HP Pro 400 G9 2024, Core i7-14700, 16GB, 2TB SSD, Black

The HP Pro 400 G9 packs a 20-core i7-14700 and a 2TB NVMe SSD into a compact business desktop. It's a productivity workhorse with strong CPU performance and excellent storage, but the integrated graphics kill any gaming ambitions. At $1,200 USD, it's a fair deal for office and business users who need Windows 11 Pro and don't care about GPUs. Skip it if you need graphics power or want to upgrade later.

The i7-14700 is the real story here. With 20 cores split between performance and efficiency cores, it handles multitasking, code compilation, spreadsheets, and general office chaos without breaking a sweat. The 1.5GHz base clock is misleading, because this chip will boost up to 5.4GHz when it needs to. In our database, this CPU sits in the 82nd percentile for desktops, which means it's well above average and will chew through most productivity workloads without complaint.

16GB of DDR5 RAM is solid but not spectacular, landing right around the middle of the pack. For most office work, browser tabs, and even light development, that's plenty. But if you're running virtual machines, heavy data analysis, or editing large media files, you'll feel the ceiling. The 2TB NVMe SSD is a genuine strength, giving you fast boot times and quick application loads while offering enough space that you won't be juggling files for a while. The 240W power supply is modest, which makes sense given there's no discrete GPU to feed.

The Lenovo Legion Tower 5a Gen 10 is the obvious alternative if you want gaming or graphics performance. It comes with a discrete GPU and a beefier power supply, so it'll run circles around the HP in anything visually demanding. But it's also a larger tower, and you'll likely pay more for the privilege. The HP wins on compactness and storage capacity for the price.

The Apple Mac Studio M4 Max is a different beast entirely. It's significantly more expensive, but it offers absurd performance per watt and handles creative workloads that would make the HP sweat. If you're in video editing, 3D work, or music production, the Mac Studio is worth the premium. The HP is better suited to business productivity, office multitasking, and Windows-specific workflows.

The Dell Tower ECT1250 and CLX SET TGMSETRTU5204BM occupy similar business desktop territory. Dell's offering typically competes on reliability and enterprise support, while CLX tends to offer more customization. The HP's 2TB SSD and i7-14700 give it a storage and CPU edge in this price bracket, but Dell's reputation for business reliability is hard to ignore if you're outfitting an office.

At $1,200 USD, the HP Pro 400 G9 is priced like a serious business machine, and for the right buyer it earns that price. The i7-14700 alone would cost a decent chunk if you were building something yourself, and you're getting a 2TB NVMe SSD and Windows 11 Pro thrown in. For a compact office PC with this level of CPU performance, the price is reasonable.

But value depends entirely on what you need. If you don't need the 20-core processor, you could spend less and get similar day-to-day performance. And if you do need graphics power, that $1,200 won't get you far because you'd still need to add a GPU, which the 240W power supply can't really support anyway. For CPU-heavy productivity in a small footprint, this is a fair deal. For anything else, the value proposition gets shaky.

The HP Pro 400 G9 is one of those machines that doesn't scream for attention, but quietly gets a lot right. It's a small form factor desktop aimed at offices, home offices, and anyone who wants a serious CPU without a giant tower taking over their desk. The star here is the Intel Core i7-14700, a 20-core chip that can boost up to 5.4GHz. That's a lot of processing muscle in a box that weighs 4.35kg and won't dominate your workspace.

HP pairs that processor with 16GB of DDR5 RAM and a 2TB NVMe SSD. The storage is a genuine highlight, landing in the 88th percentile for this category. You get room for a huge amount of files, projects, and applications without needing an external drive right away. Windows 11 Pro comes preinstalled, which matters if you're using this in a business setting where BitLocker, remote desktop, and domain join support actually matter.

But let's be honest about what this isn't. The integrated Intel UHD Graphics puts gaming performance in the basement, scoring 12.2 out of 100 for that use case. If you're hoping to play anything beyond solitaire or very light indie titles, this isn't your machine. This is a productivity and business workhorse, not a gaming rig, and HP clearly built it with that priority in mind.

Gamers should absolutely skip this. The integrated Intel UHD Graphics scores 12.2 out of 100 for gaming, which is one of the worst results we've seen in this category. You won't be playing anything modern at acceptable frame rates, and the 240W power supply means you can't fix that with a GPU upgrade. Look at the Lenovo Legion Tower 5a Gen 10 or a similar machine with a discrete graphics card instead.

Creative professionals working with video editing, 3D rendering, or GPU-accelerated applications should also pass. The CPU is strong, but those workloads lean heavily on the GPU, and this machine simply doesn't have one. The Apple Mac Studio M4 Max is a much better fit for that kind of work, though it costs significantly more. If you need Windows and GPU power, a tower with a dedicated card is the way to go.

If you're running a small business, working from home, or need a dependable Windows machine for productivity, the HP Pro 400 G9 is a strong pick. The i7-14700 handles heavy multitasking with ease, the 2TB SSD means you won't run out of space anytime soon, and the compact form factor keeps your desk clean. Windows 11 Pro seals the deal for business users who need those enterprise features.

But if you're a developer working with machine learning, game development, or anything that touches a GPU, look elsewhere. The integrated graphics will frustrate you, and the 240W power supply means you can't just drop in a graphics card later. For those users, a machine with a discrete GPU or a Mac Studio is the better path. This HP is a productivity specialist, and it's very good at that one thing.