HP ProDesk 800 G3 2020, Core i5-10500T, 8GB, 128GB SSD, Black

The HP ProDesk 800 G3 is a tiny refurbished Windows 11 Pro PC with a six-core i5-10500T that's great for office work. The 8GB RAM and 128GB SSD are the bare minimum, so don't expect to do much beyond browsing and productivity apps. At USD 310 to USD 395, it's a decent deal if you need a compact, quiet machine for basic tasks. Skip it if you want to game, edit media, or keep lots of files locally.

The CPU here is the star of the show, and it's a bit of an odd pairing. The Core i5-10500T is a 10th gen chip with six cores and 12MB of Smart Cache. That's genuinely capable silicon for office work, video calls, and light multitasking. But our database puts it at the 16th percentile for CPUs in this category, which sounds worse than it is. The mini PC market is full of newer, faster chips, but for the money, this processor is still more than enough for what most people will throw at it. Turbo boost up to 3.8GHz means short bursts of speed when you need them, like opening a big PDF or launching a heavy application.

The weak spots are RAM and storage, and they're weak. 8GB of DDR4 puts this machine at the 10th percentile, and the 128GB SSD is down at the 6th percentile. That's rough. Windows 11 alone will eat a good chunk of that storage, and once you add a few apps and some local files, you're looking at a nearly full drive. The RAM situation is manageable for basic tasks, but don't expect to run virtual machines or edit video. The integrated HD Graphics 530 is also old, though it's fine for driving a couple of displays and playing back video. Just don't ask it to do anything 3D.

The HP ProDesk 800 G3 sits in a crowded field of mini PCs and small desktops. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q Gen 5 is a natural competitor, and it tends to come with newer CPUs and more modern connectivity. The ASUS NUC 14 Pro is another strong option, especially if you want Thunderbolt support and a more premium build. Both of those will cost you more, but you're paying for newer silicon and better upgrade paths.

The Apple Mac mini M4 is in a different league entirely. It's more expensive, but the performance per dollar is outstanding, and it's silent. If you're not tied to Windows, it's worth a serious look. The Minisforum DeskMini UM880 Plus is the wildcard here. It's a barebones kit that lets you bring your own RAM and storage, which means you can avoid the exact problem this HP has. You'll spend more upfront, but you'll end up with a machine that doesn't feel constrained out of the box. The Dell Tower Desktop ECT1250 is a traditional tower, so it's bigger, but it often comes with more RAM and storage for a similar price.

At USD 310 to USD 395, this is a budget-friendly way to get a Windows 11 Pro machine with a six-core processor. The price spread across the two listings is worth paying attention to. If you can snag it at the lower end of that range, you're getting a better deal. The higher end starts to creep into territory where you might find newer hardware with more RAM and storage for not much more money.

For what it is, a compact office PC, the value is decent. You're not paying for a GPU you won't use, and the CPU is genuinely capable. But the 8GB of RAM and 128GB SSD are the kind of specs that make you want to budget for upgrades down the line. If you're comfortable opening the case and adding a stick of RAM or swapping in a bigger SSD, this becomes a much more attractive package. If you're not, you'll be living with those limitations for the life of the machine.

The HP ProDesk 800 G3 is one of those machines that makes you do a double take when you look at the spec sheet. It's a mini PC with a 10th gen Intel Core i5-10500T, which is a six-core chip running at 2.3GHz with turbo up to 3.8GHz. That's a lot of processing power for something you can tuck behind a monitor. But then you see the RAM and storage, 8GB of DDR4 and a 128GB SSD, and you realize this is a machine built for a very specific kind of buyer. Someone who needs a cheap, compact Windows 11 box for office work, web browsing, and not much else.

This is a refurbished unit, which explains the price range of USD 310 to USD 395 across two listings. You're getting a 90-day warranty and tech support, which is pretty standard for renewed gear. The form factor is the real draw here. It's tiny, it's quiet, and it sips power. If you're setting up a front desk, a point-of-sale terminal, or just want a second machine for the home office that doesn't take up half your desk, this thing fits the bill.

But let's be honest about what this isn't. It's not a gaming PC, not even close. The gaming score of 15.9 out of 100 tells you everything you need to know. The integrated Intel HD Graphics 530 is old, and the 8GB of RAM is the bare minimum for Windows 11 to feel comfortable. If you're the kind of person who keeps 40 browser tabs open while editing a spreadsheet and streaming music, you'll feel the ceiling pretty quickly. For everyone else, this is a solid little workhorse at a price that's hard to argue with.

If you're a gamer, just move along. The integrated graphics here are old, and the gaming score of 15.9 out of 100 is one of the worst we've seen in this category. You'd be better off with a machine that has a dedicated GPU or at least a modern integrated solution. The same goes for anyone doing video editing, 3D modeling, or other GPU-heavy work.

Also skip this if you're the kind of person who likes to keep everything local. The 128GB SSD is small, and while you can upgrade it, not everyone wants to crack open a refurbished machine. If you need lots of storage or want to run virtual machines, look for something with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD or larger. The Minisforum DeskMini UM880 Plus is a good alternative if you're willing to bring your own parts.

If you need a cheap, compact Windows machine for email, web browsing, and office apps, the HP ProDesk 800 G3 is a solid choice. The six-core i5 is more than enough for that kind of work, and the tiny footprint is a genuine quality-of-life upgrade. Just know that you're buying a machine with very little headroom. The 8GB of RAM and 128GB SSD are fine today, but they'll feel tight in a year or two.

For anyone who wants to do more, like light photo editing, running multiple heavy applications, or keeping a large local file collection, this isn't the right machine. You'd be better off spending a bit more on something with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, or going the barebones route with the Minisforum and picking your own parts. The ProDesk 800 G3 is a good deal for a narrow set of use cases, and that's okay. Just don't expect it to be something it's not.