HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini vs. HP ProDesk 600 G4 Microtower
Comparison and Differences
Differences between HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini and HP ProDesk 600 G4 Microtower
Both computers, the HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini and the HP ProDesk 600 G4 Microtower, were released during the same year - 2018.
If you are looking for the smaller form factor the HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini is the right one for you. It is smaller than the HP ProDesk 600 G4 Microtower and will fit more easily under your desk.
Processor
The two models have the same generation of Intel processors. We think that the 8 generation of Intel Processors have enough power to execute all of the home and office tasks that most people will care to do.
Memory
The HP ProDesk 600 G4 Microtower has 4 RAM slots while the HP ProDesk 400 G4 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 ProDesk 600 G4 Microtower is using the faster 2666 MT/s RAM. The HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini 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 G4 Microtower as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The HP ProDesk 400 G4 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 ProDesk 600 G4 Microtower has 11 USB ports. The HP ProDesk 400 G4 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 ProDesk 600 G4 Microtower, is that it has 5 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the HP ProDesk 400 G4 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.
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 HP ProDesk 600 G4 Microtower is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the HP ProDesk 400 G4 Mini has 1 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 400 G4 Mini comes with a decent 150 Watt PSU, but the HP ProDesk 600 G4 Microtower has a more powerful one rated at 400 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
