Dell OptiPlex 3000 SFF vs. HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower
Comparison and Differences
Differences between Dell OptiPlex 3000 SFF and HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower
If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell OptiPlex 3000 SFF which was released in 2022. The HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower is older and entered production in 2013.
If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Dell OptiPlex 3000 SFF is the right one for you. It is smaller than the HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower 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 Dell OptiPlex 3000 SFF as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.
Memory
Both models have have equal amount of ram slots (2 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 Dell OptiPlex 3000 SFF is using the faster 3200 MT/s RAM. The HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower 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 Dell OptiPlex 3000 SFF as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower can do a bit less at max 16 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.
Ports
Both models have the same amount of USB ports for total count of 8. If this is not enough, using a USB hub is always a viable option. 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.
Unfortunately, only the Dell OptiPlex 3000 SFF has a DisplayPort. The HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower does not have one? Don't worry though, nowadays video adapters are cheap and you can get almost any combination of conversion types.
The Dell OptiPlex 3000 SFF comes with an HDMI port, while the HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower 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 HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Dell OptiPlex 3000 SFF has 2 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 Dell OptiPlex 3000 SFF. Sadly, the HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower 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
Looking at the Power Supply Unit (PSU) of the two models we don't see any differences. For either of them you get a maximum power of 300 Watts. However be careful, many models have more than one power supply option. When buying your computer, it is a good idea to get a version with the most powerful PSU. This will potentially allow you to upgrade to a more powerful GPU for example.
Motherboard
