Dell XPS 8700 vs. HP EliteDesk 800 G2 Tower

Comparison and Differences

Dell_XPS_8700.jpg case front and back pannelHP_EliteDesk_800_G2_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen4 i3/i5/i7;Intel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetZ87Q170
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1080 TiGeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAMDIMM DDR3-1333/1600 DIMM DDR4-2133
RAM slots44
RAM speed1600 MT/s2133 MT/s
RAM max32 GB64 GB
USB ports(4x) USB-A 2.0; (5x) USB 3.0;(8x)USB-A 3.0; (2x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsHDMI 1.2; DisplayPort 1.2;(2x) DisplayPort; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Mic; Headset; Card Reader;RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2;
Optional portsN.A.SD card reader; Serial; Parallel;
SATA ports55
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; (x3) PCIe x1; (2x) mPCI;PCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4); PCI (optional);
M.2 slotsN.A.N.A.
Drive bays(3x) 3.5in; (2x) 5.25in; mSATA;2.5in; (2x) 3.5in; 5.25in; 5.25in (slim)
PSU460 W280/400 W
Weight13.8 kg (30.42 lb)9.4 kg (20.8 lb)
Released20132015
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 EliteDesk 800 G2 Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP EliteDesk 800 G2 Tower which was released in 2015. 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 G2 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 G2 Tower is using the faster 2133 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 G2 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 G2 Tower has 10 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. 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.

DisplayPort is crucial for any desktop machine. It is good to see that both models are featuring DisplayPorts. However, the HP EliteDesk 800 G2 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 G2 Tower is the better choice.

The Dell XPS 8700 comes with an HDMI port, while the HP EliteDesk 800 G2 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 slots are located on the motherboard and it is where SSD, HDD and Optical Disk Drives are connected. Each of the two models being compared have 5 SATA slot(s). Keep in mind that having too few SATA slots might limit your options for connecting additional memory drives.

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 EliteDesk 800 G2 Tower 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 EliteDesk 800 G2 Tower comes with a decent 400 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_EliteDesk_800_G2_Tower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout