Your next Chromebook could include a dedicated GPU
Eric Zeman / Android Authority
TL; DR
- The Chromium OS source code indicates a Chromebook with a dedicated GPU.
- “Mushu” would combine a discrete chip based on AMD Vega with an Intel Core processor of the 10th generation.
- Speculation suggests it could be a Steam-enabled Chromebook designed for gaming.
You probably don’t think of Chromebooks as slot machines unless you’re a Stadia fan, but that could change soon. Chrome without packaging discovered the source code of Chromium OS, which indicates a Chromebook with a dedicated GPU – the first known Google-based laptop with this kind of graphics performance.
The Chromebook, codenamed Mushu, would use an AMD Vega 12-based GPU – not the built-in Vega 11 you’ll find in certain processors. Mushu would pair the graphics chip with a 10th generation Intel Core processor, but it wouldn’t include any of Intel’s short-term hybrid CPUs with AMD video.
See also: The best Chromebook games from Google Play
WCftech discovered the Chromebook GPU on eBay in 2020. Back then, the chip contained 1,024 cores, 4 GB of video memory, and native Linux support, which would make Chrome OS support relatively easy. The hardware had been in development since 2018.
CU speculated that the machine could be used for gaming. Mushu is a variant of the hatch board currently used to test Steam on Chromebooks through Borealis. Between that and Valve’s game-friendly Proton compatibility layer, it’s possible that the Chromebook could use its GPU to run Steam games – if that’s possible with the historically limited local storage and storage on Chrome OS devices.
Whether or not the Chromebook was designed for Steam, the GPU could change the landscape for Chrome OS systems. Previously, when playing games on a Chromebook, Android apps had to be installed or pure web titles played that did not put a strain on the integrated graphics. While no one would mistake this Chromebook for a high-performance gaming PC, it could be fast enough to run titles that simply weren’t possible on Chrome OS computers in the past.
