Dell XPS 8700 vs. HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Tower

Comparison and Differences

Dell_XPS_8700.jpg case front and back pannelHP_EliteDesk_800_G4_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen4 i3/i5/i7;Intel Gen8 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetZ87Q370
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1080 TiGeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAMDIMM DDR3-1333/1600 DIMM DDR4-2666
RAM slots44
RAM speed1600 MT/s2666 MT/s
RAM max32 GB64 GB
USB ports(4x) USB-A 2.0; (5x) USB 3.0;USB-C 3.1; (4x)USB-A 3.1; (2x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsHDMI 1.2; DisplayPort 1.2;(2x) DisplayPort;
Other portsRJ45; Mic; Headset; Card Reader;RJ45; Hdph; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In;
Optional portsN.A.DP/HDMI/VGA/USB-C(DP); Serial; SD card reader;
SATA ports54
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; (x3) PCIe x1; (2x) mPCI;PCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4);
M.2 slotsN.A.(2x) M.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe x4); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);
Drive bays(3x) 3.5in; (2x) 5.25in; mSATA;2.5in; (2x) 3.5in; 5.25in; 5.25in (slim);
PSU460 W250/500 W
Weight13.8 kg (30.42 lb)9.86 kg (21.74 lb)
Released20132018
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 Dell XPS 8700 and HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Tower which was released in 2018. The Dell XPS 8700 is older and entered production in 2013.

Both models have the same form factor, meaning reoughtly they have the same phiysical size and form.

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 HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Tower as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell XPS 8700 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 HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Tower is using the faster 2666 MT/s RAM. The Dell XPS 8700 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1600 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Tower as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Dell XPS 8700 can do a bit less at max 32 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Tower has 11 USB ports. The Dell XPS 8700 is inferior in this regard and packs 9 USB ports. In any case, if you miss USB ports, you can always purchase a USB hub. What is nice about the HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Tower, is that it has 5 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the Dell XPS 8700 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.

DisplayPort is crucial for any desktop machine. It is good to see that both models are featuring DisplayPorts. However, the HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Tower comes with 2 ports, while the Dell XPS 8700 has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Tower is the better choice.

The Dell XPS 8700 comes with an HDMI port, while the HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Tower 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 Dell XPS 8700 is better equipped as it comes with 5 SATA slot(s), while the HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Tower has 4 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 HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Tower. Sadly, the Dell XPS 8700 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

Having a Power Supply Unit with high power rating is important, if you are going to use components which require extra power. The Dell XPS 8700 comes with a decent 460 Watt PSU, but the HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Tower has a more powerful one rated at 500 Watts. Choosing either one depends on your specific requirements and use case. Also don't forget that some models might have more than one PSU option - try to always get the most powerful one, especially if you plan to upgrade to a powerful GPU.

Motherboard

Dell_XPS_8700_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutHP_EliteDesk_800_G4_Tower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout