HP ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Small

Comparison and Differences

HP_ProDesk_490_G2_Microtower.jpg case front and back pannel

Lenovo_ThinkCentre_M800_Small.jpg case front and back pannel

Model
Form factor	Mini Tower	Small
CPU options	Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;	Intel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
Chipset	H81	Q150
Dedicated GPU *	GeForce GTX 1660 Super	GeForce GT 1030 Low Profile
RAM	DIMM DDR3-1600	DIMM DDR4-2133
RAM slots	4	4
RAM speed	1600 MT/s	2133 MT/s
RAM max	32 GB	64 GB
USB ports	(4x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;	(6x)USB-A 3.0; (2x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports	VGA; DVI-D;	(2x) DisplayPort 1.2; VGA;
Other ports	RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2;	RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial;
Optional ports	SD card reader; Serial; Parallel; DisplayPort	2x USB-A 2.0; Media card reader (USB 2.0); (2x) PS2; eSATA;
SATA ports	3	3
PCI slots	PCIe x16; (2x) PCIe x1; PCIe x16 (wired x4);	PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4); M2 to PCI adapter (optional);
M.2 slots	N.A.	M.2 (WiFi/BT or PCI extension card)
Drive bays	(2x) 3.5in; 5.25in (slim)	2.5in; 2.5/3.5in; 5.25in (slim);
PSU	180/300 W	TFX 210 W
Weight	6.5 kg (14.3 lb)	9 kg (19.8 lb)
Released	2014	2015
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 490 G2 Microtower and Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Small

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Small which was released in 2015. The HP ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower is older and entered production in 2014.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Small is the right one for you. It is smaller than the HP ProDesk 490 G2 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Small as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that HP ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

Both models have have equal amount of ram slots (4 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Small is using the faster 2133 MT/s RAM. The HP ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Small as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The HP ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower can do a bit less at max 32 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 8. 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.

Unfortunately, only the Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 Small has a DisplayPort. The HP ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower 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 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 3 SATA slot(s). Keep in mind that having too few SATA slots might limit your options for connecting additional memory drives.

M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the HP ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower, nor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M800 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

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 M800 Small comes with a decent 210 Watt PSU, but the HP ProDesk 490 G2 Microtower has a more powerful one rated at 300 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.