HP ProDesk 600 G4 Mini 2018, Core i5-8500T, 16GB, 512GB SSD

The HP ProDesk 600 G4 Mini is a compact refurbished office PC that handles basic tasks fine but shows its age. The CPU and GPU are well below average, and port selection is thin. At CAD 280 to CAD 324, it's a fair deal for light office work, but not much else.

The i5-8500T is a 6-core chip from 2018, and it lands in the 13th percentile for CPUs in our database. That's not great, but for everyday office tasks it's fine. The 16GB of RAM sits at the 32nd percentile, which is enough for a dozen browser tabs and a few apps at once. The 512GB SSD is snappy for boot times and file loads, though storage capacity is also below average. The Intel UHD 630 graphics are a weak spot, 14th percentile, so don't even think about gaming. Port selection is limited too, 24th percentile, with just one USB-C and a DisplayPort. It'll drive a 4K monitor for productivity, but that's about it.

Stacked against the Apple Mac mini M4, this thing gets embarrassed on performance, but it's also a fraction of the price. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q Gen 5 and ASUS NUC 14 Pro are newer mini PCs with better CPUs and port selection, though they'll cost more. The Minisforum DeskMini UM880 Plus absolutely crushes it on graphics and CPU power for not much more money. The Dell Tower ECT1250 is a full tower, so not a direct size comparison, but it offers more expandability. If you want the smallest possible Windows box for basic work, the ProDesk works. If you want any headroom, look at the newer mini PCs.

Pricing in Canada runs from CAD 280 to CAD 324 across five listings. That's a CAD 44 spread, so shop around. For a sub-CAD 300 Windows 11 Pro machine with 16GB RAM and an SSD, it's a reasonable deal if you need a basic office PC. But you're buying old silicon. A newer mini PC with a modern CPU would cost more, yet this one will feel sluggish sooner. If you can find it at the low end of that range, it's a fair buy. At the top end, you're overpaying for 2018 hardware.

The HP ProDesk 600 G4 Mini is a refurbished office workhorse squeezed into a tiny box. You get a 6-core i5-8500T, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD running Windows 11 Pro. It's built for spreadsheets, email, and video calls, not for gaming or heavy creative work.

HP aimed this at businesses that want a clean desk without a tower under it. The compact footprint and VESA mount option are nice. Just don't expect it to punch above its weight class.

Skip this if you need any real processing power. Video editors, programmers running heavy IDEs, and anyone who wants to play games should look at newer mini PCs like the Minisforum DeskMini UM880 Plus or the ASUS NUC 14 Pro. Also skip it if you need lots of ports, one USB-C and a DisplayPort won't cut it for a multi-monitor, multi-peripheral setup.

Buy this if you need a cheap, small Windows 11 Pro machine for basic office work, email, web browsing, and video calls. It's fine for a reception desk, a point-of-sale terminal, or a kid's homework station. Anyone who needs to run demanding software, edit video, or play games should look elsewhere. It's a tool for light duty, and it knows its place.