Asus announced a new PC running Google's Chrome OS, but it's not another Chromebook. The Asus's new Chromebox is an Apple Mac Mini-looking box running Google Chrome OS.

The Asus Chromebox is yet another assault by Google on the cheap Windows PC market, this time aimed at desktop PCs. The low-end box sports Intel Haswell architecture with a base price of $179 (compare that to Samsung's $329 starting price for its Chromebox) and three different variants to choose from, although only two of them are coming to the U.S.

With a footprint of only 4.88-inches square and 1.65 inches thick, the Asus Chromebox could work on the desktop or next to the HDTV as a media device. Asus even has a mount so that you can clip the system behind some HDTVs and monitors. In addition, the second-tier Asus Chromebox supports 4K video out, luring big-screen, high-resolution PC enthusiasts a tantalizingly cheap Chrome OS entry to try out.

Release Date

The Asus Chromebox will start at $179 with a release date in March, 2013. The Core i3 Chromebox isn't priced yet, but it will reportedly be announced closer to the release date.