HP ProDesk 480 G1 Microtower vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Tower

Comparison and Differences

HP_ProDesk_480_G1_Microtower.jpg case front and back pannel

Lenovo_ThinkCentre_M82_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel

Model
Form factor	Mini Tower	Mini Tower
CPU options	Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;	Intel Gen2&3 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
Chipset	H81	Q75
Dedicated GPU *	GeForce GTX 1660 Super	GeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAM	DIMM DDR3-1600	DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots	2	4
RAM speed	1600 MT/s	1600 MT/s
RAM max	16 GB	32 GB
USB ports	(2x)USB-A 3.0; (6x)USB-A 2.0;	(4x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports	DVI-D; VGA;	DisplayPort; VGA;
Other ports	RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2;	RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial;
Optional ports	Media card reader (USB2.0); Serial; Parallel;	DisplayPort; (2x) PS2; Serial; Media card reader (USB 2.0);
SATA ports	4	4
PCI slots	PCIe x16; (2x) PCIe x1; PCI;	PCIe 2.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x1; (2x) PCI;
M.2 slots	N.A.	N.A.
Drive bays	(3x) 3.5in; (2x) 5.25in	(2x) 2.5/3.5in; (2x) 5.25in;
PSU	300 W	ATX 280/450 W
Weight	7.1 kg (15.75 lb)	11 kg (24.25 lb)
Released	2013	2012
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 480 G1 Microtower and Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP ProDesk 480 G1 Microtower which was released in 2013. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Tower 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 480 G1 Microtower as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Tower is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Tower has 4 RAM slots while the HP ProDesk 480 G1 Microtower 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Tower as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The HP ProDesk 480 G1 Microtower can do a bit less at max 16 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 M82 Tower has a DisplayPort. The HP ProDesk 480 G1 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 4 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 480 G1 Microtower, nor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 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 480 G1 Microtower comes with a decent 300 Watt PSU, but the Lenovo ThinkCentre M82 Tower has a more powerful one rated at 450 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.