Chromebooks for music?

[dougjwray]

It's time for me to replace my very old Dell laptop, and I'm considering getting a Chromebook to save money. For storage, I'll probably get an external harddrive, or maybe use lots of flash drives. But my question is: will the processing speed be sufficient for handling WAV files without buffering, etc.? I don't use a DAW for recording bass tracks... I use a down 'n' dirty method of playing into a little Zoom digital recorder, while listening to pre-existing tracks (e.g. drum tracks) being played back on my laptop. So I don't require enough memory to run a DAW.
Anyone here use a Chromebook for music-related activities?

 

[Docduval]

30 year old pc’s can play wav’s without issue. So I’m sure a recent Chromebook can, too.

 

[fdeck]

Not to discourage your plans, but you might be able to install ChromeOS on your existing laptop:

Upgrade Your PC: Faster and More Secure with ChromeOS Flex

Install ChromeOS Flex, a secure, cloud-based OS for PCs and Macs. Easy to install and manage, bringing the benefits of ChromeOS to your organization.

chromeos.google

I tried this with an old laptop, and used it that way for a while, as an experiment. In fact I was able to load almost all of the software that I need. Also, price-wise, a refurbished laptop might be as cheap as a Chromebook. There's a flood of old laptops because businesses get rid of them after about 3 years of use.

 

[Bob_Ross]

fwiw my wife has been using a Chromebook for the past ~12 years, and I am regularly astonished at the normal every-day tasks that she can't do because a Chromebook won't allow it.

 

[MrAB4003]

It's time for me to replace my very old Dell laptop, and I'm considering getting a Chromebook to save money. For storage, I'll probably get an external harddrive, or maybe use lots of flash drives. But my question is: will the processing speed be sufficient for handling WAV files without buffering, etc.? I don't use a DAW for recording bass tracks... I use a down 'n' dirty method of playing into a little Zoom digital recorder, while listening to pre-existing tracks (e.g. drum tracks) being played back on my laptop. So I don't require enough memory to run a DAW.
Anyone here use a Chromebook for music-related activities?

I tutor math for a living and all my students who go to public schools in my local school districts get Chromebooks for their school work and homework. One of their biggest complaints collectively is about their Chromebooks not working. Having seen the Chromebooks in action, I have to listen to (and do right by) my students and not recommend one to you.

 

[MonetBass]

Our son had a Chromebook issued to him in high school, and while it performed the needed functions for his classwork, it was not a computer I would ever buy. He had issues with the screen and trackpad, and I know many of his friends had issues with theirs as well.