Acer Veriton X2660g vs. HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF
Comparison and Differences
Differences between Acer Veriton X2660g and HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF
If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Acer Veriton X2660g which was released in 2018. The HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF is older and entered production in 2017.
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 Acer Veriton X2660g as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.
Memory
The HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF has 4 RAM slots while the Acer Veriton X2660g 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 Acer Veriton X2660g is using the faster 2666 MT/s RAM. The HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2400 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Acer Veriton X2660g 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 ProDesk 600 G3 SFF has 11 USB ports. The Acer Veriton X2660g 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. What is nice about the Acer Veriton X2660g, is that it has 2 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF has no such port, thus restricting your transfer speeds significantly. For people who want to use external drives on regular basis, this might be an issue.
DisplayPort is crucial for any desktop machine. It is good to see that both models are featuring DisplayPorts. However, the HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF comes with 2 ports, while the Acer Veriton X2660g has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF is the better choice.
The Acer Veriton X2660g comes with an HDMI port, while the HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF does not support the interface. Of course missing HDMI port is something that can be easily fixed with a good adapter (e.g. DisplayPort to HDMI).
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 Acer Veriton X2660g is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF has 2 slot(s).
When your goal is to have the fastest SSD transfer speeds, an M.2 interface is crucial. Thus, it is good that both models have M.2 SSD slots. Today M.2 SSDs are not much more expensive than the average SATA drives, so it really does not make sense to invest in SATA drives anymore.
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 HP ProDesk 600 G3 SFF comes with a decent 180 Watt PSU, but the Acer Veriton X2660g has a more powerful one rated at 250 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
