HP ProDesk 400 G4 SFF vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower

Comparison and Differences

HP_ProDesk_400_G4_SFF.jpg case front and back pannelLenovo_ThinkCentre_M72e_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen6&7 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen2&3 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetH270 H61
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GT 1030 Low ProfileGeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAMDIMM DDR4-2400DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots22
RAM speed2400 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max64 GB16 GB
USB ports(4x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0; (6x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsDisplayPort; VGA;DVI-D; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In;RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2;
Optional portsSD card reader; Serial and (2x) PS2;Parallel; Serial; Media card reader (USB 2.0);
SATA ports23
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x4;PCIe 2.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 2.0 x1;
M.2 slotsM.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)N.A.
Drive bays2.5in/3.5in; 5.25in (slim)(2x) 2.5/3.5in; 5.25in;
PSU180 WATX 280/320 W
Weight4.6 kg (10.14 lb)9.4 kg (20.72 lb)
Released20172012
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 400 G4 SFF and Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP ProDesk 400 G4 SFF which was released in 2017. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower is older and entered production in 2012.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the HP ProDesk 400 G4 SFF is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e 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 400 G4 SFF as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e 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 400 G4 SFF is using the faster 2400 MT/s RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e 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 400 G4 SFF as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e 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 400 G4 SFF has 8 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e 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. 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 400 G4 SFF has a DisplayPort. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower is better equipped as it comes with 3 SATA slot(s), while the HP ProDesk 400 G4 SFF has 2 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 400 G4 SFF, nor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower 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

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 SFF comes with a decent 180 Watt PSU, but the Lenovo ThinkCentre M72e Tower has a more powerful one rated at 320 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_400_G4_SFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutLenovo_ThinkCentre_M72e_Tower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout