Acer Veriton M6680g vs. HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini

Comparison and Differences

Acer_Veriton_M6680g.jpg case front and back pannelHP_ProDesk_400_G4_Mini.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMicro
CPU optionsIntel Gen11 i3/i5/i7/i9Intel Gen8 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetQ570B360
Dedicated GPU *RTX 3070N.A.
RAMUDIMM DDR4-2933SODIMM DDR4-2400
RAM slots42
RAM speed2933 MT/s2400 MT/s
RAM max128 GB32 GB
USB ports(2x) USB-A 3.0; (6x) USB-A 2.0; (2x) USB-C 3.1(4x)USB-A 3.0; (2x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports(2x) DisplayPort 1.4; HDMI 1.4; VGA(2x) DisplayPort;
Other portsRJ45; (2x) Mic, Speaker; Line in; Line out; PS/2 ports; SerialRJ45; Headset; Hdph;
Optional portsCard reader; ParallelDP/HDMI/VGA/Serial/USB-C; WiFi anntena;
SATA ports51
PCI slotsPCIe 4.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1; PCI; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4)N.A.
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)M.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe x4); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)
Drive bays(2x) 2.5/3.5in; 5.25 inch2.5in
PSU300/500 W65/90/150 W
Weight12.00 kg (26.40 lb)1.77 kg (2.9 lb)
Released20212018
Manuallinklink
Price**Check PriceCheck Price

** As an Amazon associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
* 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 Acer Veriton M6680g and HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Acer Veriton M6680g which was released in 2021. The HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini is older and entered production in 2018.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Acer Veriton M6680g 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 Acer Veriton M6680g as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Acer Veriton M6680g has 4 RAM slots while the HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini 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 Acer Veriton M6680g is using the faster 2933 MT/s RAM. The HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2400 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Acer Veriton M6680g as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini 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 Acer Veriton M6680g has 12 USB ports. The HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini 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. What is nice about the Acer Veriton M6680g, is that it has 6 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini 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.

The Acer Veriton M6680g comes with an HDMI port, while the HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini 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 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 Acer Veriton M6680g is better equipped as it comes with 5 SATA slot(s), while the HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini has 1 slot(s).

When your goal is to have the fastest SSD transfer speeds, an M.2 interface is crucial. Thus, it is good that both models have M.2 SSD slots. Today M.2 SSDs are not much more expensive than the average SATA drives, so it really does not make sense to invest in SATA drives anymore.

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 G4 Mini comes with a decent 150 Watt PSU, but the Acer Veriton M6680g 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

Acer_Veriton_M6680g_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutHP_ProDesk_400_G4_Mini_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout