ASUS Vivobook Go 14" Star Black 2024

The ASUS Vivobook Go 14" is a lightweight laptop weighed down by a brutally slow processor and a criminally low 4GB of RAM. It's cheap for a reason, and that reason is constant, infuriating lag.

We knew the Celeron N4500 wouldn't be a speed demon, but the 4GB of RAM is the real kicker. That's a 1st percentile configuration in our database, meaning it's literally one of the worst memory setups you can buy right now. Windows 11 alone will chew through most of that, leaving you with a system that chugs doing simple multitasking. The 128GB eMMC main drive is also painfully slow compared to a real SSD. The saving grace is the bundled docking station that adds a terabyte of storage in some configurations, but that doesn't make the laptop itself feel any faster. It's adequate for a single, lightweight task at a time, and that's about the nicest thing we can say.

A Chromebook like the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3 will run circles around this Vivobook for basic tasks, feeling snappier and lasting longer on a charge, all for a similar price. If you're stuck on Windows, a used Dell Latitude or Lenovo ThinkPad with an 8th-gen Core i5 and 8GB of RAM is a vastly better experience for the same money. The Vivobook's only real trick is being a new, lightweight Windows laptop for under $300, but the performance cost is so high that it's rarely the smart choice.

Pricing is all over the place, ranging from $229 to $479 across vendors. At the absolute low end, you're getting what you pay for: a lightweight screen with a keyboard. But as you creep toward $400, this becomes a genuinely bad deal. You're in used ThinkPad or a much more capable Chromebook territory at that point. If you must buy this, hunt for the cheapest listing you can find and don't spend a penny more than $250.

The ASUS Vivobook Go 14" is a trap that looks like a deal. On paper, you get a 14-inch FHD screen and Windows 11 in a 2.87-pound package for under $300. In reality, the Intel Celeron N4500 and a measly 4GB of RAM make this thing a patience-testing machine. It's fine if you only ever look at one browser tab and treat it like a Chromebook that got lost on its way to the store, but for anyone else, the constant lag will drive you up a wall. The included docking station with extra storage is a nice band-aid, but it doesn't fix the core problem: this laptop is underpowered the moment you take it out of the box.

If you're looking for a responsive computer for everyday multitasking, this isn't it. Go get a used business-class laptop like a Lenovo ThinkPad T480s or a Dell Latitude 7490 instead. You'll get a much faster processor, double the RAM, and a build quality that won't make you nervous every time you open the lid.

Don't buy this laptop. The ASUS Vivobook Go 14" is a classic case of a spec sheet that looks acceptable until you realize the RAM and processor are a decade behind what Windows 11 needs to feel smooth. The only exception is if you find it for around $200 and your computing needs begin and end with a single browser tab and Microsoft Word. For everyone else, the frustration isn't worth the savings. Get a used business laptop or a good Chromebook instead.