Dell XPS 8930 vs. HP ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower

Comparison and Differences

Dell_XPS_8930.jpg case front and back pannelHP_ProDesk_490_G2_Microtower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen8 i3/i5/i7;Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetZ370H81
Dedicated GPU *GeForce RTX 2060 SuperGeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAMDIMM DDR4-2666/2933DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots44
RAM speed2666 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max64 GB32 GB
USB portsUSB 3.1 Type C; USB 3.1 Type A; (2x) USB-A 2.0; (6x) USB-A 3.0;(4x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsHDMI 1.4; DisplayPort 1.2;VGA; DVI-D;
Other portsRJ45; Mic; Headset; Card Reader;RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2;
Optional portsN.A.SD card reader; Serial; Parallel; DisplayPort
SATA ports33
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; (x2) PCIe x4;PCIe x16; (2x) PCIe x1; PCIe x16 (wired x4);
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); N.A.
Drive bays(3x) 3.5in;(2x) 3.5in; 5.25in (slim)
PSU460 W180/300 W
Weight8.20 kg (18.08 lb)6.5 kg (14.3 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 Dell XPS 8930 and HP ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell XPS 8930 which was released in 2017. The HP ProDesk 490 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 Dell XPS 8930 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that HP ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

Both models have have equal amount of ram slots (4 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 Dell XPS 8930 is using the faster 2666 MT/s RAM. The HP ProDesk 490 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 Dell XPS 8930 as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The HP ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower 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 Dell XPS 8930 has 10 USB ports. The HP ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower 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 Dell XPS 8930, is that it has 2 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the HP ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower 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.

Unfortunately, only the Dell XPS 8930 has a DisplayPort. The HP ProDesk 490 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.

The Dell XPS 8930 comes with an HDMI port, while the HP ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower 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 slots are located on the motherboard and it is where SSD, HDD and Optical Disk Drives are connected. Each of the two models being compared have 3 SATA slot(s). Keep in mind that having too few SATA slots might limit your options for connecting additional memory drives.

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 Dell XPS 8930. Sadly, the HP ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower 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 490 G2 Microtower comes with a decent 300 Watt PSU, but the Dell XPS 8930 has a more powerful one rated at 460 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

Dell_XPS_8930_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutHP_ProDesk_490_G2_Microtower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout