HP ProDesk 600 G1 SFF vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Small

Comparison and Differences

HP_ProDesk_600_G1_SFF.jpg case front and back pannelLenovo_ThinkCentre_M72e_Small.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen2&3 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetQ85 H61
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650 Low ProfileGeForce GTX 1650 Low Profile
RAMDIMM DDR3-1600DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots42
RAM speed1600 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max32 GB16 GB
USB ports(4x)USB-A 3.0; (6x)USB-A 2.0;(6x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports(2x) DisplayPort: VGADVI-D; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2;RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2;
Optional portsMedia card reader (USB 2.0); Serial; Parallel;Parallel; Serial; Media card reader (USB 2.0);
SATA ports43
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; (3x) PCIe x1;PCIe 2.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1;
M.2 slotsN.A.N.A.
Drive bays2.5in; 3.5in; 5.25in (slim)2.5/3.5in; 5.25in;
PSU240 WTFX 240 W
Weight7.6 kg (16.7 lb)6.6 kg (14.55 lb)
Released20132012
Manuallinklink
Price**Check PriceCheck 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 G1 SFF and Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Small

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP ProDesk 600 G1 SFF which was released in 2013. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Small is older and entered production in 2012.

Both models have the same form factor, meaning reoughtly they have the same phiysical size and form.

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 G1 SFF as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Small is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The HP ProDesk 600 G1 SFF has 4 RAM slots while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e 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.

None of the desktops has an advantage when it comes to the speed of the RAM being used. Both models support RAM speeds of up to 1600. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the HP ProDesk 600 G1 SFF as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e 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 G1 SFF has 10 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e 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. 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 HP ProDesk 600 G1 SFF has a DisplayPort. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e 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 G1 SFF is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Small has 3 slot(s).

M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the HP ProDesk 600 G1 SFF, nor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Small has one. However, you can still use a SATA SSD drive which should give you satisfactory performance.

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 240 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

HP_ProDesk_600_G1_SFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutLenovo_ThinkCentre_M72e_Small_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout