Buying a Chromebook was a BIG MISTAKE - Chrome OS Flex
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Try FreshBooks free, for 30 days, no credit card required at freshbooks.com Create your build at buildredux.com Your old MacBook is really chugging these days. But new computers with fancy Nvidia GPUs and AMD Ryzen chips are very expensive. Here's a way you could save a buck! Chrome OS Flex! Google will now let you install Chrome OS on your own device for free. But can it actually improve old devices? We tested to find out! Discuss on the forum: linustechtips.com Buy a 1 TB Samsung 970 EVO SSD NVMe : geni.us Buy a 240GB Crucial SATA SSD: geni.us Buy a Crucial MX500 250GB SSD: geni.us Buy Bush's Baked Beans: geni.us Purchases made through some store links may provide some compensation to Linus Media Group. ► GET MERCH: lttstore.com ► SUPPORT US ON FLOATPLANE: floatplane.com ► AFFILIATES, SPONSORS & REFERRALS: lmg.gg ► PODCAST GEAR: lmg.gg FOLLOW US --------------------------------------------------- Twitter: twitter.com Facebook: @LinusTech Instagram: @linustech TikTok: @linustech Twitch: twitch.tv MUSIC CREDIT --------------------------------------------------- Intro: Laszlo - Supernova Video Link: youtube.com iTunes Download Link: itunes.apple.com Artist Link: soundcloud.com Outro: Approaching Nirvana - Sugar High Video Link: youtube.com Listen on Spotify: spoti.fi Artist Link: youtube.com Intro animation by MBarek Abdelwassaa @mbarek_abdel Monitor And Keyboard by vadimmihalkevich / CC BY 4.0 geni.us Mechanical RGB Keyboard by BigBrotherECE / CC BY 4.0 geni.us Mouse Gamer free Model By Oscar Creativo / CC BY 4.0 geni.us CHAPTERS --------------------------------------------------- 0:00 CrINgeTRO 1:45 The Laptops 3:05 How we tested 4:04 How slow are they? 5:25 Installing Chrome OS Flex 6:34 BIG CAVEAT 7:49 Chrome OS Flex Results 10:39 Can you run it? 11:53 Chrome OS Flex limitations 13:17 Alternatives 14:32 Outro
Chrome OS Flex is tested as a potential life-extender for aging laptops, with the team at Linus Tech Tips selecting a mix of devices including ThinkPad x230 and older HP and ASUS laptops to gauge whether Google’s cloud-centric OS can meaningfully revive aging hardware. The video lays out a clear objective: determine if Chrome OS Flex can improve everyday usability, battery life, and browser performance on machines that otherwise struggle with modern software demands. The hosts describe the baseline testing setup, including boot times, wake-from-sleep performance, browser tab handling, and 1080p video playback before any Chrome OS installation. They acknowledge limitations in Chrome OS benchmarking compared to Windows, and they create their own real-world benchmarks to fill gaps, such as measuring boot times, tab counts, and streaming stability. The installation process is demonstrated in detail, including the use of a USB installer, the caveat that Flex installs overwrite entire drives, and the need to back up data or remove the main drive for safety. After installation, the team discusses the results, noting that while some devices showed meaningful improvements, others experienced issues ranging from mislabeled keys to broken rendering handoffs to the GPU. Overall, the verdict emphasizes a mixed bag: Chrome OS Flex can brighten an old device for light tasks and simple use cases, but it is not a guaranteed, feature-complete replacement for traditional OS environments. The video ends by presenting practical takeaways, such as the value of a cheap SSD upgrade or considering Linux distributions as alternatives, and it teases additional content about Chrome OS on Chromebooks and related software. The sponsor integration is presented mid-roll, with a nod to the ease of use for small business owners using FreshBooks, tying the practical software end of the video to the hardware discussion. The final message encourages viewers to test Chrome OS Flex themselves by creating a USB installer and acknowledging that, for some devices, the experience can be surprisingly positive for light workloads while recommending other paths for more demanding needs.
Topics · technology · product_reviews · hardware · operating_systems · cloud_computing · consumer_electronics
Questions answered
- What is Chrome OS Flex and how can it affect old hardware?
- Chrome OS Flex is a version of Chrome OS that can be installed on non-certified devices to breathe new life into aging hardware, primarily for light computing tasks such as web browsing and basic productivity.
- Can Chrome OS Flex be installed on an existing drive without data loss?
- The Flex installer will wipe the target drive, so users must back up data or remove the main drive if they want to protect existing partitions.
- Is Android app support available on Chrome OS Flex for non-certified devices?
- No, Chrome OS Flex generally does not support Android apps on non-certified devices, which limits app versatility compared to standard Chrome OS on certified hardware.