got a random question, have you ever done a review on the Microsoft Surface Duo?? how would you rate that unit as emulation or running DIG/RETROARCH on it?? thanks for your time and keep up the work on your channel!!!
Huh. I actually already have this particular Chromebook as a backup device/mobile writing tool (Dabble is awesome, for any writers out there). I don't like traveling with my laptop, but a then-$100 Chromebook when I bought it is another story.
orite this is awesome, but what would you recommend as one step up? I like to use the OpenMW on my tablet to play TES Morrowind and that requires a little more power than what this has to offer. I play a handful of emulation games as well specifically Genesis, SNES, N64, and DC. Not concerned about 4k videos or anything but would like the access to web browsing and some android apps.... Any suggestions that don't break the bank? This one again is really cool but I know I need a tiny bit more muscle.
If cromebook gave me root access to a terminal I might be more interested. How does that work? Just overwrite the os with linux like you would on any other laptop?
I might pick this up if it's still available for this price on Wednesday. Not really for any gaming, but for streaming when I'm camping and moreso for file management. I've been using my phone to do things like move files around to my PSP, PS3, and Wii u and it's really annoying. Having something with a real USB port would be a lot better. Plus a keyboard and mouse too.
Just ordered this. It'll be here Thursday. I've been looking for a cheap little netbook kinda device that I could just take with me and mess around with. Any clue how this does with games like Genshin Impact or whatever the latest Call of Duty game for Android is.
I have similar chromebook - same cpu and ram - nvidia geforce now was a very low performer. The CPU inside this wont normally play 1080p video on youtube, and sometime it even has stuttering with 720p. So you can only imagine how it works when you try streaming video for cloud gameplay.
Just purchased the Chromebook just to use for emulation for the kids when we travel.. What is the max size MicroSD card you can put in this Chromebook?
Such a "Netbook 3.0" as a secondary device (or third in my case) with FullHD, 13 or 14 inch non reflective screen, the ability to play at least 1440p videos and good running android apps (games included) would be a deal for me. For that I would pay like 230 bucks or so. That would be fine! This device her is also solid for 100 bucks, but for me I need at least FullHD for tutorials that filmed their screen. And in this case it needs to be a little bit taller and a good bit sharper. But otherwise: really good! Also if you have like only one PC in your household: it's good to have a backup device like that! Whether it it for downloading images (Windows, Linux) or programs, the need to look up you emails on a PC with a keyboard or anything else: when you need it your glad that you have one!
Can this work with an external monitor? Both as a secondary extension, and as a duplicate would be preferable, but just duplicating the screen would be cool.
That's unfortunate. Thanks for the work you do to keep us informed! I'll still probably get one because the performance looks great. Would you be interested in testing virtual box with a Windows 10 image? 😉
i just got one thats got the mediatek 8173c or it might be 8183c its hard to tell with amazon specs lol, i wonder how well it compares according to some online benchmarks its outperforms that amd in benchmarks
Yeah I hope this chromebook is usb-c power. I’ve been wanting something where I can do basic stuff and still game a little on it. Curious If you do steam via Linux will it run beat ‘em ups like tmnt shredder’s revenge or streets of rage.
Lol, installed chrome os on a asus k55a (old model with worst Intel celeron processor ever) and it runs 1080p videos *flawlessly* even 99 bucks is not worth it for this kind of performance.
I have one (sadly is my man) with core 2 duo @2.1GHZ I'm not oveclocking it as I'm fearing bricking it, i tried chrome os flex but the gpu is too weak.
Try PUGG android...(with the shadows disabled) It makes a large difference... Go into settings...graphics...(I think) I can not fully remember as I do not have it currently installed...
Saw this deal and wondered about gaming/emulation. You read my mind.
No one will probably see this comment but to anyone that does I hope this helps. This is kind of a general guide to chrome emulation from my limited experience. I've been messing around with chrome os for about a month and the whole reason I bought a Chromebook was just for it to be a light laptop I could carry back and forth to campus easily. I have a Samsung Chromebook 4 (2021 refresh with the celeron N4020) just for reference spec wise. I've only really been emulating: SNES, GBA, N64, PS1, and Dreamcast with my Chromebook. I've tried just about every emulator on the play-store but I've always come back to Retro-arch (plus version specifically because core support). Retro-arch will pretty much work for all of your desired emulation needs, but that's not to say it won't have its quirks. The thing with Retro-arch is that it can have kind of a steep learning curve when it comes to trying to use it on chrome. Skip the next section if you don't want to know about the Linux environment and the torture that is running Retro-arch through chrome Linux.
I would HIGHLY advise against going this route unless you have a lot of time to figure out how to make it work properly on chrome. Just to get this Linux version out of the way it will perform better than the play store version just because it is the full desktop version, but the amount of time effort and frustration you will receive is not worth the not even 10% gain in performance trust me. If you really wish to know more there are a couple guides that will show you how to install it through flatpak and the terminal out there but the way this version runs it is not user friendly at all. From how chrome as a limited operating system makes file browsing an absolute pain and how it makes Linux have its own dedicated file space on your drive ( which is hidden from you to access by the way) you can only access a very limited amount of files this way. And in many instances just running the terminal will have major impacts on your performance (assuming you are using low end hardware and just experimenting like I am). After you manage to get it up and running and have it running properly without crashing you run into another problem. Hmmmmm, why cant I navigate the menu? Yeah this is another fun part, to have Retro-arch recognize a gamepad you need Drivers... Bum bum bum! Yeah this is where I stopped for a while. Like how old emulation systems worked you would need to install drivers for it to recognize that it has a gamepad attached to the system, if you can find the files and haven't thrown your poor Chromebook at this point I would suggest something like xpadneo and install it through your terminal. This reminds me of the horrible old days when everything wasn't plug and play, it was plug and troubleshoot then maybe play. But after all this you got to go through: drivers for Retro-arch itself, trying to figure out the directory and how chrome stupidly set it up and finally you can play a game. So that's essentially everything I wish I knew before I started my journey to try and get Retro-arch on Linux to work, I hope this helps you avoid doing this. TLDR you can install steam this same way, don't do it. Trust me just don't, to explain why you should't and explain why it doesn't work is not worth another block of text. You will run into many of the same problems.
Okay! This is where actual the fun begins. Retro-arch on chrome through the play store is semi user friendly but it has its perks. Just to list a few: it has extensive options that you can tweak to your hearts content, all of your emulators and games you can play all in the same place, and its compatibility with pretty much any game pad without any frustration is wizard. But those are just a few of the many perks to running Retro-arch compared to many other google play emulators. The actual difficulty to Retro-arch for newcomers is learning how to set it up, I'm not going to go through this here but I will point you in the right direction. Just about any guide on youtube for Retro-arch on android will get you covered for this. To preface this next section SNES, GBA, PS1, and Dreamcast run perfectly through Retro-arch and there associated cores from what I've tested, experiment around with the many cores at your disposal the systems that I just listed will be the easiest to run without slowdown. Also as a sidenote for Dreamcast you can run it in Retro-arch but I would suggest just getting the play store version of re-dream. I mainly want to focus on N64 because that is the system I have had the most problems with. So in the android version of retroarch you have two core options when it comes to running N64 titles. The two versions of mupen. In my testing the first option will run but will give me a black screen but audio still functions. I looked into this and its some problem with Retro-arch's version of mupen running on chrome OS on low end celerons. And the second version will run but it will have graphical issues and like in the video will have a weird stutter. It is playable but not enjoyable. From here you have two options for flawless N64 emulation from what I've tested. You can install another core to Retro-arch which is parallel64 or get the plays tore version of mupen. If you are determined to stay in Retro-arch you can go through the process of trying to install an outside core, its a little tricky but doable. Parallel64 worked for me without slowdown or any graphical hiccups. But the easier way would be to just download mupen and play it through there. It's easy to set up and from what I tested I did not experience any slowdown using the app version. So that's pretty much it when it comes to those systems, anything more graphically demanding you wont be able to run it. I didn't try dolphin more so because I didn't see any point in doing so. I'm sure there might be one or two games that are not very demanding that will run well but on a machine like this you just don't have the power.
I hope this guide helped someone, I wasn't trying to be a know it all when I wrote this but I wish I knew all of this information before I started emulating on my Chromebook. ETA Prime I love your videos and I have been watching for a long time keep up the great work! Thank you for reading I hope you have a great day and have fun emulating on your Chromebook!
"No one will probably see this comment..." is a defeatist comment, lol. Don't defeat yourself. Speak with confidence :)
Thankyou for your kindness in trying to help others on their chromebook emulation journey ❤
I still remember back when I can get a 20 FPS on playing Megaman Legend on ePSXe
somewhat 15 years ago.
Now we can get a max on Dreamcast on a Chromebook
Hell, I can recall similar performance on an i3-powered HP Pavilion laptop in 2013. I had to stick with 2D games, and other relatively undemanding games.
Can't honestly recall GBA performance, but anything up to SNES/Genesis was solid.
Edit: After some more memory probing, I now recall that I had PS1 performance issues on the Atom-powered Toshiba netbook. PS1 was fine on the i3-powered HP Pavilion, as was GBA. Beyond that, everything was uncertain.
@@MrNobody47710 gba is probably close to snes many games on both resemble each system
@@robmalcolm8042
In my experience, GBA emulation was more demanding. I can recall having more issues with it than SNES emulation. That might be due to the GBA being a 32-bit system.
After probing my memory, I probably struggled with GBA emulation on an Atom-powered Toshiba netbook, but SNES emulation was fine. GBA emulation was fine on the HP Pavilion.
I used epsxe on andriod 2013 played everything good
@@MrNobody47710 it probably was but snes has its moments being demanding too. But what I meant was gba and snes many games resemble since gba games are similar to snes with sprites and more
I have a chromebook from 2018 with an intel processor (dual core 800 - 1.1 MHz) and even this could run emulation up to PSP surprisingly so. Runs PS1, N64, DS, PSP perfectly. My chromebook cost $250 refurbished, orignally $330.
It's astounding to see how powerful that AMD CPU is in this video, it blows mine out the water and at $98!
At $98 is hits the sweet spot. At the manufacturer prospective final price, it will likely sell next to none.
With it being not that much more powerful than a Pi 4, it kind of tells you where it is and reflected in this price.
Likely more suited to those that want a cheap but effective daily machine for browsing, video and light tasks, for which it would sell very well indeed at $98.
its an elementary school student laptop
I imagine it'll probably sell much better than next to none. My dad got suckered into a "cloudbook" like this with very low powered specs and 32 gb on board. Was really upset after I explained to him how much of a deal it wasn't
My suggestion is to buy a 1080p Chromebook (Some are a little more than $100 during sales), not a 720p Chromebook. Cloud gaming platforms, such as Stadia and GeForce Now, support 1080p to 4K resolution. 720p is not the current standard.
@@yifeipei5484 for 150, you can get a ryzen chromebook that's 1080p and has an m.2 nvme lol, those beat this a4 chromebook so damn hard lol. 98$ for those is also not a good price, 50$ at most, they have heat issues and don't run windows or linux well
@@glazedbelmont Cannot agree more. Buy a better one, not the trash Chromebook in this video.
Picked this Chromebook up for my kid's homework at $99 a few months ago and was pleasantly surprised that it ran Dead Cell, Minecraft, and cloud gaming pretty well with the correct settings. We may have to do our own emulation testing as a summer break project. Any tips for installing Steam, Epic, and/or GoG (presumably via Linux) to see if we can play some old school PC games on this thing?
You can install steam for chromebook, but it still on beta. Look on the internet for installation.
@@kevinhapr I'm pretty sure the chipset requirements for Steam on CB are well above the specs on this laptop.
@@fennsk maybe if you try to play old games, it will run well. Idk.
@@kevinhapr that's the aim, but my understanding is that I would have to install Steam, Epic, and/or GoG via Linux because standard Steam for Chromebooks would get blocked because this laptop's chipset isn't good enough for that applications install standards.
Hoping others have insights on the Linux options.
I just got this for $45 because of this video. It does everything I needed it for. Thanks man.
I’m so glad that I found this video I have a chromebook that I barley use because I felt like it useless, didn’t know you could do gaming on it,definitely can’t wait to put some emulators on it now!
THANK YOU eta I have to say I'm one of the people that's been asking for more Chromebook videos. They actually have some higher powered Chromebooks now and some even allow steam. Im wondering if you could test the full capability of a powerful Chromebook.
Also I just have to say since I discovered your channel I realized I've been in love with tech but never knew much about it and now that I do I ended up getting a job with spectrum and for once in my life I've been feeling like I'm getting somewhere.
Definitely want to see Linux performance.
Very good review, thanks for sharing !
Thanks again.. & greeting from warm tropical Venezuela..
I just started getting into emulation on my chromebook. Picked it up for $100 from Best Buy less than a year ago. Not sure what model I have, but I can run GBA, N64, and PSP pretty smoothly. Really enjoying getting back into my childhood games.
What about ps2 games?
@@ianjay4596 I think you have to set up Linux to run ps2 games because you have to dump bios, but I’m not sure. I would say that ps2 might be too much for the chromebook to handle, due to getting dropped frame rates and sluggish gameplay on a few psp games.
yes, definitely into seeing how it works with Linux - or even if you can dual-boot into something like batocera etc :)
There is a way to put full windows on it
@@rustymixer2886
there are ton of better open source OSes out there for this underpowered machine.
unless youre in dire need to install winXP on it.
@@NickDyers xp gave me errors but I installed full windows 7 perfectly on my chromebook
Funny thing about this chromebook is that is the exact model that my school gives students. Of course this is what the "EE" stands for which means "Education Edition." This chromebook is very good for work and school. Also from the performance of the emulation, apps, etc. This is a great laptop for the nice good priced $98
I am interested on how this would do on Linux apps. Could we turn it into a small Cloud server and how it handles NextCloud. I would love to see that.
I think the killer for self hosting is the lack of hardware ethernet. My pi was so much more responsive once I attached it to ethernet.
That being said, wifi was good enough. I think you'd struggle with Plex on this due to less hardware threads (2 vs 4 on a Pi) and ethernet which definitely is a factor for enabling remote access speed
@@merthyr1831 USB->ETH adapter.
i told myself "screw it" and ordered one anyways, picking it up tomorrow from walmart, cant wait to stress test it
What a deal this thing is. Those excavator cores may not be the fastest on the market but they surely slap around atom cores when it comes to actual computations since they don't run a macro architecture.
Also those very basic Graphics are more than enough to run many thousands of old school PC games as well as many of the Great classic retro games as you showed a few in this video.
It's amazing how this computer would honestly match the computer that I had in high school and yet it cost only $98 with a screen... Kids today don't know how good they have it in terms of tech....
I love this kind of content, thanks!
Would like to see you do a video in developer mode, enabling hyperthreading and GPU Rasterization, and compare gaming with the settings enabled/disabled/default settings.
AMD Stoney Ridge APUs pre-date Ryzen and don't have hyperthreading unfortunately.
It would be cool to see one of these Chromebooks powered by an AMD 3015e - same 6 watt TDP, but double the threads, with higher clocks on 14nm, faster DDR4 memory, etc.
@@rhekman I am new to Chromebooks, bought my first one in January and bought my 2nd 4 days ago, both are Intel based. I learned about turning the Hyperthreading on a few days ago, i do see a better response. I am not a gamer so i would not be the best to judge performance, but i am sure ETA has access to a chromebook he can do some hyperthreading testing on.
@@rhekman Lenovo IdeaPad 1 3015e Chromebook. eBay 90-120$
@@69mazzz Welcome and I'm glad you're finding ways to tinker and unlock performance. "Hyperthreading" specifically is an Intel feature that basically makes one cpu core look like two cores to the operating system. Then behind the scenes it fills the mix of instructions from two different running programs across all the functional units of the CPU core to give a performance boost. For example if one program wants to do a comparison of two values, while another program wants to multiply some floating point numbers, the CPU can do both at the same time.
AMD added a similar feature called Simultaneous Multi-Threading starting with Ryzen.
Just purchased one. Thanks. 😎👍
And it just arrived. I'm loving it so far. 😎👍
I'm actually wondering about DS and 3DS emulation on some of these devices. I notice you tend to go from GBA to PSP where those devices sit kinda in the middle and have tons of both 2D and 3D games, but the system requirements for them tend to vary a bit which be about the emulators themselves, but might still be worth taking a look at on lower end hardware.
The DS is very possible with those specs but 3DS is very unlikely to work well.
i have had great success with paid version of drastic on low end devices. free ones less so...mainly pokemon games though.
...pffft, your trying to compare the "2DS/3DS" to a "PSP?
The "NDS/NDS Lite/DSI" & "PSP" (PSP slim, PSP Lite & PSP Go) are in the generation slot while otherwise "2DS/3DS" (XL, New 3DS & 2DS) & "PSVita" (PSVita slim) is another. You gonna need a Snapdragon 845 or higher to run "3DS" games.
@@patricklasko1360 My Pixel 3XL struggled a good bit with 3DS. Possibly higher than SD 845 for 3DS
@@superkoopatrooper4879 While I have not run many Android apps on my Pixel Slate, the ones I have run, mostly games, have run the same or sometimes faster or more stable than on my Pixel 5 or my Chromebook Duet.
I forget where i saw it, but there is either a chromebook or windows laptop with an AMD Athlon 3150e for something like $129. Now a few things to note, this may be a 3000 series processor, but AMD in their infinite wisdom has chosen to just modify and re-name a Zen1 14nm processor as a 3000 series processor.
I CANNOT wait for AMD Mendecino to replace this $50 class of processor and hope they come to AM4/AM5 as low powered desktop CPUs for things that dont need a $200 6 core thats really an 8 core with a price to reflect it.
I would like to see Linux running on this machine. Thanks for the video. Keep up the good work!
chromebooks have their bootloader locked so you can't run another OS, but ChromeOS has a built-in linux sandbox in developer settings.
I saw this on Walmart and was really tempted to pick one up last week to replace the $170 Chromebook I bought from them with a Mediatek processor that I inadvertently killed by spilling lemonade on the keyboard a few months back. I liked that it used an AMD processor, though I held back to get one with a touchscreen instead. I am even more intrigued by the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook, though I don't like that it used an Intel processor. AMD, LINUX, CHROME... the future.
What do you do with all the computers and gadgets you buy? Do you return or resell them?
This looks perfect. Wish I could get this down under here in Brazil.
I'm actually want to see linux run this. Not because it works but how it performs.
Cool vid 👍. Chromebooks = good to add to a mix of devices; less guilt if lost or broken. Nuke it OTA if stolen, as least "in theory." ETA = unmatched rate of output for new video content, all very strong production value (no cursing, no innuendo). With much appreciation.
Was hoping for a Zen based Athlon chip or even a more modern decent MediaTek ARM chip, but the A4-9120C is OLD. Still running on Excavator 28nm platform.
Crazy right? I checked the chip and it came out in .... 2019?! Whole 3 years after Ryzen launched
I have Sandy ridge i3 laptops that can play GameCube, if the freq is high enough you can do PS2 on ivy and haswell
@@gigabusterexe there's a significant architecture performance difference though. If anything, I wouldn't be surprised if the IPC of AMD's Excavator cores is about the same if not even worse than Sandy Bridge.
@@gigabusterexe Sandy Bridge was a monster when it launched, Excavator was terrible and it nearly killed AMD. Honestly I'm really perplex at this Chromebook, I would buy it even at 60€, the obsolete APU was already bad at launch and those thick bezels remind me of those old netbooks from the late 2000s.
For a price tag $98, it's cheap but i don't wanna have another laptop since i have 5 and they all in use.
Recently bought a €50 second-hand device like this as effectively a client for my gaming PC to use from the sofa. Steamlink works really well, also linux terminal (mostly for SSH)
damn for $98 this is a freaking amazing deal to have a laptop in "emergencies"
my emergencies:
-when you stay in hospital for 1-2 days
-for blackouts that last 5-6 hours
-traveling out of town
if it can do youtube 1080p and browse facebook then it's all I need!
Great video. would love to see a newer i5 chromebook variant now steam support is added
Got Windows 10 with Mr.Chromebox and it’s runs pretty good!
I have an HP Chromebook with this same processor and a 1080p screen. It would consistently run at 90-100% watching 720p video, overheat and crash. I got another Chromebook with the Celeron n4020 and it runs at 15-20% watching 1080p video. It stays cool and performs great. The AMD processor is just too old to handle much.
Sometimes, lower is better
@@kuchengireng Even in the best case scenario as outlined in this video, 1080p video brings this laptop to its knees. Even budget smartphones can handle that. This thing seems like complete e-waste to me, but at least it can technically browse the web and emulate some things.
Sounds like you weren't using hardware acceleration for video decoding and thus the CPU had to handle it, which wouldn't be pretty even on a good desktop CPU, nevermind a low-power one.
On a quick search it looks like the GPU can decode most contemporary video codecs so 1080p video playback shouldn't be a problem.
Still, it's a 2 core (or rather a "1 module") bulldozer-based CPU, it boggles my mind how anyone would recommend it for anything in 2022, low power CPU market has moved A LOT since the bulldozer era, I would pick a last gen Celeron Nxxxx over this thing any day, and the price wouldn't be THAT far off...
My school had these computers, it was really nice and snappy
I would love a tutorial on how to install Linux/SteamOS on this. I realize it's under powered but works good for older games which is what i want to use it for.
I have the intel model, but everything else is literally the same including the wallpaper and I do recommend it. I have a new gaming laptop but I find myself using this 90% of the time due to the battery life and portability aspect
I remember i had laptop with10gb hdd, memory storage. This laptop reminds me of something that will always need more space, and external drives dont work good for apps..I can only use apps in system memory which is a downgrade from $200 laptops with 320gb.
Maybe im wrong but have a 64gb memory card in my phone. And it only has photos store. Theres a few other feature i have tested, that would make devices worth having with downloading files and back up. But i just like and save to the cloud.
Theres a few issues, But a dedicated cheap device, with usb ports and screen isnt a bad deal for $98.
Enjoyed seeing all of the built in features.
Not quite a gaming app laptop. Maybe for a good mmo game. But needs more system memory for more gaming apps.
The Mendocino chromebooks are going to be a kids budget gaming dream use it for school emulation and even some newer titles probably
Ah nice. That's great value for money!!!
My old high school used that exact chromebook!
What does your new high school use?
@@mavfan1 I’m in college now
@@mavfan1 I was saying my high school I was in before I graduated used those chromebooks!
I really wish I had a use for this… I think its a awesome deal $98. Something cool to goof around with.
Does the Xbox Bluetooth controller work well with Mupen64 Fx? I am hoping to play Zelda ocarina of time.....
in just two years now portable devices are so good and this is cr4p in performance
i have a slightly older 11inch acer chromebook, i use it at the hobby table for youtube and web browsing, rather excellent, it does have android app support, i've yet to try any. I ould try emulating older games on it, its not too strong but i really like the chromebook!
I'd like to see the Linux video, but I'm curious if it's possible/worth installing Windows 11 ARM?
Hey eta prime, love your vids, I was just wondering did you ever get redream to work on this Chromebook???
There are renewed versions in Amazon for $75
I legitimately brought this 3 days ago
Oh great, I was in Niagara NY last week and I didn't see this one!
