HP ProDesk 490 G1 Microtower vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Small

Comparison and Differences

HP_ProDesk_490_G1_Microtower.jpg case front and back pannelLenovo_ThinkCentre_E73_Small.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Pentium;
ChipsetH81H81
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1660 SuperGeForce GT 1030 Low Profile
RAMDIMM DDR3-1600 DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots42
RAM speed1600 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max32 GB16 GB
USB ports(4x)USB-A 3.0; (6x)USB-A 2.0; (2x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsDVI-D; VGA;DisplayPort; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2;RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In;
Optional portsSD card reader; DisplayPort 1.2; Serial; Parallel;Serial; Media card reader (USB 2.0);
SATA ports43
PCI slotsPCIe x16; (3x) PCIe x1; PCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1;
M.2 slotsN.A.N.A.
Drive bays(3x) 3.5in; (2x) 5.25in2.5in; 2.5/3.5in; 5.25in;
PSU300 WATX 180 W
Weight7.1 kg (15.7 lb)6.0 kg (13.2 lb)
Released20132013
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 490 G1 Microtower and Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Small

Both computers, the HP ProDesk 490 G1 Microtower and the Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Small, were released during the same year - 2013.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Small is the right one for you. It is smaller than the HP ProDesk 490 G1 Microtower and will fit more easily under your desk.

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 G1 Microtower has 4 RAM slots while the Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Small 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.

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 G1 Microtower as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Small 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 G1 Microtower has 10 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Small 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 E73 Small has a DisplayPort. The HP ProDesk 490 G1 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 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 490 G1 Microtower is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Small has 3 slot(s).

M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the HP ProDesk 490 G1 Microtower, nor the Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Small 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Small comes with a decent 180 Watt PSU, but the HP ProDesk 490 G1 Microtower has a more powerful one rated at 300 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

HP_ProDesk_490_G1_Microtower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutLenovo_ThinkCentre_E73_Small_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout