HP EliteDesk 800 G2 SFF vs. HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Tower

Comparison and Differences

HP_EliteDesk_800_G2_SFF.jpg case front and back pannelHP_EliteDesk_800_G8_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen11 i5/i7/i9;
ChipsetQ170Q570
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GT 1030 Low ProfileGeForce RTX 3070
RAMDIMM DDR4-2133DIMM DDR4-3200
RAM slots44
RAM speed2133 MT/s3200 MT/s
RAM max64 GB128 GB
USB ports(8x)USB-A 3.0; (2x)USB-A 2.0; USB-C 3.2; (4x)USB-A 3.1; (3x)USB-A 3.0; (3x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports(2x) DisplayPort; VGA;(2x) DisplayPort;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2; RJ45; Hdph; Headset; Line-Out; SD card reader
Optional portsSD card reader; Serial; Parallel;DP1.4/ HDMI2.0b/ VGA/ USB-C(DP1.4)/ (2x)USB-A 3.0/ LAN/ Thunderbolt3; Serial; PS2
SATA ports34
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4)PCIe 4.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4);
M.2 slotsN.A.M.2 2280 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4); M.2 2280M-key (PCIe 4.0 x4); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);
Drive bays2.5in; (2x) 3.5in; 5.25in (slim);2.5in; (2x) 3.5in; 5.25in; 9.5mm (slim);
PSU200 W260/550 W
Weight7.6 kg (16.7 lb)9.86 kg (21.74 lb)
Released20152021
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 HP EliteDesk 800 G2 SFF and HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Tower which was released in 2021. The HP EliteDesk 800 G2 SFF is older and entered production in 2015.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the HP EliteDesk 800 G2 SFF is the right one for you. It is smaller than the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Tower 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 HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Tower as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that HP EliteDesk 800 G2 SFF 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 G8 Tower is using the faster 3200 MT/s RAM. The HP EliteDesk 800 G2 SFF is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2133 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Tower as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The HP EliteDesk 800 G2 SFF can do a bit less at max 64 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Tower has 11 USB ports. The HP EliteDesk 800 G2 SFF is inferior in this regard and packs 10 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 G8 Tower, is that it has 4 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the HP EliteDesk 800 G2 SFF 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.

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 HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Tower is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the HP EliteDesk 800 G2 SFF 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 HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Tower. Sadly, the HP EliteDesk 800 G2 SFF 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 HP EliteDesk 800 G2 SFF comes with a decent 200 Watt PSU, but the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Tower has a more powerful one rated at 550 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

HP_EliteDesk_800_G2_SFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutHP_EliteDesk_800_G8_Tower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout