The Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE ($649) is an replace of the unique Acer Chromebook 516 GE, the flagship gaming Chromebook from 2022. The laptop computer has been refreshed with a more moderen CPU, and different options have been tweaked or improved, however the core options behind this “Gaming Version” stay the identical: A high-resolution, high-refresh-rate show, enhanced connectivity, and a game-friendly keyboard are simply the beginning of what makes this Chromebook particularly suited to cloud gaming. With shiny new {hardware} and Google’s AI-enhanced Chromebook Plus branding, the 516 GE scores an Editors’ Selection award for being the top-dog gaming Chromebook, and a budget-friendly different to a Home windows gaming laptop computer.
Configuration and Design: A Look Made to Impress
The Chromebook Plus 516 GE stands out from different Chromebooks in some ways, from the glowing gamer keyboard to the boosted connectivity and amped-up processing energy. However probably the most fast variations you may discover is the dimensions. Measuring 0.84 by 14 by 9.8 inches (HWD), this is among the few 16-inch Chromebooks available on the market, flaunting a giant 2,560-by-1,600-pixel IPS panel.
(Credit score: Joseph Maldonado)
The following factor you may discover is the keyboard, whose four-zone RGB backlight enables you to mild up the keys in a rainbow of colours. Whether or not you need the whole lot to match, with a single colour throughout all keys, or to make every keyboard part completely different, it is all simply personalized within the Chromebook’s settings.
(Credit score: Joseph Maldonado)
The gamer-friendly elements do not cease there. The WASD cluster is highlighted with white-bordered keycaps, and the keyboard itself helps anti-ghosting, permitting for correct keypresses regardless of how briskly you hammer on the keys throughout a recreation. A firmer keyboard deck is an enchancment from the earlier Acer Chromebook 516 GE. My solely actual gripe is that it is nonetheless a chiclet keyboard, regardless of low-profile mechanical-switch choices being out there, nevertheless it’s hardly value complaining about. The added expense of a mechanical keyboard would negate the finances attraction of this cloud gaming machine.
(Credit score: Joseph Maldonado)
The Chromebook’s chassis combines sturdy plastic and aluminum, completed in black with assorted textures for visible attraction. Relating to gaming efficiency, the laptop computer’s 120Hz show offers smoother gameplay than most Chromebooks’ panels, which have a typical 60Hz refresh charge. The sound expertise is enhanced by DTS audio from 4 inner audio system, supported by a sensible amplifier system, although a headset is really useful for essentially the most immersive impact.
It is value noting that the show lacks contact enter, which limits its performance for Android video games and apps that profit from touch-screen management.
Utilizing the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE: A Cornucopia of Connections
The port choice on this laptop computer is best than on most Chromebooks, beginning with the twin USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports. These ports assist USB Energy Supply (USB-PD) for charging and DisplayPort for connecting to exterior displays. A bigger USB Kind-A connection is ideal for connecting a gamepad or different peripherals, whereas an HDMI 2.1 port enables you to connect with a TV or different exterior show. A 3.5mm audio jack handles each headphones and headset/mic combos.
(Credit score: Joseph Maldonado)
The laptop computer has Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 for fast wi-fi connectivity, however for on-line recreation streaming, you may be happier to see that it additionally has a wired Ethernet jack, letting you plug in for a connection that is quicker and extra secure than Wi-Fi.
(Credit score: Joseph Maldonado)
Testing the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE: A New Pace Customary
In our benchmarking, we at all times attempt to examine techniques with related machines presently available on the market. For the Chromebook Plus 516 GE, meaning different Chromebook Plus fashions, just like the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714, the Lenovo Flex 5i Chromebook Plus, and the 2023 Asus Chromebook Plus CX34. We additionally included the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 however overlooked the unique Acer 516 GE from 2022 just because it is rising too previous for direct comparisons.
These are all glorious, inexpensive laptops, with the Chromebook Plus tier’s enhanced processing, further reminiscence and storage, shows with 1080p or increased resolutions, and improved offline file assist. Nonetheless, they are not made for gaming, to allow them to’t match the Chromebook Plus 516 GE’s bling-backlit, anti-ghosting keyboard and high-refresh-rate show. Nonetheless, they’re fairly aggressive.
Productiveness and Basic Efficiency Assessments
We problem Chromebooks with three general efficiency benchmarks, two browser-based and one an Android app. Basemark Net 3.0 runs in a browser tab to mix low-level JavaScript calculations with CSS and WebGL content material. Principled Applied sciences’ WebXPRT 4 makes use of HTML5, JavaScript, and WebAssembly workloads to simulate duties starting from picture enhancement and OCR scans to gross sales graphs and on-line homework. Lastly, PCMark Work 3.0 for Android performs assorted productiveness operations in a smartphone-style window, giving a way of Android app efficiency on the gadget.
Armed with an Intel Core i5-120U processor, the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE persistently beat out opponents by a snug margin, sustaining roughly a 25% lead in PCMark for Android. Even in Basemark Net 3.0, the place the margin was extra modest, it nonetheless led the pack with greater than 1,300 factors, whereas some opponents did not clear the 1,000-point mark. That is essentially the most potent Chromebook we have examined but on our new benchmark lineup by a rustic mile, in most exams.
Part and Battery Assessments
Two different Android benchmarks concentrate on the CPU and GPU, respectively. Primate Labs’ Geekbench makes use of all out there cores and threads to simulate real-world functions starting from PDF rendering and speech recognition to machine studying, whereas GFXBench 5.0 stress-tests each low-level routines like texturing and high-level, game-like picture rendering that workout routines graphics and compute shaders. Geekbench delivers a numeric rating, whereas GFXBench counts frames per second (fps).
Lastly, to check a Chromebook’s battery, we loop a 720p video file with display screen brightness set at 50%, quantity at 100%, and Wi-Fi and keyboard backlighting disabled till the system quits.
Processing and graphics efficiency have been additionally top-notch, with the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE holding a large 37% lead in Geekbench 6 (once more, because of its comparatively potent Core i5-120U CPU). Even graphics efficiency was out in entrance. It is no nice shakes in contrast with a Home windows gaming laptop computer with a devoted GPU, however the 516 GE is a visible powerhouse for a Chromebook.
Actually, the one space the place the 516 GE did not take the highest spot was battery life, the place the laptop computer introduced up the rear, lasting barely greater than 9 hours in our video rundown. For a system constructed to plug in and stream video games remotely, that is nonetheless ample—sufficient to hold you thru a day of courses after which plug in at evening for gaming.
(Credit score: Joseph Maldonado)
Verdict: The Greatest Chromebook for Avid gamers—Once more
With regards to cloud gaming, the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE proves that Chromebooks can fill a particular area of interest, enhancing upon the unique Chromebook 516 GE. With quicker processing, a vivid, high-refresh-rate show, and an enhanced RGB, anti-ghosting keyboard, the brand new Chromebook Plus mannequin proves that the gaming Chromebook class has a spot within the ChromeOS lineup and even improves when paired with the enhancements of Chromebook Plus. Whether or not you are an avid gamer taking advantage of on-line streaming companies like GeForce Now or a finances shopper who simply desires an distinctive Chromebook, you may rapidly see why the Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE received our Editors’ Selection honors after utilizing it.
Acer Chromebook Plus 516 GE (2025)
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The Backside Line
Acer’s potent-performing Chromebook Plus 516 GE has slick gaming options, together with a high-resolution show and a customizable RGB keyboard, making it a tempting alternative for cost-conscious cloud gaming.
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About Brian Westover
Lead Analyst, {Hardware}
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