Upgrading HP ProDesk 600 G1 and G2 for Gaming

We are supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission.

HP ProDesk 600 G1 and G2 are one of the best pre-built OEMs you can upgrade and make a  budget gaming PC.

When properly assembled, they have power to run games like PUBG, DOTA 2, CS:GO and Fortnite with steady 60+ FPS at 1080p resolution.

Fotrnite running on ProDesk 600 g1 SFF with GTX 1650 Low profile

Similar to EliteDesk 800 G1 and G2, you can upgrade the tower and the small form factor models.

The difference isn’t huge, however, 600 G2 makes a better gaming rig. It’s built on a more recent Intel platform (6th gen) and runs DDR4 memory; this is enough to gain a slight advantage over its predecessor.

ProDesk 600 G1 SFF and Microtower are sold on Ebay for less than $100

Usually, to make a fully capable gaming PC from HP ProDesk 600 G1 and G2 you have to upgrade the graphics card and the memory. These two things alone will make the most difference when playing games.

Of course you can upgrade other parts and squeeze even more FPS. This includes the PSU, to accommodate a powerful graphics card, and the CPU, if your system comes with a relatively weak CPU like the Core i3.

Read more: To gain better knowledge about these two systems, check out the hardware difference between the ProDesk 600 G1 and 600 G2 in their tower version.

OK, let’s see some hardware suggestions for the ProDesk 600 G1 and G2 upgrade.

Upgrading the Video card (GPU)

The GPU is probably one of the most important elements of our gaming upgrade. It will boost the graphic performance of your ProDesk 600 G1 and G2 and make those esports titles playable.

ProDesk 600 G1 SFF with GTX 1650 GPU mounted inside

OEM PCs like ones from the ProDesk family essentially use three types for GPU upgrades:

• A lower power GPU that requires no change to the underlying hardware. I.e. The video card is powered through the PCIe slot.  Max 75 W in this case.
• GPU that does not exceed the power limit of the stock PSU, but uses more than 75  Watts, thus needing an extension cable to deliver power from the power supply unit.
• GPUs that extend beyond the PSU limit. They require a change of the stock power supply

Let’s begin with two GPUs that will deliver 60+ FPS at 1080p with a lot of  games. They have a good price to performance ratio and require no power supply or cable extensions.

The best dedicated GPUs for ProDesk 600 G1 and G2:

• GeForce GTX 1650 4GB GDDR6 – This GPU works only with the tower version of HP ProDesk 600 G1 and G2. It uses 75W and works without additional power from the PSU.
• GeForce GTX 1650 low profile is a 75W GPU that works best with the small form factor version of ProDesk 600 G1 and G2.

The table below lists our GPU suggestion for HP ProDesk 600 G1 and G2 MT and SFF.

Couple of things you need to know when doing a GPU upgrade

Microtower / Tower
All GPUs in our list, targeting the Microtower, are short version models – around 6.6 inches (170mm) or less. If you get a full length video card (especially with backplate), there’s a chance that the card will block the front USB connector and some SATA ports.

To solve these issues you can use flexible USB3 extension cable and a right angled SATA cable.

UBB 3.0 Front panel adapter cable and right angled SATA cable

If your GPU draws 75W or less you don’t need additional power from the PSU. In fact, if you have a GPU that’s between 75W and 120W you’ll be fine using the stock PSU (280W for G2 Minitower).

Cards between 75W and 120W need a SATA to 8 or 6 pin power connector to draw power from the GPU.

If you have a video card that draws more than 120W you have to change the PSU. With any of these changes your pool of possible GPUs becomes bigger.

Small Form Factor
The Small Form Factor (SFF) versions of ProDesk 600 G1 and G2 require the use of a dual or single slot low profile GPU – this is the only option for upgrade. The GPU must also have a power draw of no more than 75 watts.

Upgrading the Power Supply Unit (PSU)

ProDesk 600 G1 Minitower is using a 320W power supply and the G2 280W. These PSUs have a 6-pin proprietary motherboard connector  which is not compatible with any standard power supply.

However, the minitower case has standard ATX mounting points. This makes it easier to install an aftermarket ATX model to fit a beefier GPU. All you need is a single 24 to 6-pin adapter cable.

The best power supply upgrade for HP ProDesk 600 G1 and G2:

• Corsair CX 450M
• be quiet! Straight Power 11 Platinum 550W
• Super Flower Leadex III Gold 550W
• EVGA 600 BR
• EVGA 220-GA-0750-X1 SuperNova 750

What about  upgrading the SFF PSU? 

The 600 G1 comes with 240W power supply while the G2 is a bit underpowered with 200W. These PSUs have a proprietary form factor and changing them is a hassle. It is better to use the stock power supply and pair it with a low profile GPU with a proper power rating.

Upgrading the Processor (CPU) 

Intel Core i5-4690, Core i7-4770, and Core i7-4790K are all possible upgrade paths for ProDesk 600  G1.

ProDesk 600 G1 and G2 support a wide range of CPUs. However, we are focusing on models that will provide a good gaming experience with high FPS count.

Processor (CPU) upgrade for HP ProDesk 600 G1

HP ProDesk 600 G1 comes with an Intel Q85 chipset supporting Celeron, Pentium, Xeon, and 4th gen Core processors.

For the best price to performance ratio on G1 use Core i5 4690. This model makes the most sense when building a gaming machine from this ProDesk model.

However, if you find a bargain for either i7 4770 or i7 4790, go for it. They will boost the performance slightly and enable better video cards.

HP ProDesk 600 G1 CPU upgrade options:

Processor (CPU) upgrade for HP ProDesk 600 G2

HP ProDesk 600 G2 comes with an Intel Q150 chipset and supports 6th gen Intel Core processors.

The best processor upgrade for ProDesk 600 G2 is Intel Core i7 6700. This is a fast and reliable CPU that will be great even with most modern games. There will be no major bottlenecks even with recent games.

For example a good upgrade option will be:  i7 6700 with RTX 2070 SUPER,  RTX 3050 or RX 6600XT.

Yes, there will be some FPS inconsistencies in some titles, but using a 1440p or 4K display will alleviate the bottleneck since there will be more load on the GPU.

Upgrading the Memory (RAM)

Upgrading the RAM of the ProDesk 600 G1 and G2 is easy and does not require any additional  tinkering.

The G1 is limited to 32 GB of DDR3-1600 while the G2 can use up to 64 GB of DDR4-2133 NON-ECC memory.

Memory upgrade for ProDesk 600 G1

The officially certified model is the Crucial certified kit, but you can install RAM from other  vendors. The important bit is to use a 1600 MHz CL-11 memory as suggested by the manufacturer.

The memory configuration that makes most sense for ProDesk 600 G1 is dual channel 16GB DDR3 1600 MHz kit. Dual channel means two sticks with 8 GB each.

Memory upgrade options for ProDesk 600 G1:

Memory upgrade for ProDesk 600 G2

The best possible memory upgrade for ProDesk 600 G2 2x 8GB DDR4 2133 MHz. This model has four DIMM slots and supports up to 64 GB of RAM.

Memory upgrade options for ProDesk 600 G2:

Upgrading the storage

For the ProDesk 600 G1/G2 storage upgrade use a 256 GB SSD for the OS and 2TB HDD as your media and games drive. You can also use a 1TB SSD as a storage drive if you happen to find one cheap.

Can I use PCIe to NVMe M.2 adapter for booting Windows?

No, you can’t boot  OS for a PCIe to NVMe M.2 adapter on ProDesk 600 G1. One thing you can do though is use the M.2 add-in-card with NVMe/SATA drive for storage and reduce the cables inside the case.