HP EliteDesk 800 G3 SFF vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Tower

Comparison and Differences

HP_EliteDesk_800_G3_SFF.jpg case front and back pannelLenovo_ThinkCentre_Edge_72_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen6&7 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen2&3 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetQ270H61
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GT 1030 Low ProfileRadeon RX 550
RAMDIMM DDR4-2400DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots42
RAM speed2400 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max64 GB16 GB
USB portsUSB-C 3.0; (6x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0; (6x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports(2x) DisplayPort;DVI-D; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In;RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In;
Optional portsDP/HDMI/VGA/USB-C(DP); Serial; SD card reader;Serial; Media card reader (USB 2.0);
SATA ports33
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4);PCIe 2.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1;
M.2 slotsM.2 2280 M-key (PCIe x4); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);N.A.
Drive bays2.5in; (2x) 3.5in; 5.25in (slim);(2x) 2.5/3.5in; 5.25in;
PSU180 WATX 180 W
Weight5.3 kg (11.7 lb)7.5 kg (16.53 Ib)
Released20172012
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 EliteDesk 800 G3 SFF and Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP EliteDesk 800 G3 SFF which was released in 2017. The Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Tower is older and entered production in 2012.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the HP EliteDesk 800 G3 SFF is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Tower and will fit more easily under your desk.

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 EliteDesk 800 G3 SFF as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Tower is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The HP EliteDesk 800 G3 SFF has 4 RAM slots while the Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Tower 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 EliteDesk 800 G3 SFF is using the faster 2400 MT/s RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 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 EliteDesk 800 G3 SFF as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 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 EliteDesk 800 G3 SFF has 10 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 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 HP EliteDesk 800 G3 SFF has a DisplayPort. The Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Tower 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.

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 EliteDesk 800 G3 SFF. Sadly, the Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 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

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_EliteDesk_800_G3_SFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutLenovo_ThinkCentre_Edge_72_Tower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout