HP EliteDesk 8 G1i 2024, Core Ultra 7 265, 16GB, 512GB SSD, Jack Black

The HP EliteDesk 8 G1i SFF scores 77.4 overall, with a 99th percentile port selection that's genuinely best-in-class. The Core Ultra 7 265 CPU sits at the 89th percentile, making this a productivity beast. But the integrated graphics deliver a 15.1 out of 100 for gaming, so keep this one in the office.

The Core Ultra 7 265 is the star here, and it's a genuinely impressive chip for a small form factor box. At the 89th percentile for CPU performance, it handles spreadsheets, video calls, and multitasking without breaking a sweat. The 20 cores at 2.4GHz base clock give you plenty of headroom for business workloads, and the NPU baked into the Ultra series means some AI-accelerated tasks will fly. We've seen this chip chew through productivity benchmarks like they're nothing.

The integrated graphics are where things get honest. At the 51st percentile, the Intel Graphics are fine for driving multiple monitors, streaming video, and light photo editing. But the gaming score of 15.1 out of 100 tells the real story. This is not a machine for rendering, 3D work, or anything GPU-intensive. The 16GB of DDR5 at 5600 MT/s is adequate for most office tasks, though the 55th percentile RAM ranking suggests you might feel the pinch if you're the type who keeps 40 browser tabs open while running a VM.

Stacked against the Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 10 or the Dell Aurora Gaming, the EliteDesk 8 G1i looks like a different species entirely. Those machines are built for GPU horsepower, and they'll absolutely demolish the HP in any graphics workload. The Apple Mac Studio M3 Ultra is in another league for creative work, but it also costs significantly more and runs macOS. The ASUS ROG GM700 and the Horizon Pcs Autherium Dragon are gaming-focused builds that trade the HP's port selection and business features for raw frame rates. Where the EliteDesk wins is connectivity and enterprise reliability: 99th percentile ports versus whatever gaming towers typically offer, plus HP's self-healing BIOS and security stack. If your job is spreadsheets, not shaders, the HP makes a strong case.

Pricing runs from $1,872 to $2,007 USD across three US listings, and CAD 2,081 to 2,256 in Canada. For a business SFF with this level of connectivity and a top-tier CPU, that's not unreasonable, but the 512GB SSD and 16GB of RAM at this price point sting a little. You're paying for the form factor, the port selection, and the enterprise-grade security features. If you don't need the SFF footprint or the Wolf Security suite, you can get more raw performance per dollar elsewhere. But for IT departments standardizing on HP hardware, the price is in line with what we'd expect.

The HP EliteDesk 8 G1i SFF lands in our database with a 77.4 overall score, which puts it firmly in "solid workhorse" territory. The headline here is the port situation: 99th percentile. That's not a typo. This little box has more connectivity than desktops twice its size, including Thunderbolt 4, dual DisplayPort 2.1, HDMI 2.1, VGA, serial, and enough USB-A ports to run a small museum's front desk. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 sits at the 89th percentile for CPU performance, so it's no slouch in the brain department either.

But here's the thing: this is a business machine, not a gaming rig. The integrated Intel Graphics land at the 51st percentile, which is about average for office PCs but a 15.1 out of 100 for gaming. If you want to play anything newer than Solitaire, look elsewhere. For everything else, the 16GB of DDR5 at 5600 MT/s and 512GB NVMe SSD get the job done, though the storage sits at the 42nd percentile, which is a bit lean for a machine in this price bracket.

Skip this if you need any meaningful graphics performance. The 15.1 gaming score and 51st percentile GPU ranking mean video editing, 3D modeling, and gaming are all off the table. The 512GB SSD at the 42nd percentile is also a concern if you work with large files or need local storage for media. And if you're a tinkerer who likes upgrading components, the 280W PSU and SFF form factor will limit your options. This is a set-it-and-forget-it business machine, not a project PC.

The HP EliteDesk 8 G1i SFF is a purpose-built business machine that nails its target audience. The 99th percentile port selection and 89th percentile CPU make it a fantastic choice for office deployments, IT-managed environments, and anyone who needs serious connectivity in a small footprint. The integrated graphics and 15.1 gaming score mean it's a non-starter for creative or gaming workloads, and the 512GB SSD at 42nd percentile feels like a corner cut at this price. But if you're buying for a business, the Wolf Security features, ENERGY STAR certification, and HP's enterprise support ecosystem tip the scales. We'd recommend it for exactly what it's designed for: serious work in a small space.