HP Elite 805 G9 2023, Ryzen 7 PRO 8700G, 16GB, 512GB SSD, Black

The HP Elite 805 G9 is a compact business desktop with a strong Ryzen 7 PRO 8700G CPU and solid port selection. It's great for office work and multitasking, but the weak integrated graphics and modest 512GB storage hold it back. Buy it for business, skip it for gaming or creative work.

The Ryzen 7 PRO 8700G is the star here. Eight cores at 4.2GHz with DDR5 memory behind it means this thing chews through browser tabs, Office apps, and light development work without breaking a sweat. Our database puts the CPU at the 71st percentile, which translates to well above average for this category. You won't confuse it with a Threadripper, but for the kind of work this machine is built for, it's more than enough.

The 16GB of DDR5 running at 5600MHz is solid, landing at the 56th percentile. It's enough for most office workloads, though power users who keep 40 Chrome tabs open while running Excel and Teams might feel the ceiling. The 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD is quick for boot times and app launches, but at the 44th percentile for storage, you'll probably want an external drive or a second internal SSD if you deal with large files. The weak spot is graphics. The integrated Radeon sits at the 14th percentile, which is a polite way of saying it's fine for spreadsheets and YouTube, but don't expect much beyond that. The 260W power supply also means adding a discrete GPU later isn't really on the table.

Stacked against the Lenovo Legion Tower 5a Gen 10, the HP Elite 805 G9 looks like a different species. The Legion is a gaming machine with a discrete GPU, so it'll run circles around the HP in anything graphics-related. But it's also bigger, louder, and not built for the kind of quiet, reliable office work the HP excels at. If you need a machine that can game after hours, the HP is not your answer.

The Apple Mac Studio M4 Max is in a completely different league on performance, especially for creative work and AI tasks. But it's also a different price bracket and a different ecosystem. If you're locked into Windows and need enterprise management tools, the Mac Studio isn't a drop-in replacement. The Dell Tower ECT1250 is probably the closest competitor in spirit, another business-focused desktop with similar intentions. Dell's enterprise support and build quality are comparable, and depending on configuration, you might find better value there. The ASUS ROG GM700 and CLX SET are gaming and enthusiast machines, so they're not really competing for the same buyer. The HP's real competition is other SFF business desktops, and in that space, it holds its own on CPU performance and port selection.

Pricing on the HP Elite 805 G9 is all over the place. In the US, we're seeing listings from $1,482 to $1,849, which is a $367 spread for what appears to be the same configuration. That's a big enough gap that you'd be silly not to shop around. In Canada, the spread is even wider, running from CAD 1,954 to CAD 2,920. That's a CAD 966 difference, which is frankly absurd. If you're buying in Canada, make sure you're not paying the high end of that range. For the money, you're getting a solid business machine with a good CPU and enterprise features, but the weak graphics and modest storage mean you're paying for reliability and manageability more than raw performance. Alternatives like a Lenovo ThinkCentre or Dell OptiPlex in the same class might give you similar specs for less, depending on current deals.

The HP Elite 805 G9 is a small form factor business desktop that sits in that awkward middle ground between a budget office box and a proper workstation. You're getting a Ryzen 7 PRO 8700G with 8 cores at 4.2GHz, 16GB of DDR5, and a 512GB NVMe SSD, all wrapped in a compact chassis that won't eat your desk. Windows 11 Pro comes standard, which matters for IT departments and anyone who needs BitLocker or domain join without jumping through hoops.

People searching for a reliable office PC that can handle multitasking, spreadsheets, and the occasional heavier workload will find a lot to like here. The 8700G is a genuinely capable chip for productivity, and the NPU baked into it means this thing is positioned for the AI features Microsoft keeps rolling into Windows. Is the HP Elite 805 G9 good for business use? Based on our scoring, it lands at 70.5 out of 100 for business and 70.4 for home office, which puts it solidly in the "gets the job done" camp.

But here's the thing. The integrated Radeon graphics sit at the 14th percentile in our database, which is rough. If you're hoping to do any real gaming, video editing with GPU acceleration, or local AI model work, this isn't the machine for you. The 512GB SSD is also on the smaller side, landing at the 44th percentile. For a business desktop in this price range, that's acceptable but not generous.

Skip the HP Elite 805 G9 if you need any meaningful graphics performance. Gamers, video editors, 3D artists, and anyone running local AI models should look elsewhere. The integrated Radeon graphics are a weak spot, and the 260W PSU means you can't fix that with a GPU upgrade. If you're a home user who wants a do-everything machine, a mid-tower with a discrete GPU like the Lenovo Legion Tower 5a Gen 10 or ASUS ROG GM700 will serve you better. Also skip it if you need lots of internal storage, since 512GB fills up fast and the SFF chassis limits expansion. For pure office work, though, this machine is a solid pick.

Should you buy the HP Elite 805 G9? If you're outfitting an office, need a reliable Windows 11 Pro machine with solid CPU performance, and don't care about gaming or GPU-heavy tasks, yes. It's a well-built business desktop with a strong processor, good port selection, and the kind of enterprise features IT departments love. The NPU is a nice future-proofing touch as Windows leans harder into AI features.

But if you're a home user who wants to play games, edit video, or run local AI models, this is not your machine. The integrated graphics are a real limitation, and the 260W power supply means you can't just slap in a GPU later. The storage is also tight at 512GB. For the right buyer, it's a great tool. For everyone else, there are better options at this price point.