HP EliteDesk 800 G3 Mini 2016, Core i5-7500T, 16GB, 256GB SSD, Black

The HP EliteDesk 800 G3 Mini is a refurbished palm-sized business desktop that's great for basic office work and web browsing. With 16GB of RAM and Windows 11 Pro, it handles everyday multitasking fine, but the old i5-7500T CPU and 256GB SSD limit what it can do. At CAD 243-280, it's a solid budget pick if you don't need real performance.

The Core i5-7500T is a 35W chip, though one buyer noted their unit came with a 65W power supply, which is fine. In our database, this CPU lands in the 4th percentile for mini PCs, which is about as blunt as it gets. It's an old processor and it shows in anything CPU-heavy. But for the stuff this machine is actually meant to do, like spreadsheets, email, video calls, and way too many Chrome tabs, it's serviceable. The 16GB of RAM helps a lot here. It sits in the 33rd percentile, which isn't impressive on paper, but in practice it means you can multitask without the system grinding to a halt.

The integrated Intel UHD 630 graphics are a weak spot, landing in the 38th percentile. You're not playing anything beyond 2D indie games or streaming video. The 256GB SSD is the other sore point, sitting in the 14th percentile. It's fast enough for booting Windows and launching apps, but you'll fill it up quickly if you store photos, videos, or large files locally. The port selection is actually a bright spot at the 68th percentile, with dual DisplayPort outputs and plenty of USB connectivity for a mini PC.

Stacked against the Dell OptiPlex 7070 SFF, the HP is smaller and cheaper, but the Dell typically comes with newer CPUs and better upgrade options. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q Gen 5 is a more direct competitor in the tiny desktop space, and it's got much newer processors, though you'll pay more for it. The Minisforum DeskMini UM880 Plus is in a completely different league performance-wise, with Ryzen chips that embarrass the i5-7500T, but it's also aimed at a different buyer who wants a small PC that can actually do real work.

The ASUS NUC 14 Pro is another step up in both price and capability. If you're comparing the HP to any of these newer machines, the question isn't which is faster, it's whether you want to spend CAD 250 on something that's fine for basic tasks or CAD 600 plus on something that'll still feel quick in five years. The HP wins on price and size, loses on raw performance and longevity.

At CAD 243 to CAD 280, the HP EliteDesk 800 G3 Mini is cheap, but you need to shop around. The spread across vendors is about CAD 37, which is real money at this price point. The lowest listing we found was CAD 243, and that's the one to grab if you can. For comparison, a new mini PC with a modern Ryzen or 13th gen Intel chip will run you two to three times as much. So if you just need a reliable box for office work and don't care about having the latest silicon, this is a solid deal. Just factor in that you'll probably want an external drive or cloud storage sooner rather than later.

The HP EliteDesk 800 G3 Mini is a refurbished mini PC aimed squarely at business users and anyone who wants a tiny desktop that disappears behind a monitor. It's a palm-sized box running Windows 11 Pro, with an Intel Core i5-7500T, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 256GB SSD. In Canada, these are floating around between CAD 243 and CAD 280 depending on the vendor, which puts it in the budget end of the mini PC market. For that money you're getting a machine built for office work, web browsing, and light multitasking, not a gaming rig or a video editing station.

People searching for a cheap refurbished business desktop often ask if these older HP minis are still worth buying in 2025. The short answer is yes, if your expectations match the hardware. The i5-7500T is a 7th gen quad-core chip, which is old by modern standards, but it still handles Windows 11 Pro and everyday office apps without wheezing. The 16GB of RAM is the real saving grace here, since a lot of refurbished boxes at this price ship with 8GB and choke on browser tabs.

One thing to know up front: the listing says 256GB SSD, but some buyers report receiving 512GB units. That's a nice surprise when it happens, but don't count on it. The port selection is genuinely good for a box this size, with DisplayPort, USB-C, and a pile of USB-A ports. It's a practical little machine, just don't expect it to punch above its weight class.

Skip this if you need any real computing power. Gamers, video editors, programmers running heavy IDEs, and anyone who works with large files should look elsewhere. The 256GB SSD will frustrate you quickly, and the old CPU will make demanding tasks feel like wading through mud. If you want a small PC that can actually do work, the Minisforum DeskMini UM880 Plus or ASUS NUC 14 Pro are much better choices, just at a higher price. Also skip it if you're not comfortable with refurbished hardware, since some buyers report receiving slightly different models than what they ordered.

Should you buy the HP EliteDesk 800 G3 Mini? If you need a cheap, tiny desktop for email, web browsing, office apps, and maybe some light photo management, yes. It's a refurbished business machine that does exactly what it was designed to do, and the 16GB of RAM makes it more usable than a lot of budget boxes. The Windows 11 Pro license alone is worth something, especially for small business setups.

But if you're hoping to edit video, run modern games, or do anything that stresses the CPU, this isn't the machine for you. The processor is old, the storage is tight, and the integrated graphics are a dead end. For the right buyer, it's a bargain. For everyone else, it's a reminder that you get what you pay for.