HP ProDesk 600 G5 Mini vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Tower

Comparison and Differences

HP_ProDesk_600_G5_Mini.jpg case front and back pannel

Lenovo_ThinkCentre_E73_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel

Model
Form factor	Micro	Mini Tower
CPU options	Intel Gen8&9 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;	Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Pentium;
Chipset	Q370	H81
Dedicated GPU *	N.A.	Radeon RX 550
RAM	SODIMM DDR4-2666	DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots	2	2
RAM speed	2666 MT/s	1600 MT/s
RAM max	64 GB	16 GB
USB ports	USB-C 3.1; (3x)USB-A 3.1; (3x)USB-A 3.0;	(2x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports	(2x) DisplayPort:	DisplayPort; VGA;
Other ports	RJ45; Headset; Hdph;	RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In;
Optional ports	DP1.2/HDMI2.0/VGA/USB-C(DP)/Serial; WiFi antenna;	Serial; Media card reader (USB 2.0);
SATA ports	1	3
PCI slots	N.A.	PCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1;
M.2 slots	(2x) M.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe x4); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);	N.A.
Drive bays	2.5in;	(2x) 2.5/3.5in; 5.25in;
PSU	65 W	ATX 180 W
Weight	1.24 kg (2.74 lb)	7.5 kg (16.53 Ib)
Released	2018	2013
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 ProDesk 600 G5 Mini and Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP ProDesk 600 G5 Mini which was released in 2018. The Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Tower is older and entered production in 2013.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the HP ProDesk 600 G5 Mini is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 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 ProDesk 600 G5 Mini as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Tower 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 HP ProDesk 600 G5 Mini is using the faster 2666 MT/s RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Tower 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 HP ProDesk 600 G5 Mini as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Tower can do a bit less at max 16 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the HP ProDesk 600 G5 Mini has 7 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Tower 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 G5 Mini, is that it has 4 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Tower 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 G5 Mini comes with 2 ports, while the Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Tower has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the HP ProDesk 600 G5 Mini 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Tower is better equipped as it comes with 3 SATA slot(s), while the HP ProDesk 600 G5 Mini has 1 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 HP ProDesk 600 G5 Mini. Sadly, the Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Tower 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

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 G5 Mini comes with a decent 65 Watt PSU, but the Lenovo ThinkCentre E73 Tower has a more powerful one rated at 180 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.