HP ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tower
Comparison and Differences
| Model | HP ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower | Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tower |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | Mini Tower | Mini Tower |
| CPU options | Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium; | Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium; |
| Chipset | H81 | H81 |
| Dedicated GPU * | GeForce GTX 1660 Super | GeForce GTX 1660 Super |
| RAM | DIMM DDR3-1600 | DIMM DDR3-1600 |
| RAM slots | 4 | 2 |
| RAM speed | 1600 MT/s | 1600 MT/s |
| RAM max | 32 GB | 16 GB |
| USB ports | (4x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0; | (2x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0; |
| Video ports | VGA; DVI-D; | DisplayPort; VGA; |
| Other ports | RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2; | RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2; |
| Optional ports | SD card reader; Serial; Parallel; DisplayPort | Parallel; Serial; Media card reader (USB 2.0); |
| SATA ports | 3 | 3 |
| PCI slots | PCIe x16; (2x) PCIe x1; PCIe x16 (wired x4); | PCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1; |
| M.2 slots | N.A. | N.A. |
| Drive bays | (2x) 3.5in; 5.25in (slim) | (2x) 2.5/3.5in; 5.25in; |
| PSU | 180/300 W | ATX 280/450 W |
| Weight | 6.5 kg (14.3 lb) | 9.4 kg (20.72 lb) |
| Released | 2014 | 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 490 G2 Microtower and Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tower
If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower which was released in 2014. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tower is older and entered production in 2013.
Form factor wise the models are the same. This means that they are of similar size and form.
Processor
The two models have the same generation of Intel processors. We think that the 4 generation of Intel Processors have enough power to execute all of the home and office tasks that most people will care to do.
Memory
The HP ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower has 4 RAM slots while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tower has only 2 slot(s). Of course this is not something to worry about. Just make sure you take it into consideration when planning how much RAM will your system be using.
None of the desktops has an advantage when it comes to the speed of the RAM being used. Both models support RAM speeds of up to 1600. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the HP ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tower 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 ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower has 8 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tower 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. 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.
Unfortunately, only the Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tower 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.
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 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.
M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the HP ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower, nor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Tower has one. However, you can still use a SATA SSD drive which should give you satisfactory performance.
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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 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
