HP EliteDesk 800 G3 Tower vs. HP ProDesk 400 G2.5 SFF

Comparison and Differences

HP_EliteDesk_800_G3_Tower.jpg case front and back pannelHP_ProDesk_400_G2.5_SFF.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen6&7 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetQ270H81
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1660 SuperGeForce GT 1030 Low Profile
RAMDIMM DDR4-2400DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots42
RAM speed2400 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max64 GB16 GB
USB portsUSB-C 3.0; (6x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0; (2x)USB-A 3.0; (6x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports(2x) DisplayPort;DisplayPort; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In;RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2;
Optional portsDP/HDMI/VGA/USB-C(DP); Serial; SD card reader;Media card reader; Serial; Parallel;
SATA ports53
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4);PCIe x16; PCIe x1;
M.2 slotsM.2 2280 M-key (PCIe x4); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);N.A.
Drive bays2.5in; (2x) 3.5in; 5.25in; 5.25in (slim);3.5in; 5.25in (slim)
PSU250/500 W180 W
Weight9.8 kg (21.7 lb)4.5 kg (9.92 lb)
Released20172014
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 G3 Tower and HP ProDesk 400 G2.5 SFF

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP EliteDesk 800 G3 Tower which was released in 2017. The HP ProDesk 400 G2.5 SFF is older and entered production in 2014.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the HP ProDesk 400 G2.5 SFF is the right one for you. It is smaller than the HP EliteDesk 800 G3 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 G3 Tower as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that HP ProDesk 400 G2.5 SFF is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The HP EliteDesk 800 G3 Tower has 4 RAM slots while the HP ProDesk 400 G2.5 SFF 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 G3 Tower is using the faster 2400 MT/s RAM. The HP ProDesk 400 G2.5 SFF 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 G3 Tower as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The HP ProDesk 400 G2.5 SFF 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 G3 Tower has 10 USB ports. The HP ProDesk 400 G2.5 SFF is inferior in this regard and packs 8 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 G3 Tower comes with 2 ports, while the HP ProDesk 400 G2.5 SFF has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the HP EliteDesk 800 G3 Tower is the better choice.

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 G3 Tower is better equipped as it comes with 5 SATA slot(s), while the HP ProDesk 400 G2.5 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 G3 Tower. Sadly, the HP ProDesk 400 G2.5 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 ProDesk 400 G2.5 SFF comes with a decent 180 Watt PSU, but the HP EliteDesk 800 G3 Tower has a more powerful one rated at 500 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_G3_Tower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutHP_ProDesk_400_G2.5_SFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout