ASUS C425MA

The ASUS C425MA is a renewed 15.6-inch Chromebook that's dirt cheap, landing in the 97th percentile for affordability. Performance is weak across the board, with 4GB of RAM and a Celeron chip that struggle under load. Worth it only if your needs are basic and your budget is tight.

Let's be real: the Celeron chip and 4GB of RAM land in the 13th percentile for both CPU and RAM. That's rough. Chrome OS is lightweight, so basic tasks like browsing with a few tabs, Google Docs, and YouTube will work, but don't expect to push this thing. The integrated Intel UHD graphics sit in the 6th percentile, which means gaming is basically off the table. Our data scores it 1.8 out of 100 for gaming, one of the worst we've seen. The 128GB SSD is also dead last in storage at the 1st percentile, so you'll lean on cloud storage hard. On the plus side, WiFi 6 is here, which helps with streaming and downloads.

Stack this against the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon or Apple MacBook Pro 16" and it's not even a fair fight. Those are premium machines with real CPUs, more RAM, and better screens. The Dell Latitude 7430 and HP OmniBook 5 also blow past this in every performance metric. But here's the thing: all of those cost several times more. The Acer Aspire A14-52M-72FH is a closer budget rival, but even that likely offers more RAM and storage. The C425MA wins on price alone, and that's the only category it wins.

At around $200 USD renewed, this is a value play, not a performance play. You're getting a large FHD display and a functional Chromebook for less than most phone payments. The catch is longevity. With 4GB of RAM and a Celeron, this thing will feel dated fast if you're a heavy user. But for a student who lives in Google Docs and YouTube, it's hard to argue with the price. Just know you're buying the bottom of the barrel on storage and ports.

The ASUS C425MA is a renewed Chromebook that knows exactly what it is: a cheap way to get online, write papers, and stream video. You get a 15.6-inch FHD IPS display, an Intel Celeron processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD. That's about as entry-level as it gets in 2025, but for the right person, it's plenty.

Our database puts this thing in the 97th percentile for affordability. That's the whole pitch. It's not fast, it's not fancy, and it's not going to impress anyone at a coffee shop. But if you need a big-screen Chromebook for under $200 USD, this is one of the cheapest ways to get there.

Skip this if you need to run Linux apps, edit video, or keep more than a handful of browser tabs open at once. The 4GB of RAM and Celeron chip will frustrate you fast. Also skip it if you rely on lots of peripherals, since the port selection is one of the weakest we've seen. Anyone doing real multitasking should save up for something with at least 8GB of RAM.

Buy this if you need a cheap, big-screen Chromebook for writing, browsing, and streaming, and you don't mind living in the cloud. It's a solid pick for a student on a tight budget or a secondary machine for the kitchen or guest room. Just don't expect it to multitask like a champ or run anything beyond basic Android apps and web tools.