HP EliteDesk 800 G3 Tower vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Tower

Comparison and Differences

HP_EliteDesk_800_G3_Tower.jpg case front and back pannelLenovo_ThinkCentre_M82_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen6&7 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen2&3 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetQ270Q75
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1660 SuperGeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAMDIMM DDR4-2400DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots44
RAM speed2400 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max64 GB32 GB
USB portsUSB-C 3.0; (6x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0; (4x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports(2x) DisplayPort;DisplayPort; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; 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;DisplayPort; (2x) PS2; Serial; Media card reader (USB 2.0);
SATA ports54
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4);PCIe 2.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x1; (2x) PCI;
M.2 slotsM.2 2280 M-key (PCIe x4); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);N.A.
Drive bays2.5in; (2x) 3.5in; 5.25in; 5.25in (slim);(2x) 2.5/3.5in; (2x) 5.25in;
PSU250/500 WATX 280/450 W
Weight9.8 kg (21.7 lb)11 kg (24.25 lb)
Released20172012
Manuallinklink
Price**Check PriceCheck 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 EliteDesk 800 G3 Tower and Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP EliteDesk 800 G3 Tower which was released in 2017. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Tower is older and entered production in 2012.

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 EliteDesk 800 G3 Tower as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 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 EliteDesk 800 G3 Tower is using the faster 2400 MT/s RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 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 Tower as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Tower 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 EliteDesk 800 G3 Tower has 10 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 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.

DisplayPort is crucial for any desktop machine. It is good to see that both models are featuring DisplayPorts. However, the HP EliteDesk 800 G3 Tower comes with 2 ports, while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Tower has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the HP EliteDesk 800 G3 Tower 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 EliteDesk 800 G3 Tower is better equipped as it comes with 5 SATA slot(s), while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Tower has 4 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 EliteDesk 800 G3 Tower. Sadly, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 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

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 M82 Tower comes with a decent 450 Watt PSU, but the HP EliteDesk 800 G3 Tower has a more powerful one rated at 500 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_EliteDesk_800_G3_Tower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutLenovo_ThinkCentre_M82_Tower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout