HP Pro 400 G9 A70PGUT#ABA 2024, Core i5-14500, 8GB, 256GB SSD, Negro

The HP Pro 400 G9's capable i5-14500 is trapped inside a config that skimps so hard on RAM and storage it feels like a prank. Spend the extra $100 on a model with 16GB and 512GB, or just buy something else entirely.

The i5-14500 surprised us in benchmarks, landing in the 69th percentile for CPU performance, which means it handles spreadsheets, browser tabs, and typical office multitasking without breaking a sweat. But the moment we tried anything beyond that, 8GB of RAM became a bottleneck. Bump that to 16GB and you'd have a snappy little workhorse. Storage speed is fine for booting Windows, but 256GB fills up fast, especially once Windows 11 and a few apps settle in.

The HP Pro 400 G9's real competition isn't gaming towers like the Legion or OMEN, it's the Apple Mac mini M4 and the Dell XPS desktops. The Mac mini M4 obliterates this HP in performance per dollar and storage, but forces you into macOS. If you need Windows, Dell's XPS line often configures 16GB/512GB for similar money. The 400 G9 only makes sense if your IT department is strictly standardized on HP SFF machines and you can't wiggle out of it.

This is where things get weird. Prices across vendors range from a reasonable $694 to an impossible $232,604. Obviously, ignore anything over about $800. At the low end, you're still paying too much for the RAM and SSD you're getting. You'll spend at least $50-80 immediately upgrading to a usable 16GB/512GB setup, which pushes the real cost closer to the deal you should have just bought in the first place.

The HP Pro 400 G9 is one of those office PCs that looks fine on a spec sheet until you notice the storage and RAM. We're talking 8GB of DDR5 and a 256GB SSD, which feels more like a budget Chromebook than a business desktop in 2025. The Core i5-14500 is a genuinely capable 14-core chip, and the compact SFF chassis is easy to tuck away, but HP hamstrung this base configuration so hard that it's tough to recommend without a trip to the parts store.

If you're looking for a PC that's ready to go out of the box without tinkering, this 8GB/256GB version isn't it. Get the higher-end config of the same model, or grab an Apple Mac mini M4 if you're not tied to Windows, you'll get a faster machine with sensible storage for about the same money.

Don't buy this exact config. The HP Pro 400 G9 chassis and processor are fine for basic business tasks, but 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD in a brand-new desktop is borderline offensive. If your company forces this model, push for the 16GB/512GB variant. If you're buying for yourself, grab a Dell XPS or a Mac mini instead and save yourself the headache.