Fujitsu Esprimo G9012 vs. HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini

Comparison and Differences

Fujitsu_Esprimo_G9012.jpg case front and back pannelHP_ProDesk_400_G4_Mini.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMicroMicro
CPU optionsIntel Gen12 i3/i5/i7/i9Intel Gen8 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetQ670B360
Dedicated GPU *N.A.N.A.
RAMSODIMM DDR4-3200SODIMM DDR4-2400
RAM slots22
RAM speed3200 MT/s2400 MT/s
RAM max64 GB32 GB
USB portsUSB-A 3.0; USB-A 2.0; (4x) USB-A 3.1; USB-C 3.1; USB-C 3.2(4x)USB-A 3.0; (2x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsDisplayPort 1.4; HDMI 2.1(2x) DisplayPort;
Other portsRJ45; HeadsetRJ45; Headset; Hdph;
Optional portsHDMI 2.1; DP 1.4aDP/HDMI/VGA/Serial/USB-C; WiFi anntena;
SATA ports21
PCI slotsPCIe 4.0 x16 (wired x4)N.A.
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)M.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe x4); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)
Drive bays2.5in; 5.25 inch2.5in
PSU90/150 W65/90/150 W
Weight1.02 kg (2.60 lb)1.77 kg (2.9 lb)
Released20222018
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 Fujitsu Esprimo G9012 and HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Fujitsu Esprimo G9012 which was released in 2022. The HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini is older and entered production in 2018.

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 Fujitsu Esprimo G9012 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

Both models have have equal amount of ram slots (2 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 Fujitsu Esprimo G9012 is using the faster 3200 MT/s RAM. The HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2400 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Fujitsu Esprimo G9012 as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini 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 Fujitsu Esprimo G9012 has 8 USB ports. The HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini 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. What is nice about the Fujitsu Esprimo G9012, is that it has 5 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini 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 ProDesk 400 G4 Mini comes with 2 ports, while the Fujitsu Esprimo G9012 has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini is the better choice.

The Fujitsu Esprimo G9012 comes with an HDMI port, while the HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini 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 Fujitsu Esprimo G9012 is better equipped as it comes with 2 SATA slot(s), while the HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini has 1 slot(s).

When your goal is to have the fastest SSD transfer speeds, an M.2 interface is crucial. Thus, it is good that both models have M.2 SSD slots. Today M.2 SSDs are not much more expensive than the average SATA drives, so it really does not make sense to invest in SATA drives anymore.

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 150 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

Fujitsu_Esprimo_G9012_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutHP_ProDesk_400_G4_Mini_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout