The OS Head-to-Head: a look at the Acer CB3-111 vs. Asus X205TA

Back when it was released, ChromeOS was touted as the fastest commercial OS available, which made sense. The entire operating system is essentially a web browser. At the time, Windows was still hogging processing power and most people were using slower or more expensive than necessary machines to facebook and skype. Chrome solved the problem using the web. Having web apps instead of installed applications meant the speed of your computer was limited only by the speed of your internet and the servers on the other end. It also allowed Google to build great laptops with almost laughably weak specs for the time. And price allowed Google to sell the most popular laptops (according to Amazon) for a long time. They're limited to the internet, but for most people, that's okay. And with the improvements to Google's document suite, Chromebooks have only become more useful.

But Microsoft took notes. Good ones. Despite the commercial reaction to Windows 8, it did use much fewer resources, and the 8.1 upgrade made Windows a little more like Windows 7 and even quicker. With the hardware requirements now about the same, Windows is making a big play to gain back the ground it lost to Google, but Google is putting up a fight. And now to the big question - can Windows sell computers in Chrome's price range to give users more usability or is Windows still too resource hungry to be productive without more expensive hardware?

I purchased the machines below from a local Best Buy. Both were $129.99 new and on sale. Neither has been modified in any way. I picked them based on two things. The first of these things was their stupid low price - an area ChromeOS has dominated. The second was the screen size was in the 11" range. For me, that's the size where a laptop becomes a usable machine. Now that we have that out of the way, let's get on with the show.

The Hardware

Acer's CB3 -111

We're going to start with Acer's least expensive Intel Chromebook (it's both alphabetical and the order in which I purchased them). Here's the rundown of the specs from the Acer website:

• Chrome OS™
• Intel Celeron N2830 Dual-core 2.16 GHz
• 11.6" HD (1366 x 768) 16:9
• Intel HD Graphics with Shared Memory
• 2GB, DDR3L SDRAM
• 16GB SSD
• Comes with 100GB of Google Drive space (for 2 years) and Google Docs

Asus's X205TA

Next up we have the Asus's least expensive Windows laptop. Ringing in at exactly the same price as the Acer, we now officially have a fair fight. Here are the specs:

• Windows 8.1™
• Intel Atom Z3735 Quad-core 1.33-GHz 
  
• 11.6" HD (1366 x 768) 16:9
• Intel HD Graphics with Shared Memory
• 2GB, DDR3L SDRAM
• 32GB SSD
• Comes with 1TB of OneDrive space and Office 365 (for one year)

On paper, we have very similar machines. The Acer has a quicker processor with fewer cores, but that's effectively the only difference. In the past, that hasn't spelled success for Windows. But Windows is in a new era, and hardware is as capable as it's ever been (that's more of a general trend than an observations of the specific times). So is it time for a resurgence in Windows? or are we getting refreshed netbooks all over again?

So, where to start? I guess I'm going to start with their physical qualities. These computers are built to be ultimately portable. Both computers are very small. I owned the Chromebook first and when I opened the box, it felt like a toy. I honestly couldn't believe that there was a computer, battery, and working screen in the device I was holding. The power button obviously showed otherwise. When I got the Asus, I wasn't as taken aback as I was the first time I picked up the Acer, but it is a noticeable bit lighter. And as you can see, it is smaller. It makes the difference in one of my bags. It fits into the 'tablet' pocket rather than the laptop pouch. Really at this size and weight, they are both great, ultraportable machines, but the Asus is smaller and lighter.

The other thing you notice is that one of these computers is white. And I know that you're thinking white things usually pick up a lot of dirt and crud that eventually make it not-so-white anymore. I was actually blown away at how clean the Acer stayed. I know it had many spills on and around it and I was able to wipe them all away. Not most of them - all of them. Acer has something going right on how it finishes a computer that Asus doesn't. The Asus is a dark blue. It shouldn't show anything yet it shows every place where I've touched the laptop. It makes the machine look dirty. I'm sure in a while (when I've touched the computer everywhere) it will be less noticeable, but right now it's driving me nuts.

And finally, the build on both machines is great. I get the impression that both will be able to stand being thrown in a backpack well. The Acer made me a little nervous when I was looking at it just because it looked like the hinge was going to fall apart, but I am confident after some use that it will stand the test of time as well as any laptop hinge. At this point, both companies have designing and assembling a laptop pretty well figured out.

The Price

I stated this above, but I purchased both these computers on sale on random days over this summer for the same price. I paid $129.99 at Best Buy. Just a brief check on Amazon puts the two within $10 and both are under $200 regularly priced. With the holiday season just around the corner, I'd guess these machines will both see sale prices at what I found them for - maybe even less.

The Software

They look similar on paper, but these two machines behave in vastly different ways. If you haven't used a Chromebook before, open Google Chrome and pretend that's the only program on your computer. If you haven't done so yet, take a look at the Google Chrome store. Google and the Chrome developers have made a long list of useful web applications for Chrome.   

And Windows is Windows. Love it or hate it - it's the full Microsoft operating system. At this point, I am going to assume you know what Windows 8.1 is (and it's now upgradable to Windows 10).

It's hard to compare the two except to say that there's nothing the Chromebook can do that the Windows machine can't since you can install Chrome on any Windows computer. ChromeOS boots fast. It's amazing. From power on to opening your first Chrome app or webpage feels instant, but this little Windows laptop is no slouch either. And if you're not connected to the internet, the Windows computer has the potential to do more.

The Experience

I'll admit right off the bat that I enjoyed physically using both of these computers. Both trackpads were brilliant (once I adjusted the sensitivity up). They were sensitive, accurate, and clicks were predictable. That's a big thing for non-OSx users. I don't know what has changed recently, but up until this summer (of 2015) there wasn't a trackpad that could hold a candle to my MacBook Pro circa 2011. Now they seem great. The same could be said about the keyboard. Everything worked how it should. It was comfortable. I have used some mobile keyboards which try to cram everything in and my fingers get lost as a result. This is not the case on either keyboard. Home row felt like home.

Both handle basic tasks and the operating system very well. The Chromebook boots and is usable quicker. Both are quick to stream a Netflix movie. Open quick on both machines. You're not going to want to (or be able to, really) run programs like Photoshop on either. Heavy websites and HD video will lag both devices. I was surprised with how well the Windows machine was able to pace with the Chromebook while browsing. I felt very little difference in performance online, even if I had a program or two open on the Asus while browsing. All-in-all, these are both viable laptops despite their low price. Even though its cores are slower, the quad-core intel seems to be the better chip. I feel like I could work with more open on the Asus than I could with the Acer. If you're going to be pushing either machine, the Asus is the one you want.

Quick to touch on the speakers on these laptops - laptops haven't been known to have the greatest speakers . They're quiet and often lacking in low end. The Asus delivers a very average audio experience. It's likely not going to surprise you when you hear what it can do. The Acer, on the other hand will blow your mind. It's loud. Loud enough to where if I was watching Netflix in bed or something where it was close and just me, I'd have to turn the volume down. That's a rare occurrence; good on you, Acer!

And the battery life. I don't know how to express my gratitude for how far laptop battery life has come since I had my first one. Both laptops could get me through a full day at work. That's screen on, keyboard clicking, internet browsing time. That's amazing. My first laptop would lose 3% battery when I turned it on and it would take another 1% to open any program. Now I can go a whole weekend without thinking about bringing my charger. Even if I might binge a few episodes of House, MD while I'm cooking dinner.

The Verdict

It seems that Windows is doing its damnedest to beat Google where it plays best with these new Windows 8/10 machines. The Asus Windows machine runs brilliantly and was often a more enjoyable experience than the Acer - Windows 10 should only make the experience better. Couple that with the increased productivity of the Office suite and general offline use, to me it seems like a no-brainer to pick the Windows laptop every time.  And this is coming from someone who is hot-and-heavy into Google's ecosystem. You won't find me replacing my Gmail account with a Hotmail account anytime soon, but I also can't find a place for Google's ChromeOS in the marketplace anymore... for now.