HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Mini vs. HP ProDesk 400 G6 SFF
Comparison and Differences
Differences between HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Mini and HP ProDesk 400 G6 SFF
If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Mini which was released in 2021. The HP ProDesk 400 G6 SFF is older and entered production in 2019.
If you are looking for the smaller form factor the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Mini is the right one for you. It is smaller than the HP ProDesk 400 G6 SFF 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 Mini as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that HP ProDesk 400 G6 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 (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 HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Mini is using the faster 3200 MT/s RAM. The HP ProDesk 400 G6 SFF is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2666 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Mini as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The HP ProDesk 400 G6 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 Mini has 10 USB ports. The HP ProDesk 400 G6 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. What is nice about the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Mini, is that it has 3 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the HP ProDesk 400 G6 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.
DisplayPort is crucial for any desktop machine. It is good to see that both models are featuring DisplayPorts. However, the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Mini comes with 2 ports, while the HP ProDesk 400 G6 SFF has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Mini 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 ProDesk 400 G6 SFF is better equipped as it comes with 2 SATA slot(s), while the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Mini has 0 slot(s).
An M.2 SSD can be several times faster than a SATA one. Thus, we are happy to see that both models support the M.2 interface. However, the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Mini has 1 M.2 slots while the HP ProDesk 400 G6 SFF comes with just 1.
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 G8 Mini comes with a decent 90 Watt PSU, but the HP ProDesk 400 G6 SFF has a more powerful one rated at 180 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
