HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Tower vs. HP ProDesk 400 G2 Mini

Comparison and Differences

HP_EliteDesk_800_G8_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel

HP_ProDesk_400_G2_Mini.jpg case front and back pannel

Model
Form factor	Mini Tower	Micro
CPU options	Intel Gen11 i5/i7/i9;	Intel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
Chipset	Q570	H110
Dedicated GPU *	GeForce RTX 3070	N.A.
RAM	DIMM DDR4-3200	SODIMM DDR4-2133
RAM slots	4	2
RAM speed	3200 MT/s	2133 MT/s
RAM max	128 GB	32 GB
USB ports	USB-C 3.2; (4x)USB-A 3.1; (3x)USB-A 3.0; (3x)USB-A 2.0;	(4x)USB-A 3.0; (2x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports	(2x) DisplayPort;	DisplayPort; VGA;
Other ports	RJ45; Hdph; Headset; Line-Out; SD card reader	RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Serial;
Optional ports	DP1.4/ HDMI2.0b/ VGA/ USB-C(DP1.4)/ (2x)USB-A 3.0/ LAN/ Thunderbolt3; Serial; PS2	WiFi antenna;
SATA ports	4	1
PCI slots	PCIe 4.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4);	N.A.
M.2 slots	M.2 2280 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4); M.2 2280M-key (PCIe 4.0 x4); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);	M.2 2280 M-key (PCIe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)
Drive bays	2.5in; (2x) 3.5in; 5.25in; 9.5mm (slim);	2.5in;
PSU	260/550 W	65/90 W
Weight	9.86 kg (21.74 lb)	1.3 kg (2.9 lb)
Released	2021	2016
Manual	link	link
Price**	Check Price	Check 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 G8 Tower and HP ProDesk 400 G2 Mini

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Tower which was released in 2021. The HP ProDesk 400 G2 Mini is older and entered production in 2016.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the HP ProDesk 400 G2 Mini is the right one for you. It is smaller than the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Tower 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 HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Tower as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that HP ProDesk 400 G2 Mini is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Tower has 4 RAM slots while the HP ProDesk 400 G2 Mini 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 HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Tower is using the faster 3200 MT/s RAM. The HP ProDesk 400 G2 Mini is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2133 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Tower as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The HP ProDesk 400 G2 Mini 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 G8 Tower has 11 USB ports. The HP ProDesk 400 G2 Mini is inferior in this regard and packs 6 USB ports. In any case, if you miss USB ports, you can always purchase a USB hub. What is nice about the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Tower, is that it has 4 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the HP ProDesk 400 G2 Mini 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 EliteDesk 800 G8 Tower comes with 2 ports, while the HP ProDesk 400 G2 Mini has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 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 G8 Tower is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the HP ProDesk 400 G2 Mini has 1 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 HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Tower has 1 M.2 slots while the HP ProDesk 400 G2 Mini 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 HP ProDesk 400 G2 Mini comes with a decent 90 Watt PSU, but the HP EliteDesk 800 G8 Tower has a more powerful one rated at 550 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.