Dell XPS 8700 vs. HP ProDesk 400 G2 Microtower

Comparison and Differences

Dell_XPS_8700.jpg case front and back pannelHP_ProDesk_400_G2_Microtower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen4 i3/i5/i7;Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetZ87H81
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1080 TiGeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAMDIMM DDR3-1333/1600 DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots42
RAM speed1600 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max32 GB16 GB
USB ports(4x) USB-A 2.0; (5x) USB 3.0;(2x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsHDMI 1.2; DisplayPort 1.2;VGA; DVI-D;
Other portsRJ45; Mic; Headset; Card Reader;RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2; SD card reader (USB-? 2.0);
Optional portsN.A.Serial; Parallel;
SATA ports53
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; (x3) PCIe x1; (2x) mPCI;PCIe x16; (3x) PCIe x1;
M.2 slotsN.A.N.A.
Drive bays(3x) 3.5in; (2x) 5.25in; mSATA;(2x) 3.5in; 5.25in (slim)
PSU460 W180/300 W
Weight13.8 kg (30.42 lb)6.5 kg (14.33 lb)
Released20132014
Manuallinklink
Price**Check PriceCheck Price

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* 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 ProDesk 400 G2 Microtower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP ProDesk 400 G2 Microtower which was released in 2014. 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

The two models have the same generation of Intel processors. We think that the 4 generation of Intel Processors have enough power to execute all of the home and office tasks that most people will care to do.

Memory

The Dell XPS 8700 has 4 RAM slots while the HP ProDesk 400 G2 Microtower has only 2 slot(s). This is not something to worry about. Just make sure you take it into consideration when planning how much RAM you are going to use.

None of the desktops has an advantage when it comes to the speed of the RAM being used. Both models support RAM speeds of up to 1600. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Dell XPS 8700 as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The HP ProDesk 400 G2 Microtower can do a bit less at max 16 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the Dell XPS 8700 has 9 USB ports. The HP ProDesk 400 G2 Microtower is inferior in this regard and packs 6 USB ports. In any case, if you miss USB ports, you can always purchase a USB hub. None of the desktop models has a USB 3.1 port (10Gb/s), so if you need a fast connection to your peripherals, like external Solid State Drive, you will need to look elsewhere.

Unfortunately, only the Dell XPS 8700 has a DisplayPort. The HP ProDesk 400 G2 Microtower does not have one? Don't worry though, nowadays video adapters are cheap and you can get almost any combination of conversion types.

The Dell XPS 8700 comes with an HDMI port, while the HP ProDesk 400 G2 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 Dell XPS 8700 is better equipped as it comes with 5 SATA slot(s), while the HP ProDesk 400 G2 Microtower has 3 slot(s).

M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the Dell XPS 8700, nor the HP ProDesk 400 G2 Microtower has one. However, you can still use a SATA SSD drive which should give you satisfactory performance.

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 HP ProDesk 400 G2 Microtower comes with a decent 300 Watt PSU, but the Dell XPS 8700 has a more powerful one rated at 460 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_ProDesk_400_G2_Microtower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout