Acer Chromebook 516 GE Review: Great Gaming, Great Productivity

[@assimo9841]

This was only very slightly touched on, but, Steam alpha is currently available for this device, and I've had it for about one week now, testing everything I can in my library. While it's only in alpha, it's insanely promising already. I'm able to play Skyrim, Dragon's Dogma, Portal 2, Bayonetta, at full speed, and pretty much any 2d game. While all of those games need to have their settings turned down a bit, and they're xbox360 era games, it's just really promising to see the direction Valve and ChromeOS is going.

[@KUPUStheGreat]

You think call of duty or Warzone can run on this??

[@assimo9841]

@@KUPUStheGreat hmm, I would guess no. It can play a lot of PS4 / 360 era games, but I haven't had much luck with current AAA things. I would have tested it out for you if I owned the games. Just check the minimum specs, maybe i5 12th gen is enough, buy I'd be surprised if the onboard graphics were.

[@jimmymac2292]

@@KUPUStheGreat not with 8gb of ram

[@NurulHuda46]

Can you try efootball please?

[@ominousview]

@@jimmymac2292 you'd be surprised, it depends on the RAM and 8gb is mininum required to play both, just set it to lowest settings and don't run anything else lol

[@aspirementalperformance3448]

I just bought one and love it! No complaints at all. Super fast, and great display.

[@robertcoleman7071]

Just bought one this weekend ($549) because of your reviews. Great laptop!!

[@MoChuang343]

I really like this style of laptop. I have a thin 16” 16:10 windows laptop that’s a bit heavier but with I think the same exact display panel. It’s so nice having that much screen real estate to work with. If you are a chromeos power user I could see how it would be awesome in the chrome camp too.

[@aranperumal]

Still rocking my AcerC720 . Upgrade the 16gb to 512gb SSD m.2 n Chrome OS Flex. Even installed Steam n RetroArch on it.

[@tawsonlaw6217]

Nice review. About time they started giving larger chromebooks good specs, especially the screen and speakers. Many are used mostly for media consumption. When/if you can, please do a comparison between the 3 new Chromebook Gaming laptops. This Acer, the Asus and the Lenovo. I'm told the Lenovo has a superior screen to the other two, but runs on an i3. Which is OK for most applications. I'd prefer the one with the best screen for daily use. Keep up the great work!

[@michaelkeith7531]

How much does one cost

[@gaming_sportsaaron1365]

@@michaelkeith7531 they cost 400 dollars for me

[@joeshufflesjc]

Just picked this up at Best Buy for $499 i was going to go with the new hP but this is $500 cheaper with the P processor instead of the U processor and I just upgraded my storage to a terabyte which is upgradable You can't do that on the new HP. The screen is absolutely gorgeous with that 120 Hertz refresh rate . The screen real estate's phenomenal to get work done and enjoyable to watch video content, the speakers are very loud. And it's not too heavy for a 16-inch Chromebook. And to be quite honest for Chromebook thats $500 less than that new HP this thing is just as fast if not faster. If you don't mind the 16-in screen this will give the HP run for its money.

[@mayanksingh12]

How did you upgrade the SSD? Can you please help me?

[@maryajaniak2896]

You talked me into getting this Chromebook, although, I did buy a refurbished one from Acer at half the price which is fine by me. Should anything go wrong, I kept the CX5601 in the family and I have the 2020 MacBook Air also. This is the first time buying a Chromebook that is refurbished so I hope all goes well. I think it's a great investment for the future. I'm not a gamer but it will serve me well as I do stream a lot of videos. I'm going to really like this Chromebook. Thank you again for your thorough review.

[@AnyoneCanMeditate123]

I just did the same and found it for $289 on Amazon Refurbished, also hoping it goes well!!

[@AirGunWeb]

Hey there.. I just picked this up from Best Buy for $450 on sale. I can't wait. Cheers Rick

[@ominousview]

This thing is still on sale for 549$. But it's actually a sweeter deal than that considering you get a free Steel series rival 3 wireless mouse ($50-80, which you could sell if you don't want it or gift it), and 3 months free of GeForce now 3080 ( $60 worth) and of Luna+ ($30 worth, although they do rotate 4-5 games for prime account holders, Dusk is actually a fun game if you feel a hankering for OG Doom like game with some modern movements). So it's really like $250 off with the perks. Also if you're new to Chromebooks or Android you also can get perks for 100gb storage for a Year and 3 months KZbin premium ($30)

[@PhilWood82]

Happy birthday, Robby :) A gaming chromebook to celebrate? That's pretty good :D

[@spIashyyy]

After watching your video about the newer one that was just recently released, I definitely think I'll be going for this model especially when it hits clearance for the holidays, amazing video! I'm super new to the ChromeBook community, I'm currently using an HP ChromeBook and while it is very fast and much nicer than my old MacBook, it definitely isn't safe from feeling aged. The screen isn't the sharpest or brightest, the speakers are flat, and the battery averages 4.5 hours off a full charge. It was a hand-me-down, but now I'm kinda of intrigued by ChromeOS and want to use it more often than my MacBook since it has full integration with my new Android device, definitely seems to be that Google has their MacBook equivalent figured out!

[@wakarush]

I purchased the Acer Chromebook 516 GE and although the screen size and image was nice, the fan was very noisy after only 2 days of use. Also the keyboard keys were noisy and felt very cheap. I returned the Chromebook and purchased the Acer Chromebook Spin 714. I use it for work.

[@memopadilla5931]

how are the fans on the 714 compared to this GE ?

[@wakarush]

@@memopadilla5931 the fan isn't an issue on the 714 and the keyboard is much quieter. I have been using for 2 weeks and very happy with it. The only issue is when doing video call. For some reason other attendees tend to get a little feedback if I'm not muted. It does seem better when I set the microphone to the lowest setting.

[@Melodie_Info3]

huh/////??????

[@Ahmad-nq4qk]

This is a sweet Chromebook. I wish it had a touch screen though. I am looking for a Chromebook that has no less than an I-5 and 16 GB of RAM, but I can't seem to find any good options with a good feature set. Any recommendations? For whatever reason, have found that screen readers do not run well on 8GB devices

[@TiburonJon7]

Acer Store told me this Chromebook 516 is customer upgradeable with the RAM memory slots

[@KirbyKlein6]

I started GE Force now with my Chromebasr and was able to play Kena the Bridge of Spirits. Really awesome experience!!!

[@maryajaniak2896]

With the sale that's going on with this item, I'm tempted again because of your thorough review. I like the idea of a lower weight Chromebook. My Asus CX5601 is almost 5lbs and it's very heavy to say the least. I've been contemplating getting the iMac with M1 chip after the holidays as I am impressed with my 2020 MacBook Air with M1 in a fanless design. Thank goodness I have to wait till after the holidays to consider either one. I just finished paying for the CX5601 which is my go to. But I sure like the specs in this machine. I have time to think more about it. Thank you for doing this review as it really impressed me this time. This will be a lot cheaper than the iMac and will be good enough for streaming videos. Thanks again.

[@LiLFOX_Flakisimo]

I was about to buy this but knowing it does not have a touchscreen makes me think twice. Don't get me wrong everything but one thing about it had me sold. But its stupid that it doesn't have a touch screen. They need to make a touchscreen one ASAP I am willing to pay 50-75 dollars more. Come on Chromebook/Google hook it up!

[@yanelgarcia8351]

Which Chromebook did u end up buying?

[@LiLFOX_Flakisimo]

@@yanelgarcia8351 Tha ASUS gaming Chromebook.

[@davidcrespi5704]

It looks amazing, but I'd like to see a comparison with the Lenovo Ideapad 5i Gaming Chromebook, for budget reasons. In Italy the Acer will start from 999 euros...

[@zarinloosli5338]

Some thoughts I shared on Dave2D's video about this: 1. Making a Chromebook for gaming doesn't sell people on the gaming Chromebook... it sells people on Chromebooks. Imagine someone walking through Best Buy, when this thing catches their eye. It's a Chromebook, but it's for... gaming? All they know about Chromebooks are Microsoft's old scroogled ads, but now the idea is in their head-Chromebooks aren't as useless for gaming as they thought. When they're shopping for a laptop a year later, they consider a Chromebook when they wouldn't have before, and end up buying one of those $300 Chromebooks. 2. It's a halo product. Seeing a $700 Acer Chromebook next to a $300 Chromebook makes the cheaper one more appealing to our monkey brains. 3. Steam for Chrome OS is coming. It's not going to suddenly turn these Chromebooks into gaming beasts, but it might be appreciated in eSports and older titles. I suspect that was the original focus for these laptops, but the software wasn't ready for the holiday season so they found a different pitch. 4. It's a niche of a niche, but premium Chromebooks are a thing. For the hardware you're getting, it's pretty fairly priced ($300 Chromebooks don't have Core i5s in them) and there's a market for laptops that do the basics and are pleasant to use (think about how many people buy the MacBook Air and then just use it as a Chromebook). I think the actual target audience isn't gamers, it's people who like ChromeOS and got hooked on 120hz after upgrading their phones

[@exs_hz]

i aint reading allat

[@Asadc1995]

Its just a niche

[@MatthewLetendre]

I getting mine on Saturday and this one will be retiring my Lenovo c630 chromebook as my daily driver.

[@TyrionFrost93]

Alongside the Spin 714 the 516GE is along my favorite devices for a new chromebook. I'm Just a bit sceptical about the missing Touchscreen. Is it even able to use Google Play Store?

[@richard1493]

Very surprised to see such a nice laptop not have biometrics. Some kind of Face ID should be industry standard by now, to be honest. Even a fingerprint scanner would seem old school.

[@TomPeters-ns1xx]

Thank you so much! I was looking for a good laptop for my girlfriends daughter and this review sold me! thank you for all the help! shes 11 and a gamer so i think this will be perfect! thanks again!

[@sethmunoz3608]

Never thought I'd see an rgb backlit Chromebook.

[@aliasgharkhoyee9501]

About 1:20 "some of the best upward firing speakers available in a Chromebook" - that's high praise. Have we finally found a competitor to Pixelbook Go for sound quality?

[@100toeface]

3.75 pounds when we can get an LG gram laptop of similar size for half the weight which also runs games NATIVELY with the same option to stream as the chromebook, and I'm sure you can get an older model for the same price as this. Google acquired neverware so now you can also install or run from a USB stick a secure version of chrome os. I don't see the value here. I was hoping for an alder lake chromeBOX for home use though, I guess this could substitute for that. Or just stream games to your phone with an nreal air connected, with a Samsung phone you can also use Dex to get a similar desktop and way more portability and a huger screen.

[@amante762]

Thank you, been waiting for this review 👍

[@karenwilson3261]

I found out that I had to remove the mouse to put in my flash drive as there is only one USB port so I wanted that info confirmed and he said the same. So now I have to learn how to use the built in mouse to view my pictures.

[@albertabdul-barrwang3494]

The cheapest and my favorite gaming laptop so far recently. I am loading up Guild Wars 2 and Fallout 76 in Linux as we speak.

[@JulianHeadley]

Any word on when the 16GB i7 will be out? They mention it on the site. I would be willing to pay an extra $250 for that upgrade!

[@jcepri]

I just bought one of these. It's an I5, but Acer's site says the 516 GE is an I7.

[@maddog336]

Had have about 6 months, it been good only more I could ask more is a touch screen.

[@GrandmasLeftKidney]

Got one of these for $400 and i love it but all i would like is a touchscreen and 16gb of ram

[@Jon-ho5tk]

Why would you like a touchscreen? I just ordered a refurb. from Ebay and was bummed, when I found out it didn't have a touchscreen. I thought it had one when I ordered it, then I realized my Acer 713 screen is always filthy and my Asus non-touch screen chromebook is always clean. I think with the large touch pad, I will be happy without a touchscreen this time. I ask why you would like one, because I want to know if you'd like it for gaming or general use?

[@mayanksingh12]

1-Can SSD be upgraded? 2- How to change RGB color?

[@User-sdjowije-92771]

It's a very great design, 16 inch, keyboard without nums keys, like a MacBook pro 16 design, I really like it,, I have lenovo chromebook c630 currently, I would like to buy Acer Chromebook 516 GE, but my c630 is still working well.

[@andyH_England]

Nice kit and good value. I am not a gamer, but it would be fine for just normal Chromebook stuff. The problem with ChromeOS is that if I have a higher-res display, content through the browser is capped at FHD+ (apart from YT), so my 4K Samsung Chromebook never gets its full potential utilised, and this is likely the same. With Chromebooks suffering a massive decline in sales, 33% last quarter y-o-y, we can only hope that ACER and other OEMs keep investing, with demand falling off a cliff.

[@AllInTheGame01]

Any particular reasons for the decline in sales?

[@Matadorz33]

@@AllInTheGame01 I would assume that sales are just normalizing after a large uptick in CB sales during the pandemic for at-home/remote learning or work.

[@AllInTheGame01]

@@Matadorz33 Yeah that makes sense!

[@daveromanyshyn1170]

I was excited about this Chromebook it seemed perfect for me then I got to the part where it said the screen is not touch screen and I was done.

[@willpeberdy144]

bro i love how he says that it is crazy fast even though it has the weakest 12th gen i5 and a fairly slow nvme ssd. now i know it is only a chrome book and is also only 650 dollars but if you spend like 250 to 300 dollars more you can get an actual gaming machine that can also do a lot more like edit videos and do more creative things that a chrome book just cant do. none the less it is still a good video and nicely put together. he also says that xbox cloud gaming is not the best but actualy it is better then gforce no for most people buying this divice as it is so much easier to use

[@jimmymac2292]

The 1240p is actually the mid-variant of i5 chips and chromebooks can edit video using something like Lumafusion from the app store. Id say this is a good value as it seems you get a high quality screen and good build quality. I think casual gamers would much rather a lighter notebook device with the capability to run thousands of games either via cloud, native from steam/play store, and emulators.

[@adamlrutledge]

Thanks for recommendation, just picked 1 up after watching this & love it. Question, I usually use Gimp in windows for graphics editing, what is a good free program for chrome OS that is comparable? Thanks in Advance

[@ahmedfaizan384]

Hi. You can easily run GIMP on Chromebooks via the Linux terminal.

[@antster7]

I would love an LG Gram 17" form factor with a Chromebook

[@rayvenchan8468]

Is the hinge 180 degree?

[@PaceyPimp]

Almost perfect but you lost me at have no 360 hing or touch screen and i agree it would have a finger printer reader in 2023

[@MikeDunn2012]

I love my 516 and have had it for three weeks. Is it normal for the battery capacity to be only 98 % after such a short period of time? Worried this might degrade faster than normal at this rate

[@memopadilla5931]

Mike how long does that battery last if you are doing very minimal work with no gaming and lowered brightness ?

[@janmichaeljablonsky9847]

It apparently has two fans. Does anyone know if the noise from the fans is particularly evident?

[@memopadilla5931]

yeah , a dude mentioned in the comments above they were very noisy.

[@Tactical_Nightwach]

You guys need to kock it off complaining about fan noise without a fast fan to cool the gpu you wouldn't be able to play your games at top settings 😂😂😂

[@robertcoleman7071]

thank you. looks like a winner.

[@carlosh7166]

great review I got the chromebook and love it so fast and the keyboard is amazing and speakers are loud and punchy for a laptop. The only thing I have a issue with is that I can't pair a controller to it to play my gamepass cloud gaming games. If you could help with that would be wonderful. Thanks again for a great review

[@qcstxph]

can you download steam on this laptop cause im looking into getting a laptop or desktop to download WWE 2K22 with mods and this laptop came to my attention

[@Phantom78245]

Are you seeing brightness flickering when streaming video apps on this Chromebook? I bought this exact model and it happens on Netflix, HBO Max, and Vudu.

[@MrAlwyn]

Only 8gb of ram.. is that enough for gaming and productive?

[@DanitzaLadwig]

Your review was helpful, thank you!

[@anthonyramos2458]

Thanks for the review. The screen is great, but I'm noticing that Netflix only allows SD content as it is showing as Widevine L3 with the app installed, and won't play in HD. Is there a workaround for this? Its dissappointing to have such great refresh rates and resolutions without being able to play the content at that level.

[@_asklaf]

I need this laptop so bad i needa get lucky on my birthday

[@crisissocoylike]

Updates till 2030!!? iWants!!!!!

[@Sawyer907]

Any plans on reviewing the ASUS Chromebook Vibe 55 Flip? I really like this ASUS but I wish it was a touch screen.

[@christopherwilliams-o1g]

i have a problem with this chromebook i purchased a gaming mouse a logitech g305 the g hub gaming mouse settings dont work because the application is only for windows or mac os? so you cant use these gaming focused additional settings?

[@carrillo2786]

Can I plug in my ps4/ps5 into this Chromebook?

[@MrAlwyn]

On the fence HP dragonfly pro or Acer 516 GE..

[@cailarchitectatopks]

What is the maximum number of monitor this chromebook can support?

[@User-sdjowije-92771]

It’s a great choice compare buying a 16 inch Macbook or Windows laptop with limited budget.

[@lricci007]

Can you tell me if there is a plastic film on the screen that needs to be peeled off?

[@jameslalanne5338]

Is it good for video editing and music?

[@VVaRGuEriLLa]

Would this be okay for roblox gaming? Daughter wants a laptop but dont want to drop alot on a gaming laptop for a kid

[@gosoku2771]

Do you have a model number and/or link for the Logitech mouse you are using? Thanks

[@primalflowdao]

Had the 16gb version for two weeks now, it's fantastic playing GFN Ultimate. Unfortunately the one I got seems to have some problem with the fan, it turns on just surfing and makes vibrations that can be felt in the chassi, even through the keyboard when you're texting...😤

[@reggiefils-aime9798]

Where do you get the 16gb ram version??? I've been looking all over but can't find it. I'm also in the US

[@primalflowdao]

@@reggiefils-aime9798 In Sweden 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@gregforsberg8824]

Can the ram be upgraded from 8 to 16?

[@59seank]

Is the screen glossy?

[@Melodie_Info3]

yep

[@shaboy1988]

Great looking laptop. But apex looked great but input lag was clear

[@ThoughtfullSimmer]

Getting this one what games like the sims palia etc are like on it?

[@JR-bw3tr]

Say Robbie , what controller are you using please , I need some of those , I've tried a few controllers I had to send back to Amazon cuz they were not compatible with Chromebook operating system thank you....

[@artbymiwsher]

His looks like a regular X Box controller, which I'm not surprised to see working well - in my personal experience, PS4 controllers pair to my Chromebooks without problems as well. I've also used the Steelseries stratus duo wireless without issues.

[@stan7757]

Are the new Chromebooks faster than the Acer I bought three or four years ago?

[@memopadilla5931]

Yes of course.. but for general internet use all you need is a Pentium N6000 and anything above.. They are very fast.. Stay away from most Celerons except maybe the N5100 .

[@GlennSaaman]

probably an ocd question, but the w-a-s-d keys stand out from the rest and that drives me nuts . . is there any way to change that or is it a permanent key color? I know its for gaming but I'm the type of person Robbie is referring to that isn't a gamer but likes what's offered here for productivity.

[@memopadilla5931]

Yes. You can change the color to a single shade or turn it off . He mentions at 6:23

[@cornerstoneefcderbyvt333]

@@memopadilla5931 I didn't mean the color of the keyboard lighting, there are four keys that are highlighted white to distinguish them from the rest . . I have the computer now and there is no changing it because it's not a light it's the color of the keycap edging

[@maandes21]

fine point black sharpie....@@cornerstoneefcderbyvt333

[@rafaelm]

Is it good for Android app development?

[@DedeMert]

Man i rlly needed a vid like this

[@TheKing4576]

Getting me one and few to gaming set up coming from Xbox series s user

[@Youngblaise2]

What is Geforce now?

[@dplj4428]

No touch? no USI pen support then.

[@Victor-lz5fs]

I just got this a few days ago, does anybody have an issue with the screen flickering like a white filter when watching the Netflix App or HBO App?

[@_jis_]

You could read about this problem right here: @Phantom78245 4 months ago Are you seeing brightness flickering when streaming video apps on this Chromebook? I bought this exact model and it happens on Netflix, HBO Max, and Vudu.

[@_jis_]

Have you made any progress in solving this problem, have you received any official statement?

[@Victor-lz5fs]

@@_jis_ yes that is what happens and no progress yet. Never heard back from anyone. It does not happen if you stream Netflix from the chrome browser

[@naquirodriguezdelatorre2958]

Are there Chromebooks with Spanish keyboards available? Is the SSD upgradeable in this?

[@cobaltblue5523]

Idk why but I've had issues with this

[@Mynamejeff37777]

Can it download stuff like steam?

[@UZI_Kameru]

I think so

[@lordeross4870]

If i recommended a customer buy a chromebook i'd probably get fired lmfao. There's no upside to buying one ...literally...do not waste your money please

[@SilentSamurai04]

I have a couple of questions on this chromebook that anyone is free to answer them. 1. How well would it do with editing videos for let’s say here on KZbin? 2. How well would it do with video gaming streaming using a web based streaming service? I see a good deal on this chromebook at the moment through Best Buy and I was just curious about it. Thanks!

[@Asadc1995]

Boosteroid can highly likely be streamed through the web browser from my experience with chrome os flex

[@mikelongco]

Both ClipChamp (online) and LumaFusion (Android - on sale for $19.99 right now) are available, which is a huge step up from what's previously been available. If you can grab it when it goes on sale at Best Buy for $449, it's an insane value.

[@RandomPost001]

Please make a video asphalt 9 gameplay on that laptop

[@Melodie_Info3]

okay

[@jonhh6918]

Bought one and returned it right away. The battery life was sooooo bad. It could not handle more than 2 hours of video playback and it takes as long to charge. Very bad experience for me. Might be related to the hardware and specs on it but I have lost at least 2h30 of video playback on my other Chromebook (older one : samsung chromebook 4) with the lasted update. I can still watch things online for at least 5 hours without the need to charge it. The youtube app is almost impossible to run at the moment since that last OS update. I am using the Chrome browser which is ok. Let's hope it is not planned obsolescence. The samsung is supposed to be working until 2029.

[@smoltrashbean5376]

Can this run genshin?

[@Melodie_Info3]

yes but if it available through the play store then yes. with I5 or I7 is enough to play but with Xris XE is good enough to pplay 45 to 30fps.

[@rahulyadavz]

Can we play pubg on chromebook

[@tripieovrhvn]

Wait so you can play valorant on this? Or no?

[@Melodie_Info3]

yes truek 4k sixty frame per econd

[@tripieovrhvn]

@@Melodie_Info3 really? I thought you could only do cloud gaming on this

[@Melodie_Info3]

@@tripieovrhvn yep is better if you just buy a real gaming laptop not a chroembook. 600 dollar you can get Acer nitro 5 indstead

[@MoonyAxe]

Cool!

[@MoonyAxe]

Shut up bot

[@elokjerside8680]

Shan Shame google stadia is closing. What will contiue....🤔

[@elementkx]

Make a 17" and we gotta deal.

[@bobsimmons1470]

Of course they had to ruin it by making it non-touch screen. There are zero decent 16 in Chromebooks on the market right now

[@JakeGives100]

I’m yellown😮

[@dino_x86]

Steam ?

[@aaron80318]

Steam doesn't work on Chrome OS

[@coolbasset]

Beginning with Chrome OS 108.0.5359.24, the Beta channel will include an early, beta-quality version of Steam on ChromeOS but you need to have a Chromebook that supports it. This Acer 516 GE is one of the Chromebooks on the list.

[@aaron80318]

@@coolbasset I'll be damned! Thanks for the info!

[@assimo9841]

@@aaron80318 I'm currently running steam alpha on this CB. Refer to my other comment on this video for some thoughts.

[@_WAR_LOCK_]

Gaming? Are you seriosly? Don't lie people

[@UmmmmActually]

so I almost believed you, then I noticed you the channel name and the links. you are most likely sponsored and paid to say this.