Currently on sale at Walmart for $79
Can't wait to see what level of performance $99 buys us next year.
about half.
You’ll have to wait, til next year.
Some more Celeron CPUs available, but not much has changed. Maybe next year.
There are websites and web services that are just easier to do on this than using a phone. For the modern folks who live on their phone this would be great. Throw it in a drawer. Use when you want to do a document or something.
Let's see it with Linux installed please
This is where RASPBERRY PI HAS LOST ME:
I bought a 1st or 2nd (can't recall) gen Pi years ago to run Kodi, and then didn't follow the progression. Imagine my surprise when Pi 4 B is now 3-4 times as expensive at $115 on Amazon. Yeah, yeah, more power, features...
BUT, compare that to the ENTIRE LAPTOP ABOVE for $17 LESS:
LCD screen, keyboard, casing, power supply... etc.
Pi, to me, is PRICING THEMSELVES OUT. And I get it, the laptop and a Pi are not interchangeable, I'm just talking value for $$$.
Please do a video showing loading Linux apps and usage! Also if you can load a Linux OS do that too!
For $100 I'm buying. I need to study Chrome OS anyway. Gotta job that requires it.
1366x768 Not a fan of that res. Even with an IPS panel, it's just a funky aspect ratio.
2004 vibes lol, my minimum is 1080p res chromebook
I just ordered one. I am very interested in using Linux on it, as I won't be using it for gaming as you do. Thank you for this.
Yup, interested in Linux as well.
That is a super good deal for a Chromebook.
I saw this deal and thought wow that’s a great price put it in my cart a few days later or week or so I watch your review, and it definitely made me want it even more. So I finally went out and got it the other day. I was just wondering because I know nothing about Chromebook’s is it possible for me to put 3rd party apps on this chromebook and if so can you please help me out or point me in the right Direction. Your reply would be greatly appreciate it! Thanks again for a great review on this and everything you review!!
An ARM processor Chromebook is the way to go if you are looking for emulation. Aethersx2 won't even download to a X86 powered Chromebook and if you get it to install it won't run. I made that mistake 2 years ago. I'll be looking for a good black Friday deal on a Galaxy Tab S8 this season for my emulation needs and with Dex it will cover my laptop needs.
hey man, big fan of you channel, the amount of stuff I have learned from you is just 🤯🤯🤯
I got a random question, have you ever done a review on the Microsoft Surface Duo?? how would you rate that unit as emulation or running DIG/RETROARCH on it??
thanks for your time and keep up the work on your channel!!!
Can you show an install of linux native on a chromebook? Not the linux alongside the chromeOS but linux standalone
got my son a 2nd hand chromebook for school. I would love that $98 HP chromebook. *BUT* its being sold x3 the price in my local. :(
I used this as a school Chromebook last year
Please do more stuff like this with Linux performance.
It would have been really helpful to see battery life metrics. If you have any data on that please share.
You had me at Linux.
That's why Microsoft and SONY love AMD for their console products.
Huh. I actually already have this particular Chromebook as a backup device/mobile writing tool (Dabble is awesome, for any writers out there). I don't like traveling with my laptop, but a then-$100 Chromebook when I bought it is another story.
orite this is awesome, but what would you recommend as one step up? I like to use the OpenMW on my tablet to play TES Morrowind and that requires a little more power than what this has to offer. I play a handful of emulation games as well specifically Genesis, SNES, N64, and DC. Not concerned about 4k videos or anything but would like the access to web browsing and some android apps.... Any suggestions that don't break the bank? This one again is really cool but I know I need a tiny bit more muscle.
oh and I have no interest in Cloud gaming
If cromebook gave me root access to a terminal I might be more interested. How does that work? Just overwrite the os with linux like you would on any other laptop?
I have one of these but is much older. Would like to see a video on how to install Linux. Or would pi os work?. Thanks
I might pick this up if it's still available for this price on Wednesday. Not really for any gaming, but for streaming when I'm camping and moreso for file management. I've been using my phone to do things like move files around to my PSP, PS3, and Wii u and it's really annoying. Having something with a real USB port would be a lot better. Plus a keyboard and mouse too.
Just ordered this. It'll be here Thursday. I've been looking for a cheap little netbook kinda device that I could just take with me and mess around with. Any clue how this does with games like Genshin Impact or whatever the latest Call of Duty game for Android is.
Just wondering here...any software tricks for increasing the ram? Or any hardware to replace/augment??
I have similar chromebook - same cpu and ram - nvidia geforce now was a very low performer. The CPU inside this wont normally play 1080p video on youtube, and sometime it even has stuttering with 720p. So you can only imagine how it works when you try streaming video for cloud gameplay.
Do you have any recommendations for a windows 10 laptop in the $300 range that’s best for emulation/launchbox?
Just purchased the Chromebook just to use for emulation for the kids when we travel.. What is the max size MicroSD card you can put in this Chromebook?
I would really appreciate the Linux on chromebook video.
Such a "Netbook 3.0" as a secondary device (or third in my case) with FullHD, 13 or 14 inch non reflective screen, the ability to play at least 1440p videos and good running android apps (games included) would be a deal for me. For that I would pay like 230 bucks or so. That would be fine!
This device her is also solid for 100 bucks, but for me I need at least FullHD for tutorials that filmed their screen. And in this case it needs to be a little bit taller and a good bit sharper. But otherwise: really good!
Also if you have like only one PC in your household: it's good to have a backup device like that! Whether it it for downloading images (Windows, Linux) or programs, the need to look up you emails on a PC with a keyboard or anything else: when you need it your glad that you have one!
i like having a second computer while gaming, for social media or checking walktrhoughs, haha
Can this work with an external monitor? Both as a secondary extension, and as a duplicate would be preferable, but just duplicating the screen would be cool.
Unfortunately no, I tried everything to get video over USB C
That's unfortunate. Thanks for the work you do to keep us informed! I'll still probably get one because the performance looks great. Would you be interested in testing virtual box with a Windows 10 image? 😉
@@eddiet3026 yes
I have the same hp G8 with intel 4020 version. Not trying yet, but in the other reviewer it could use external monitor with type c to hdmi dongle
doing it as we speak but it only worked with a usb c to HDMI dongle. usb c to usb c did not work even though my portable monitor supported it as well.
I got it. It's decent for the price
Minimalistic approach got soul in it. I just wish my 100$ Asus x102ba 10,1 inch 4GB DDR3 RAM were at least handle youtube -_-'
can you do a review of the 60 dollar windows 10 laptop from micro center
i just got one thats got the mediatek 8173c or it might be 8183c its hard to tell with amazon specs lol, i wonder how well it compares according to some online benchmarks its outperforms that amd in benchmarks
Yeah I hope this chromebook is usb-c power. I’ve been wanting something where I can do basic stuff and still game a little on it. Curious If you do steam via Linux will it run beat ‘em ups like tmnt shredder’s revenge or streets of rage.
$599 AUD, god damn thats a difference
Show some Linux stuff 🙏🙏
awesome for the kids! do homework on it as well as drastic emulator for pokemon!
Can you encrypt micro SD cards on Chrome OS? Also it would be interesting to see something like Raspbian XP on this machine
I would like to see Linux running on the chromebook that would be neat also ! I don't know how to get into the bios ?
Type “ how to chromebook bios “ and the answer is yours!!!
Lol, installed chrome os on a asus k55a (old model with worst Intel celeron processor ever) and it runs 1080p videos *flawlessly* even 99 bucks is not worth it for this kind of performance.
I have one (sadly is my man) with core 2 duo @2.1GHZ I'm not oveclocking it as I'm fearing bricking it, i tried chrome os flex but the gpu is too weak.
To bad we don't have Walmart here in Portugal... 😢
Try PUGG android...(with the shadows disabled)
It makes a large difference...
Go into settings...graphics...(I think)
I can not fully remember as I do not have it currently installed...
i got it and i love it.