HP ProDesk 400 G9, Core i9-14900K, 64GB, 4TB SSD

A fire-breathing i9 in a tiny business suit, but the 180W PSU keeps it on a leash. Great for CPU-heavy work, useless for gaming.

The CPU is the star here, sitting in the 95th percentile for our database. That i9-14900K with its 8 performance cores and 16 efficiency cores will chew through compile jobs, spreadsheets, and virtual machines without breaking a sweat. The 4TB NVMe storage is top of the charts too, so you won't be waiting on file loads. But that 180W PSU is a real head-scratcher. Intel's own spec sheet says this chip can boost to 253W, so HP is clearly limiting power draw. You're not getting the full 6.0 GHz boost clock in sustained workloads, and that's a shame. The integrated UHD 770 graphics are fine for driving two monitors, but they're in the 13th percentile for a reason. Don't expect to game on this thing.

The Mac Studio M4 Max is the obvious rival if you're not married to Windows. It's quieter, more power-efficient, and its GPU absolutely embarrasses the UHD 770. But you lose the x86 flexibility and that 4TB of storage costs a fortune from Apple. The Lenovo Legion 90Y6003JUS is a gaming machine, so it has a real GPU, but it's bigger and louder. The Dell Tower ECT1250 is a more traditional business desktop, but it won't match this CPU in a chassis this small. If you need Windows and compact, this HP is the one to beat.

At $2,400, this is a tough sell unless you specifically need a compact business machine with workstation-class CPU grunt. You're paying a premium for the small form factor and the i9 badge. If you have desk space, a mid-tower with the same specs would cost less and let that CPU actually stretch its legs. But if you need this exact footprint, it's not a terrible deal.

HP stuffed a Core i9-14900K into a small form factor business box, and honestly, it's a bit unhinged. You get 24 cores, 64GB of DDR5, and a 4TB NVMe drive in a chassis that won't eat your desk. The catch? A 180W power supply trying to feed a CPU that can pull over 250W by itself when it's feeling ambitious. This is a weird, wonderful, and slightly compromised machine.

If you're looking for a gaming PC, this isn't it. Go get a Lenovo Legion or anything with a discrete GPU. If you need maximum CPU performance and don't care about size, a mid-tower with a proper 750W PSU will let the i9-14900K actually hit its boost clocks. This HP is for people who need compact and powerful, not maximum and flexible.

This is a niche product for a niche buyer. If you're a developer or data analyst who needs a small, quiet-ish Windows box with serious CPU horsepower and tons of fast storage, this is a solid pick. Just know you're leaving performance on the table due to that power supply. For everyone else, there are better ways to spend $2,400.