HP EliteDesk 800 G2 Tower vs. HP ProDesk 400 G2 Microtower

Comparison and Differences

HP_EliteDesk_800_G2_Tower.jpg case front and back pannelHP_ProDesk_400_G2_Microtower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetQ170H81
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1660 SuperGeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAMDIMM DDR4-2133DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots42
RAM speed2133 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max64 GB16 GB
USB ports(8x)USB-A 3.0; (2x)USB-A 2.0; (2x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports(2x) DisplayPort; VGA;VGA; DVI-D;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2; RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2; SD card reader (USB-? 2.0);
Optional portsSD card reader; Serial; Parallel;Serial; Parallel;
SATA ports53
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4); PCI (optional);PCIe x16; (3x) PCIe x1;
M.2 slotsN.A.N.A.
Drive bays2.5in; (2x) 3.5in; 5.25in; 5.25in (slim)(2x) 3.5in; 5.25in (slim)
PSU280/400 W180/300 W
Weight9.4 kg (20.8 lb)6.5 kg (14.33 lb)
Released20152014
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 Tower and HP ProDesk 400 G2 Microtower

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 HP ProDesk 400 G2 Microtower is older and entered production in 2014.

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 HP ProDesk 400 G2 Microtower is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The HP EliteDesk 800 G2 Tower 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.

The HP EliteDesk 800 G2 Tower is using the faster 2133 MT/s RAM. The HP ProDesk 400 G2 Microtower 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 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 HP EliteDesk 800 G2 Tower has 10 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 HP EliteDesk 800 G2 Tower 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.

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 G2 Tower 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 HP EliteDesk 800 G2 Tower, 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 HP EliteDesk 800 G2 Tower has a more powerful one rated at 400 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_Tower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutHP_ProDesk_400_G2_Microtower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout