HP ProDesk 400 G4 Microtower vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro

Comparison and Differences

HP_ProDesk_400_G4_Microtower.jpg case front and back pannelLenovo_ThinkCentre_M83_Small_Pro.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen6&7 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;Intel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Pentium;
ChipsetH270 Q85
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1660 SuperGeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAMDIMM DDR4-2400DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots24
RAM speed2400 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max64 GB32 GB
USB ports(4x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0; (4x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsDisplayPort; VGA;(2x) DisplayPort; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Headset Line-Out; Line-In;RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial;
Optional portsSD card reader; Serial and (2x) PS2;Parallel; Serial; (2x) PS2; Media card reader (USB 2.0);
SATA ports34
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4);PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x1; PCIe 2.0 x16 (wired x4);
M.2 slotsM.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)N.A.
Drive bays2.5/3.5in; 3.5in; 5.25in (slim)(2x) 2.5/3.5in; (2x) 5.25in;
PSU180/310 WATX 280/450 W
Weight5.47 kg (12.06 lb)11.20 kg (24.69 lb)
Released20172013
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 Microtower and Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP ProDesk 400 G4 Microtower which was released in 2017. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro is older and entered production in 2013.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro is the right one for you. It is smaller than the HP ProDesk 400 G4 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 HP ProDesk 400 G4 Microtower as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro has 4 RAM slots while the HP ProDesk 400 G4 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.

The HP ProDesk 400 G4 Microtower is using the faster 2400 MT/s RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro 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 Microtower as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro 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.

DisplayPort is crucial for any desktop machine. It is good to see that both models are featuring DisplayPorts. However, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro comes with 2 ports, while the HP ProDesk 400 G4 Microtower has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro 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 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 M83 Small Pro is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the HP ProDesk 400 G4 Microtower 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 400 G4 Microtower, nor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro 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 Microtower comes with a decent 310 Watt PSU, but the Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 Small Pro 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.

Motherboard

HP_ProDesk_400_G4_Microtower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutLenovo_ThinkCentre_M83_Small_Pro_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout