HP ProDesk 400 G2 Mini vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny
Comparison and Differences
Differences between HP ProDesk 400 G2 Mini and Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny
If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP ProDesk 400 G2 Mini which was released in 2016. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny is older and entered production in 2015.
Both models have the same form factor, meaning reoughtly they have the same phiysical size and form.
Processor
The two models have the same generation of Intel processors. We think that the 6 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 400 G2 Mini has 2 RAM slots while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny has only 1 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 400 G2 Mini is using the faster 2133 MT/s RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny 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 400 G2 Mini as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny can do a bit less at max 8 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 6. 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.
DisplayPort is crucial for any desktop machine. It is good to see that both models are featuring DisplayPorts. However, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny comes with 2 ports, while the HP ProDesk 400 G2 Mini has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny 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 slots are located on the motherboard and it is where SSD, HDD and Optical Disk Drives are connected. Each of the two models being compared have 1 SATA slot(s). Keep in mind that having too few SATA slots might limit your options for connecting additional memory drives.
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 400 G2 Mini. Sadly, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M600 Tiny 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 M600 Tiny comes with a decent 65 Watt PSU, but the HP ProDesk 400 G2 Mini has a more powerful one rated at 90 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
