HP ProDesk 600 G4 Microtower vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small

Comparison and Differences

HP_ProDesk_600_G4_Microtower.jpg case front and back pannelLenovo_ThinkCentre_Edge_72_Small.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen8 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen2&3 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetQ370H61
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1660 SuperGeForce GT 1030 Low Profile
RAMDIMM DDR4-2666DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots42
RAM speed2666 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max64 GB16 GB
USB portsUSB-C 3.1; (4x)USB-A 3.1; (2x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;(6x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports(2x) DisplayPort:DVI-D; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In;RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In;
Optional portsDP1.2/HDMI2.0/VGA/USB-C(DP); Serial; SD card reader;Serial; Media card reader (USB 2.0);
SATA ports43
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4);PCIe 2.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1;
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe x4); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);N.A.
Drive bays(2x) 2.5in; 3.5in; 5.25in; 5.25in (slim)2.5in; 2.5/3.5in; 5.25in;
PSU250/400 WTFX 180 W
Weight7.14 kg (15.74 lb)6.0 kg (13.2 lb)
Released20182012
Manuallinklink
Price**Check PriceCheck Price

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* 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 G4 Microtower and Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP ProDesk 600 G4 Microtower which was released in 2018. The Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small is older and entered production in 2012.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small 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

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 G4 Microtower as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The HP ProDesk 600 G4 Microtower has 4 RAM slots while the Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small 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 G4 Microtower as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small 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 G4 Microtower has 11 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small 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.

Unfortunately, only the HP ProDesk 600 G4 Microtower has a DisplayPort. The Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small does not have one? Don't worry though, nowadays video adapters are cheap and you can get almost any combination of conversion types.

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 Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small has 3 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 G4 Microtower. Sadly, the Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 72 Small comes with a decent 180 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

HP_ProDesk_600_G4_Microtower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutLenovo_ThinkCentre_Edge_72_Small_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout