Fujitsu Esprimo P7012 vs. Fujitsu Esprimo Q958
Comparison and Differences
Differences between Fujitsu Esprimo P7012 and Fujitsu Esprimo Q958
If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Fujitsu Esprimo P7012 which was released in 2022. The Fujitsu Esprimo Q958 is older and entered production in 2018.
If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Fujitsu Esprimo Q958 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Fujitsu Esprimo P7012 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 Fujitsu Esprimo P7012 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Fujitsu Esprimo Q958 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 Fujitsu Esprimo P7012 is using the faster 3200 MT/s RAM. The Fujitsu Esprimo Q958 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2666 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Fujitsu Esprimo P7012 as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The Fujitsu Esprimo Q958 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 Fujitsu Esprimo P7012 has 11 USB ports. The Fujitsu Esprimo Q958 is inferior in this regard and packs 9 USB ports. In any case, if you miss USB ports, you can always purchase a USB hub. It's great that both of the models have USB 3.1 ports which will allow you to exchange data with your peripherals at up to 10Gb/s. But if you need maximum connectivity, go with the Fujitsu Esprimo Q958 as it has 5 USB3.1 ports (the Fujitsu Esprimo P7012 has 1).
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 Fujitsu Esprimo P7012 is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Fujitsu Esprimo Q958 has 2 slot(s).
An M.2 SSD can be several times faster than a SATA one. Thus, we are happy to see that both models support the M.2 interface. However, the Fujitsu Esprimo P7012 has 1 M.2 slots while the Fujitsu Esprimo Q958 comes with just 1.
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 Fujitsu Esprimo Q958 comes with a decent 65 Watt PSU, but the Fujitsu Esprimo P7012 has a more powerful one rated at 300 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.