HP ProDesk 400 G5 SFF vs. HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF

Comparison and Differences

HP_ProDesk_400_G5_SFF.jpg case front and back pannelHP_ProDesk_600_G3_SFF.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen8 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen6&7 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetB360Q270
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GT 1030 Low ProfileGeForce GT 1030 Low Profile
RAMDIMM DDR4-2666DIMM DDR4-2400
RAM slots24
RAM speed2666 MT/s2400 MT/s
RAM max32 GB64 GB
USB ports(4x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0; USB-C 3.0; (6x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsDisplayPort; VGA;(2x) DisplayPort:
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-In; Line-Out;RJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In;
Optional portsSD card reader; Serial; Serial and (2x) PS2; DP/HDMI/VGA/USB-C(DP);DP/HDMI/VGA/USB-C(DP); Serial; SD card reader;
SATA ports32
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1;PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe x4 (open ended);
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe x4); 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; 5.25in (slim)2.5in; 3.5in; 5.25in (slim);
PSU180 W180 W
Weight4.6 kg (10.14 lb)4.53 kg (9.99 lb)
Released20182017
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 HP ProDesk 400 G5 SFF and HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP ProDesk 400 G5 SFF which was released in 2018. The HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF is older and entered production in 2017.

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 400 G5 SFF as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF has 4 RAM slots while the HP ProDesk 400 G5 SFF 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 400 G5 SFF is using the faster 2666 MT/s RAM. The HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF 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 HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The HP ProDesk 400 G5 SFF 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 HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF has 11 USB ports. The HP ProDesk 400 G5 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. 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 HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF comes with 2 ports, while the HP ProDesk 400 G5 SFF has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF 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 G5 SFF is better equipped as it comes with 3 SATA slot(s), while the HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF has 2 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

Looking at the Power Supply Unit (PSU) of the two models we don't see any differences. For either of them you get a maximum power of 180 Watts. However be careful, many models have more than one power supply option. When buying your computer, it is a good idea to get a version with the most powerful PSU. This will potentially allow you to upgrade to a more powerful GPU for example.

Motherboard

HP_ProDesk_400_G5_SFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutHP_ProDesk_600_G3_SFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout