Acer Veriton X2680g vs. HP ProDesk 490 G3 Microtower

Comparison and Differences

Acer_Veriton_X2680g.jpg case front and back pannelHP_ProDesk_490_G3_Microtower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen11 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; CeleronIntel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetB560H110
Dedicated GPU *Radeon RX 6400 Low ProfileGeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAMUDIMM DDR4-2933DIMM DDR4-2133
RAM slots44
RAM speed2933 MT/s2133 MT/s
RAM max64 GB64 GB
USB ports(2x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0; (2x) USB-A 3.1(6x)USB-A 3.0; (2x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsDisplayPort 1.4; HDMI 2.0; VGADisplayPort; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; (2x) Mic, Speaker; Line in; Line out; PS/2 ports; SerialRJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2;
Optional portsSerial; Parallel; Card readerSD card reader; Serial; Parallel;
SATA ports43
PCI slotsPCIe 4.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1PCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4);
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)N.A.
Drive bays3.5in; 5.25 inch slim(2x) 3.5in; 5.25in (slim)
PSU180/300 W180/300 W
Weight5.00 kg (11.02 lb)7.05 kg (15.5 lb)
Released20212015
Manuallinklink
Price**Check PriceCheck Price

** As an Amazon associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
* Dedicated GPU warning: Check if your particular power supply model has enough power. Additionally some PSUs don't come with an auxiliary PCIe power connector and you may need to buy a SATA to PCIe power adapter.

Differences between Acer Veriton X2680g and HP ProDesk 490 G3 Microtower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Acer Veriton X2680g which was released in 2021. The HP ProDesk 490 G3 Microtower is older and entered production in 2015.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Acer Veriton X2680g is the right one for you. It is smaller than the HP ProDesk 490 G3 Microtower and will fit more easily under your desk.

Processor

Usually the newer the generation of the CPU, the better the performance and efficiency is. If your budget allows it, you should go with the Acer Veriton X2680g as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that HP ProDesk 490 G3 Microtower is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

Both models have have equal amount of ram slots (4 RAM). Usually two RAM slots are more than enough for most cases. However, the count should be taken into account when planning how much and what combination of RAM you are going to need for your system.

The Acer Veriton X2680g is using the faster 2933 MT/s RAM. The HP ProDesk 490 G3 Microtower is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2133 MT/s. In addition, you will be able to install the same amount of RAM in both models, and most probably 64 GB of RAM will be enough for most people. However, if you will be needing more RAM, make sure to check other desktop models too.

Ports

In total the Acer Veriton X2680g has 10 USB ports. The HP ProDesk 490 G3 Microtower is inferior in this regard and packs 8 USB ports. In any case, if you miss USB ports, you can always purchase a USB hub. What is nice about the Acer Veriton X2680g, is that it has 2 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the HP ProDesk 490 G3 Microtower has no such port, thus restricting your transfer speeds significantly. For people who want to use external drives on regular basis, this might be an issue.

The DisplayPort is usually the more popular video port used with desktops and laptops, while the HDMI is used predominantly in consumer electronics. That's why, it is good to see that both of the models come with a DisplayPort.

The Acer Veriton X2680g comes with an HDMI port, while the HP ProDesk 490 G3 Microtower does not support the interface. Of course missing HDMI port is something that can be easily fixed with a good adapter (e.g. DisplayPort to HDMI).

SATA ports are placed on the system board and it is where you connect your HDD, SSD and Optical Disk Drives. More SATA slots will allow you to have more drives running at the same time. In this regard the Acer Veriton X2680g is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the HP ProDesk 490 G3 Microtower has 3 slot(s).

If you want the fastest transfer speeds for your SSD, an M.2 interface is crucial. Thus, if the M.2 SSD slot is a mandatory requirement for you, go with the Acer Veriton X2680g. Sadly, the HP ProDesk 490 G3 Microtower has no such slot, and you will be forced to use the SATA interface instead.

Make sure that the available M.2 slot supports the PCIe (also called NVMe) interface. This is important as there are M.2 slots which support only the inferior SATA III interface. For comparison, the SATA III interface has max speeds of 6Gb/s, while the PCIe 3.0 x4 will support speeds up to 32Gb/s!

Power Supply

Looking at the Power Supply Unit (PSU) of the two models we don't see any differences. For either of them you get a maximum power of 300 Watts. However be careful, many models have more than one power supply option. When buying your computer, it is a good idea to get a version with the most powerful PSU. This will potentially allow you to upgrade to a more powerful GPU for example.

Motherboard

Acer_Veriton_X2680g_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutHP_ProDesk_490_G3_Microtower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout