HP ProDesk 600 G3 Microtower vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Tower

Comparison and Differences

HP_ProDesk_600_G3_Microtower.jpg case front and back pannelLenovo_ThinkCentre_M800_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen6&7 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetQ270Q150
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650 GeForce GTX 1650
RAMDIMM DDR4-2400DIMM DDR4-2133
RAM slots44
RAM speed2400 MT/s2133 MT/s
RAM max64 GB64 GB
USB portsUSB-C 3.0; (6x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;(6x)USB-A 3.0; (2x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports(2x) DisplayPort:(2x) DisplayPort 1.2; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In;RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial;
Optional portsDP/HDMI/VGA/USB-C(DP); Serial; SD card reader;2x USB-A 2.0; Media card reader (USB 2.0); (2x) PS2; eSATA;
SATA ports53
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4);PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4); M2 to PCI adapter (optional);
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe x4); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);M.2 (WiFi/BT or PCI extension card)
Drive bays2.5in; (2x) 3.5in; 5.25in; 5.25in (slim);(2x) 2.5/3.5in; (2x) 5.25in;
PSU180/250 WATX 250
Weight7.35 kg (16.2 lb)12.5 kg (27.5 lb)
Released20172015
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 600 G3 Microtower and Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP ProDesk 600 G3 Microtower which was released in 2017. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Tower is older and entered production in 2015.

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 600 G3 Microtower as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Tower 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 HP ProDesk 600 G3 Microtower is using the faster 2400 MT/s RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Tower is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2133 MT/s. In addition, you will be able to install the same amount of RAM in both models, and most probably 64 GB of RAM will be enough for most people. However, if you will be needing more RAM, make sure to check other desktop models too.

Ports

In total the HP ProDesk 600 G3 Microtower has 11 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Tower 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.

The DisplayPort is usually the more popular video port used with desktops and laptops, while the HDMI is used predominantly in consumer electronics. That's why, it is good to see that both of the models come with a DisplayPort.

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 600 G3 Microtower is better equipped as it comes with 5 SATA slot(s), while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Tower has 3 slot(s).

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 ProDesk 600 G3 Microtower. Sadly, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 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 250 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_600_G3_Microtower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutLenovo_ThinkCentre_M800_Tower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout