Fujitsu Esprimo E520 vs. HP ProDesk 480 G2 Microtower

Comparison and Differences

Fujitsu_Esprimo_E520.jpg case front and back pannelHP_ProDesk_480_G2_Microtower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; CeleronIntel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetB85H81
Dedicated GPU *Radeon RX 6400 Low ProfileGeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAMUDIMM DDR3-1600DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots42
RAM speed1600 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max32 GB16 GB
USB ports(2x) USB-A 3.0; (6x) USB-A 2.0(2x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsDVI; VGAVGA; DVI-D;
Other portsRJ45; Headphones; (2x) Mic; Line in; Line out; PS/2; SerialRJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2;
Optional portsParallel; eSATA; DisplayPortSD card reader; Serial; Parallel;
SATA ports43
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1; PCIe 2.0 x16 (wired x4)PCIe x16; (2x) PCIe x1; PCI;
M.2 slotsN.A.N.A.
Drive bays(2x) 3.5in; 5.25 inch(2x) 3.5in; 5.25in (slim)
PSU280 W180/300 W
Weight10.00 kg (24.00 lb)6.5 kg (14.33 lb)
Released20142014
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 Fujitsu Esprimo E520 and HP ProDesk 480 G2 Microtower

Both computers, the HP ProDesk 480 G2 Microtower and the Fujitsu Esprimo E520, were released during the same year - 2014.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Fujitsu Esprimo E520 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the HP ProDesk 480 G2 Microtower and will fit more easily under your desk.

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 Fujitsu Esprimo E520 has 4 RAM slots while the HP ProDesk 480 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 Fujitsu Esprimo E520 as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The HP ProDesk 480 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 Fujitsu Esprimo E520 has 8 USB ports. The HP ProDesk 480 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 Fujitsu Esprimo E520 has a DisplayPort. The HP ProDesk 480 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.

None of the models has an HDMI port. If your monitor supports only the HDMI interface, you will need to buy an adapter. Such adapters are cheap so nothing to worry about.

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 Fujitsu Esprimo E520 is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the HP ProDesk 480 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 HP ProDesk 480 G2 Microtower, nor the Fujitsu Esprimo E520 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 Fujitsu Esprimo E520 comes with a decent 280 Watt PSU, but the HP ProDesk 480 G2 Microtower has a more powerful one rated at 300 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

Fujitsu_Esprimo_E520_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutHP_ProDesk_480_G2_Microtower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout