HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini Guide and Review

See the STH main site article here: www.servethehome.com/hp-elite...
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The HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini is an awesome little ~1L system that packs awesome features including the ability to have a 2.5" SATA plus two M.2 NVMe SSDs installed. This combined with Intel vPro platform features and a multitude of USB 3.1 Gen1/ Gen2 ports means this is one of the most expandable systems we have tested as part of our Project TinyMiniMicro series to date.
Other STH articles referenced in this video:
- Plex on Project TinyMiniMicro Guide www.servethehome.com/sth-proj...
- pfSense Firewall on Project TinyMiniMicro Guide www.servethehome.com/guide-ti...
- Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny www.servethehome.com/lenovo-t...

[@siddraj2002]

Thanks for mentioning the display output version, its super useful! Appreciate you all taking viewer's feedback :)

[@adamyork2333]

I've recently started looking at machines of just this sort in order to start a home lab. This video is the first one I've watched in your series. Love it! Please keep these up. Very useful! Also, I appreciate you telling us about the ability to run Proxmox on these. I'd love to see an episode where you discuss the software that you run on hardware like this. Thanks.

[@Interknetz]

Project Mini Micro is great. Love these little machines. Modded a M93p to have a 80x80x10.8mm fan, bought a mesh, 3d printed a fan grill thing and put the mesh on (after spray paint) and temps dropped a lot, and it looks decent. Useful as a little server, and honestly I'd not mind modding some more in future haha

[@AS-do3vj]

I'd love to see a picture of what you've done. Im thinking of modding mine too

[@ejemm]

Excellent video as always from @serverthehome. @10:39 There is a connector labelled TBTcard in the front of the vga expansion board. The EliteDesk 800 G4 supports a Thunderbolt 3 expansion card whereas the Prodesk 400/600 models do not. Cool for additional external networking/storage!

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Totally right! There is a dGPU option we go over on the main site article as well (we did not get either.)

[@JohnMitchellCalif]

tons of great, relevant info. Thanks so much, subscribed!

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Thank you! Much appreciated

[@mehuldalmia4457]

Impact: Price ramp up! Never knew I needed one! Now I absolutely want one!

[@z4ub3r3r]

Hi Patrick, Can you please explain what's the difference between the HP EliteDesk 800 G2 and the HP ProDesk 600 G2? Thanks!

[@PatrickKennedy2]

A quick note since the Velcro comment remains but the sentence after was edited out and I missed it. We use the Velcro mount mentioned with dual M.2 SSD in this system to provide enough space for everything since the carrier will get in the way. You still need the SATA/ power cable but that can be detached from the carrier.

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

An important note here.

[@carloscuevas8268]

This is true. I use just one NVMe because of these, gonna try the Velcro thing!

[@itskyb]

I'm curious how you did the velcro mount. Where did you attach the velcro to inside the case?

[@stevez21m]

@@itskyb I'm going to guess they attached it to the cover. Have you done this? I just got my G4 and discovered the issue wanting 2 nvme's in it.

[@MikeDent]

Sorry, are you saying you cannot get 2 x nvme and an SSD fitted at the same time?

[@carloscuevas8268]

I have two 65W of these, one of the best mini PCs! If you want more I/O there is a Thunderbolt optional module that can go where the VGA module is. The only problem is it is hard to come by one. I have been looking for one for weeks and I can't order from HP part surfer because I'm from Mexico.

[@lampexxl8599]

Hi, how's the 65W version in terms of temperatures? Does it get too hot?

[@flashesbuck]

I was seriously interested in these for my fathers home computer setup but ultimately pass on them because I don't see a good audio out? How do I plug traditional computer speakers into the rear of this thing? I was interested in a clean setup and drop in to his current aging setup.

[@mattskinner5432]

Great video, thanks for the info. I have recently bought the i3 8100T version.

[@kevinrickey3925]

You really provide a good amount of great info.... I gotta see this over, and like all of your videos as I watch them...

[@peterpixo]

Do I need to know what is VPRO if I want this only for my desk for programming? :D I just hope it is quiet!

[@iansalgado8710]

Hi, could you please do a review of the new "EliteDesk 800 G6 SFF", cheers ian

[@bliglum]

Could this be used as a media streaming 4K HDR pc plugged into a TV?

[@SuitMann]

If I have the 65w version, is the 90w power adapter good enough, or should I get the higher One.

[@Khaenriahhasfallen-ub5wz]

Hi Everyone! i plan to buy a used elitedesk 800 g4 i5 8500, i have a question before i buy it, how long will it probably last (years) if i run it 24/7 with good cooling, for homelab use? and where is the best place to find replacement for the adapter if it broke later on? 🙏 thank you

[@xntricity6446]

Just bought this pc used for 320 euro, what a bargin! HP EliteDesk 800 G4 i5 8th Gen 8500T @2.2GHz- 512GB SSD - 16GB

[@hcjkruse]

I did not manage to fit 2 NVMe drives and a sata drive in my 65 Watt model . The Second drive sits too high to be able to fit the Sata caddy. Or is there some trick in positioning? Unfortunately on 65 Watt models the Sata caddy also has an extra case fan. if you leave out the caddy and case fan, the CPU fan spins up more often and faster causing a lot of noise.

[@MosesKFrost-qn2sm]

I have a Dell OptiPlex 3070 MFF (the i5-9500T model with 8- that I am going to upgrade to 32GB of RAM) and I believe it is funny to see that these two machines have a lot of similarities.

[@erdincify]

First of all, you really do look good in that yellow t-shirt :-) Thanks a lot for this detailed review, I recently got myself the G4 I7 65W version. I don't have de SATA SSD tray, ordered one, I want to use a SATA SSD just for the OS and the Nvme for storage. Now I have a question about heat management. SATA SSD's do not get very hot but the Nvme's do tend to get hot. Since I'm going to run the little bastard 24/5 I'd like to keep it cool as possible. Now my question is should I get the fan that fits the SATA SSD tray (and a splitter cable to connect both fans on the motherboard) and how do I keep the Nvme SSD underneath the tray cool? I don't think that there is enough space to fit a heatsink or would a thermal chewing gum on top of it be enough?

[@Fly3rman]

How loud is the fan?

[@maxwitzker7722]

Can I install ESXi 7 and boot from SSD in hard drive caddy and have the 2 M.2 SSD as a raid?

[@ridhagharrech]

This machine comes with two types of processors: AMD or Intel. Is there really a difference between AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 24000 GE and Intel i5-8500T performance and power consumption wise?

[@jorgea.a.597]

hi, can this beauty manage 3 monitors 4k 60hz at same time??

[@aizapamplona9966]

How can i unlock my cpu sir?? it's company locked and i wanna use it for personal purposes. I appreciate any help

[@NapalmWeed]

Is it possible to upgrade the g4 to let's say a 9500t or 9700t? I am curious. because I have a g4 with no cpu and those are the options I have direct access to.

[@memesfromtheforsakenworlwi9218]

one thing to point out, you can't use 2 m.2 ssds while using the 2.5 inch drive bay since it the m.2 slot is elevated and the drive bay has etra metal on the bottom. if you really want to do it tho, you need to do some "modifications"

[@eddisern0099]

I am unable to find any good information about this anywhere so I'll try to ask here... Is the HP Prodesk/Elitedesk line suitable for a nice personal desktop experience? I see these being mentioned for business use a lot, but almost nothing for home use. Some of these are very strong too, like the EliteDesk 800 G6 Mini - a local retailer has one in stock with i7 10700 2.9 GHz , 16 GB RAM and 512GB SSD - all for around 900 bucks. If I pair that to a nice monitor, wouldn't that be suitable for hefty tasks - media use, gaming, music production, editing etc.?

[@Mils064]

I'm not sure that this peace is good for gaming, at least not the new labels where you need crazy performance by GPU in that case I think it would be better to use a solid PC tower. This one like in video I use both for business and home stuff for every day usage, web programing, multimedia , office and stuff like that not for gaming and video rendering not sure about that music produciton eater

[@Weneedaplague]

didnt wanna touch on the mxl port?

[@TutoDS2014]

How much whats a mini pc like this will consume?

[@555Tbird]

Do you happen to know where the 2.5 SATA caddy on its own can be found? My box didn't come with one, and I'd like to install an HDD for extra space.

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

I do not. Perhaps ebay?

[@mLyonJE]

Mentioned RAID... Is there a raid controller in there or available?!?

[@AdamQueen]

Would it be possible to provide the maximum height for the hdd tray? I can't find such info from the vendors, thus I guess it's regular 9mm height? It would be pretty nice if they can support 15mm HDD for 4T 2.5 HDD.

[@carloscuevas8268]

They don't support 15mm. I have a 9mm in the caddy and there is no more vertical space. Maybe you could remove the top part from the caddy (the one that "hugs" the hdd) so you could fit one 15mm. Or do the Velcro thing, hdd without the caddy

[@muhammadreizasyaifullah8460]

Can I use intel AX200 for this mini pc?

[@Kenzo9063]

I used to have the sff version of the 800 G4 in my previous workplace. Solid machine but it would be more cool if it was the mini unit you have.

[@blkspade23]

Well at least on the back side the keyboard icon should be enough to indicate that its slower.

[@leolembo]

Hi! I recently bought a prodesk g4 400 mini (i7 8700t) and I was wondering if is normal that the case get warmer more than anything on the cpu and fan zone and also on the bottom of the case. Thanks!!

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

I do not think we have that exact setup, but the warmer side of the case is usually the side with the heatsinks because those are the higher power/ TDP components.

[@mudeth]

Thanks a lot. Very useful review, none of the other videos even mentioned the M.2 slots! How noisy are these machines?

[@JoQeZzZ]

Yeah I was amazed by that as well. 2 M.2 slots? Thats amazing for the price. Perfect homeserver/dual boot solution.

[@stevenfrazier8939]

just got one and tried to use Linux mint and Debian 12 that are installed on mSATA to usb-3 and Samsung extended use SD card and reader. GRUB fails on them. I hate HP's windows only mind set. is thare any way to get linux running on this unit?

[@keepskeong8531]

Why no have HDMI port ? Now everywhere also use hdmi ,,,,,,

[@Sanpedranoazul]

Could you run Autocad, Lumion and skechup on this equipment? Tks!

[@mbusomabena9751]

Solidworks runs great...

[@ourwoodhouse]

I just got one of these with windows 11 although on 256MB SATA3 SSD, I'd like to upgrade to a 1TB M.2 NVMe drive. Could anyone recommend which version and speed this PC can handle for the new drive? I would like to not overspend on something that will just have to throttle down to match the PCs specification which I cannot find anywhere. Many Thanks!

[@ourwoodhouse]

Found it, didn't scroll far enough down on the HP Spec web page (1) M.2 PCIe x1 2230 (for WLAN) (2) M.2 PCIe x4 2280/2230 combo (for storage)

[@jasonperry6046]

Is there a way to put an SFP+ card in one of these?

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Not easily. You could get a Thunderbolt option and then do TB to SFP+. You can also get a 2.5Gbase-T/ 5Gbase-T USB adapter then use a SFP+ to 10Gbase-T adapter (look for the Aquantia ones) for your switch. Not the best option, but it is there. Just doing 2.5GbE/ 5GbE is very inexpensive.

[@iTor]

I might get the chance of getting a 65W i5 8500 for 300 euro. Would you consider it a good deal?

[@Tex1961]

Yes, ebay.de has the same for around Euro 400

[@MojoMagic977]

Is there a thunderbolt adapter to use to attach external video card or is it better to use internal nvme slot to attach 3rd party ext. video card riser stand?

[@xntricity6446]

There is a thunderbolt adopter called 3TK77AA Virtually impossible to source

[@xntricity6446]

Did you investigate this further, cheers

[@MojoMagic977]

@@xntricity6446 bought an ADT-Link m.2 to pcie stand - it works great.

[@johannes7856]

Got one right now for 180€ 16GB ram and 265GB SSD. NICE!

[@BritishJax]

Hey my guy, cheers for the links and advice. However, do you think a torrent box would be possible with this yok 🤔

[@bartellemy9955]

Yeah, it'll do fine

[@BritishJax]

@@bartellemy9955 appreciate ya

[@VikramSoni2]

have you tried upgrading it with DDR5 ram ? does the BIOS support it ?

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

DDR5 is a physically different SODIMM that will not fit and the CPU memory controllers/ motherboard need to support it as well. It will not work on these but newer versions have support for DDR5

[@lindolyt]

Bro I know this post is a bit old, do you happen to know if usb c will work with external gpu?

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

On these no. Newer ones can have Thunderbolt ports either pre-installed or as an optional add-on.

[@stevefxp]

How I wish there was a unit with vPro and allowed me to drop in at least a 2 port PCI NIC. I have the Prodesk 600 G4 SFF but there is nothing SFF about it. Its a desktop! I read Nick's guide on running pfsense with a single NIC but I am in favor of letting the switch handle the vlans. Too much ability to vlans hop.

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Some of these units, I believe we mentioned it in one of the Lenovo TMM pieces, have options for adding NICs such as the i350-T4. Those multi-NIC options tend to be rare though.

[@stevefxp]

@@ServeTheHomeVideo yes I went down that path but the PCI dongle needed is no longer made and a rarity to find.

[@bobcarpenter1551]

@@stevefxp I'm not sure if you're referring to the Lenovo or the HP. The Lenovo kit, part number 4XC0R41416, which is the I350-T4, includes the PCIe riser, and the backplate, for the supported Lenovo Tinys. It also has the standard SFF & Tower brackets. The M920q and M920x are normally vPro models, unless someone swapped the CPU. I'm currently using an M920q, and that NIC as a pfSense server. I had an M720q but wanted the remote capabilities of vPro.

[@carloscuevas8268]

Lenovo units with multi nic PCIe card are rare to find. I have two solutions: there are m.2 to Ethernet adapters, mostly used in NUCs. And there are m.2 to PCIe (x1, x4, x8, x16) adapters so you can connect any PCIe multi nic card. The downside is you have to sacrifice an m.2 port (WLAN or NVMe) and you need to get a little creative so the adapters sit comfortably beside the PC

[@stevefxp]

@@carloscuevas8268 completely hard to find! I have been looking all over!

[@NHassi]

Hello ! Can somebody of YOU 🙏 please tell me what kind of G4 Modell is that one with 2x coolant Fans ?? Thanks in advance and best regards

[@MojoMagic977]

I got a G4 800 w/ i5 8600t and it had the two fans. My other 8500t, just one fan.

[@OpenBOX3078]

Hi, does this one includes an internal speaker? Thanks

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Most we have seen do. But they are not great speakers

[@shake_well]

How many years do you think a used pc like this will last using it for a basic pc . Thanks

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

We have some that are 7+ years old Core i5 models and they still work. A challenge is that Microsoft is going to keep increasing system requirements as it did with TPM for Windows 11. If you are just running Ubuntu, then many years

[@shake_well]

@@ServeTheHomeVideo thanks Patrick. I just got this HP ED 800 G4 and Dell optiplex 3050m. Thanks for your videos

[@thespian117]

I was surprised to hear how much you paid for this. I picked up the Elite Mini G4 with the i5-8500t, 16GB ram, and a 250GB SSD for $320 about a month ago. That's eBay for you though. Nice video.

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Yea a bit of price fluctuation with these units. You got a better deal than when we purchased this unit in July.

[@Mils064]

@@ServeTheHomeVideo are you speaking for used device or brand new? In my country is around ~300 euros used one i5-8500 65W

[@10p6]

I just got a similar spec one off Amazon with new HP Keyboard and mouse for $270. I am going to use mine as a silent low power server though, so I got it with the i3-8300T to reduce power consumption.

[@myztroogeegibson3568]

Can it be use for streaming in 4k. Is it compatible with the Windows 11 for android applications?

[@remmidy2603]

I looked at this just for home use for web browsing

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Good use case.

[@remmidy2603]

@@ServeTheHomeVideo and i might or might not install linux on it

[@rdpricenc]

you going to review the machine or go on and on about other machines?

[@stevenfrazier8939]

does the display port output sound?

[@guilibaldoatkinson1417]

One does. One doesn't.

[@trek98597]

is there a unit that comes with 2-hdmi's?

[@PatrickKennedy2]

You can search and often find them. The Optional port can be HDMI in the Dell/HP/Lenovo TMM systems

[@esaedvik]

Use a DP to HDMI adapter, they're fine.

[@fleurdewin7958]

The one you have has a 35W CPU. I have the same HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini but with a 65W TDP CPU, i7 8700. The heatsink is very different than yours. The 65W TDP ones has heatsink totally made of copper including the fins . The lower 35W TDP versions has aluminum heatsink. When i spec the unit myself last year, HP only offers maximum 90W power adaptor. There was a choice of using a 35W TDP CPU + discrete Radeon RX560 4GB GDDR5 or 65W CPU with integrated graphics other than the 35W TDP CPU with integrated graphics that you have. Since those rigs at the time only offer Wireless AC, today you can get an AX200 or AX210 wireless adaptor to get Wifi 6/ 6E and Bluetooth 5.1/5.2 for a very cheap price. However, do remember you should never ever buy the AX201 or AX211 because they run on CNVi connectors, means they only work with 9th and 10th Intel CPU. CNVi means part of the WiFi hardware is built onto the CPU itself. Older 8th gen CNVi only supports max a AC9560 .

[@mikecar52]

Thanks, did you mean 9260

[@dustojnikhummer]

I just got a Prodesk G4. Sadly it came without the drive cage (ordered a ribbon cable from Aliexpress) and WiFi, but I think it will make a great home server

[@abhishekmall9833]

usb type c can run monitor or not

[@Mils064]

I would like answer for this question too

[@1986Redfield]

Me too

[@esaedvik]

@@1986Redfield It's Thunderbolt 3, so I would imagine so. I can test next week when I get one :D

[@xntricity6446]

​@@esaedvikare you sure it's thunderbolt? I'm fairly sure that port is Usb C, if it's thunderbolt I'd be super happy as trying to source the TB adaptor with no luck.

[@MoraFermi]

For hackintoshing, Lenovo is better. HP's bios is *crazy*. Edit: Lenovo and Fujitsu.

[@DLTX1007]

I happened to come across the fujitsu boxes too and some call them literally lenovo fujitsu... well they're lenovos!

[@paulfranco3239]

💛💛💛

[@RicardoCerveraBlanco]

Have you install any linux on them?, do they run ok, is it a nightmare with drivers?... Thanks.

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Usually the worst on these nodes is simply getting out of Windows Secure Boot configs in BIOS by flipping a few BIOS flags. The hardware itself is usually the base platforms for each Intel desktop era so drivers are usually automatic on TMM nodes in major distributions like Ubuntu/ Debian.

[@RicardoCerveraBlanco]

@@ServeTheHomeVideo Great, I gonna try it as soon I have the time.

[@ScoringStageDe]

fyi. I upgraded this HP with 64GB Ram and a 2TB M.2

[@DavidTrejo]

Omg that shirt 🤩 😏

[@berndeckenfels]

Nice Series, but 400 USD+ does not really sound cheap.

[@the_DOS]

yeah not worth it for me.

[@carloscuevas8268]

Still better than most NUCs, if you are looking for a mini PC. And I'm sure you can get better prices. These are available for ~250 USD here in Mexico

[@esaedvik]

Probably less than half the original price. Got one for 150 just now.

[@clubx1000]

KOORUI Gaming Monitor, 27 inch WQHD 2560 x 1440 PC Computer Monitor, Up to 240Hz Refresh, 1ms, Adaptive Sync, HDR10, DCI-P3 90%, 144Hz Monitor, DisplayPort HDMI, Tilt Adjustability, Black

[@choppergirl]

Yep, there's someone ordering it with the optional SVGA port... again, an overt damnation of the Displayports nobody will touch with a ten foot pole. I wouldn't be surprised if some old tech was fretting how to get a DIN 5 pin connector instead so he could connect his IBM Model F keyboard to it instead of that damnaable USB-C Port. Luckily, he found a 5pin to PS2 adapter patched through to a PS2 to USB converter. So he could use the expansion bay for the SVGA connector. These tech companies are so out of touch of what a PC tech is going to want or approve because he has to support them or sue them. Esp. if he is running this thing on a bread rack... you know for sure he's not plugging no Disploayport monitor into it or a rubber USB-A keyboard. He'd rather VNC in. These things are dawgs and ended up getting dumped because of the DisplayPorts... I think I'll be sticking with the desktops like and EliteDesk because they actually use... a real PC XT style power cord. Man, you really don't pwwwck with replacing the power connector, that's a standard that has survived since... 1981. I'm looking at thise mini's you're talking about on ebay... and I have no clue how you'd power them up. I'm guessing a USB-C and a USB-C charger, which is an absolute steaming pile of donkey do way to power any computer. Just, no. For real. lol... I've got boxes and boxes of PC XT power cables. So durable you cold probably hang someone with one... or tie them together into a rope and escape a prison with them. Jump up and down on them all day and they won't disconnect or break. Run 2.5x the wattage through them than they are rated for and they will hold up just fine. Just because it's newer, doesn't mean it's... better... often.. its worse.

[@choppergirl]

I'm guessing inferred from that statement, you can totally forget any Win XP, XP64 or Windows NT driver support as well. Yeah, no Windows 7 or 8 driver support on the properitary motherboard, the only thing salvagable from this unit for a Windows 7 shop would be the CPU, RAM and Ti card if you got one... maybe CMOS battery... everything else would be headed into the dumpster. A PC tech could not even recycle the case, power supply, or DVD drive or sata cables. It's all proprietary. None of it can be recycles elsewhere into other computers as parts. If you run Linux or Win11, I guess, your lucky day, but imho those two systems are unusable for serious work. Windows 7 is like the gold standard still. Any time I encounter an 11 system, I reformat it immediatley to Windows 7. Customer can finally use their PC.

[@sergeyshakurov1962]

The review is not bad ... Indeed, this gadget is good, but the price ... is not good for purchasing ...

[@ichysmith6394]

They should add a DVD part on it

[@dc37009]

You should mention the 8tb ssd is $1000 ea, so we know when your joking !

[@MudSluggerBP]

This, this, this, this, this, this, this ….. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@vlee489]

First

[@choppergirl]

Avoid all these HP PCs like toxic kryptonite! From the processor support page: "PROCESSORS*, ***NOTE: Your product does not support Windows 8 or Windows 7, In accordance with Microsoft’s support policy, HP does notsupport the Windows® 8 or Windows 7 operating system on products configured with Intel and AMD 7th generation and forward processors or provide any Windows® 8 or Windows 7 drivers " NO Windows 7 driver support = ABSOLUTE TOTAL DEAL KILLER RED FLAG You don't want to touch these with a ten foot pole unless you exclusively run Linux, in which case, enjoy?

[@divadsn]

Ok Boomer?

[@choppergirl]

@@divadsn Windows 7 most popular Windows version. Enjoy your Windows 11 hell :) Just ascsoon as they "end support" for 10... Oct.14 2025

[@prevaloir5362]

The reason why many of these mini pc's (especially from large brands) seem like they were designed to be stacked is because they're designed for the pc to be installed on the back of a monitor, many times airflow being restricted similar to a server.

[@charleswilliamson7733]

Great little machines.I have a g5 and the only issue regarding storage is if you have 2 nvme drives installed then the sata cage does not fit properly as the second nvme slot sits slightly higher.So it is either 2 nvme or 1 nvme in main slot and one hdd or ssd in the sata tray.

[@ServeTheHomeVideo]

Velcro the SATA :-)

[@MojoMagic977]

Dremel out the caddy tray. A few cutouts will do it.

[@kevinrickey3925]

Split right down the 15 pin VGA.. Shit on the left is fast, shit on the right is slow... Awesome.... Luv ya Man. !!!!