HP ProDesk 480 G6 Microtower vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p Tower
Comparison and Differences
| Model | HP ProDesk 480 G6 Microtower | Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p Tower |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | Mini Tower | Mini Tower |
| CPU options | Intel Gen8 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium; | Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; |
| Chipset | B360 | Q87 |
| Dedicated GPU * | GeForce GTX 1660 Super | GeForce GTX 1660 Super |
| RAM | DIMM DDR4-2666 | DIMM DDR3-1600 |
| RAM slots | 2 | 4 |
| RAM speed | 2666 MT/s | 1600 MT/s |
| RAM max | 64 GB | 32 GB |
| USB ports | (4x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0; | (6x)USB-A 3.0; (2x)USB-A 2.0; |
| Video ports | DisplayPort; VGA; | (2x) DisplayPort; VGA; |
| Other ports | RJ45; Headset; Line-In; Line-Out; | RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; |
| Optional ports | SD card reader; Serial; Serial and (2x) PS2; DP/HDMI/VGA/USB-C; | (2x) PS2; Serial; Parallel; Media card reader (USB 2.0); |
| SATA ports | 3 | 4 |
| PCI slots | PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4); PCI; | PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x1; PCIe 2.0 x16 (wired x4); PCI; |
| M.2 slots | M.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe x4); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT) | N.A. |
| Drive bays | 2.5/3.5in; 3.5in; 5.25in (slim); | (2x) 2.5/3.5in; (2x) 5.25in; |
| PSU | 180/250/310 W | ATX 280/450 W |
| Weight | 5.47 kg (12.0 lb) | 11.20 kg (24.69 lb) |
| Released | 2018 | 2013 |
| Manual | link | link |
| Price** | Check Price | Check 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 HP ProDesk 480 G6 Microtower and Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p Tower
If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP ProDesk 480 G6 Microtower which was released in 2018. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p Tower 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 ProDesk 480 G6 Microtower as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p Tower is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.
Memory
The Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p Tower has 4 RAM slots while the HP ProDesk 480 G6 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 ProDesk 480 G6 Microtower is using the faster 2666 MT/s RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p Tower 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 ProDesk 480 G6 Microtower as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p Tower can do a bit less at max 32 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.
Ports
Both models have the same amount of USB ports for total count of 8. If this is not enough, using a USB hub is always a viable option. 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p Tower comes with 2 ports, while the HP ProDesk 480 G6 Microtower has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p Tower is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the HP ProDesk 480 G6 Microtower 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 ProDesk 480 G6 Microtower. Sadly, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p Tower 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 480 G6 Microtower comes with a decent 310 Watt PSU, but the Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p Tower has a more powerful one rated at 450 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
