HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini TinyMiniMicro Guide and Review

By
Patrick Kennedy
-
26

Key Specs

Since many of our users are going to want to run different OSes on this, we wanted to give some of the key hardware specs. There is a lot on these machines that are customizable, but this at least gives you some sense of what hardware is available. If you want to know if your hardware is compatible with your OS, this list should help do that tie-out.

CPU Support

Here are the officially supported CPUs for the unit:

  • Intel Celeron G4900T (2 Cores/ 2 MB/ 2T/ up to 2.9GHz/ 35 W)
  • Intel Pentium G5400T (2 Cores/ 4 MB/ 4T/ up to 3.1GHz/ 35 W)
  • Intel Pentium G5500T (2 Cores/ 4 MB/ 4T/ up to 3.2GHz/ 35 W)
  • Intel Core i3-8100T (4 Cores/ 6 MB/ 4T/ up to 3.1GHz/ 35 W)
  • Intel Core i5-8500T (6 Cores/ 9 MB/ 6T/ up to 3.5GHz/ 35 W)
  • Intel Core i5-8600T (6 Cores/ 9 MB/ 6T/ up to 3.7GHz/ 35 W)
  • Intel Core i7-8700T (6 Cores/ 12 MB/ 12T/ up to 4.0GHz/ 35 W)

There are also Core i5+8500T, Core i5+8600T, and Core i7+8700T variants that included Optane Memory. Also, the Pentium G5400T has an integrated Intel UHD 610 graphics solution while the Pentium G5500T and higher use the Intel UHD 630.

RAM Support

  • Up to 32GB in 2x DDR4-2400/ DDR4-2666 SODIMMs

Note: STH tested 2x 16GB Samsung SODIMMs to validate 32GB support, but we did not test 64GB support in this system.

Storage Support

  • 2.5″ SATA with Bracket
  • 2x M.2 2280 (80mm) PCIe for NVMe SSDs

Networking (Wired)

  • Intel i219LM

WiFi Support (Optional)

  • Intel 9560 802.11ac 2×2 with Bluetooth M.2 Combo Card
  • Intel 7265 802.11ac 2×2 with Bluetooth M.2 Combo Card (Brazilian markets)
  • Intel 3165 802.11ac 1×1 with Bluetooth M.2 Combo Card

Chipset

  • Intel Q370 PCH

USB Ports

  • 1x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A Front
  • 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A Front
  • 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C Front
  • 2x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A Front
  • 2x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A Front

OSes From Factory

  • Windows 10 Home (64-bit)
  • Windows 10 Pro (64-bit)
  • FreeDOS 2.0

The OS section can be important. Sometimes the units are advertised as supporting Windows 10, but one gets a Windows 10 Home license. Also, some companies may order these units with FreeDOS to load their own OSes. If you are running Linux or another OS, then this is largely irrelevant. If you want to, or may want to, run Windows 10 Pro, knowing exactly which OS is on the device is ultra-important. Although it did not come with Linux, we had our system running Proxmox VE as a Linux virtualization node.

Depending on the exact configuration, these systems may or may not support vPro. Our suggestion is to look at Core i5-8500T and higher CPUs and also look for “vPro” on the Intel sticker.

HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini Intel VPro Sticker
HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini Intel VPro Sticker

Note: These systems sometimes change specs mid-generation. If you find another spec sheet with items you think we should add, please let us know in the comments.

Next, we are going to look at the performance and power consumption before getting to our final words.

HP EliteDesk 800 G4 Mini Performance and Power Consumption

Instead of going through the entire Linux-Bench test suite, we are going to show a few performance and power numbers here to give a general sense of performance. We actually planned to do storage testing, but then we realized that there was a huge variability in terms of what drives could be found in machines.

Python Linux 4.4.2 Kernel Compile Benchmark

This is one of the most requested benchmarks for STH over the past few years. The task was simple, we have a standard configuration file, the Linux 4.4.2 kernel from kernel.org, and make the standard auto-generated configuration utilizing every thread in the system. We are expressing results in terms of compiles per hour to make the results easier to read:

Intel Core I5 8500T And Core I5 6500T Linux Kernel Compile Benchmark
Intel Core I5 8500T And Core I5 6500T Linux Kernel Compile Benchmark

Here we are highlighting specifically the Core i5-8500T and the Core i5-6500T. Both are popular SKUs in our test systems. The Core i5-6500T and i5-7500T are 4-core / 4-thread parts. The Core i5-8500T is a 6-core part which is largely due to the re-emergence of AMD as a competitive threat. As you can see from our benchmarks, there is a large performance uplift with the extra two cores.

7-zip Compression Performance

7-zip is a widely used compression/ decompression program that works cross-platform. We started using the program during our early days with Windows testing. It is now part of Linux-Bench.

Intel Core I5 8500T And Core I5 6500T 7zip Compression Benchmark
Intel Core I5 8500T And Core I5 6500T 7zip Compression Benchmark

There is a much bigger generational uplift from the previous gen Core processors than to the 9th generation processor when we compare the i5-8500T CPU. Indeed, this Core i5-8500T is out-performing the Core i7-7700T part because of the extra physical cores/ cache versus the i7’s hyper-threading. One needs to be careful of the generational differences because a current-generation CPU may be faster than a higher-level Core solution from a previous generation.

OpenSSL Performance

OpenSSL is widely used to secure communications between servers. This is an important protocol in many server stacks. We first look at our sign tests:

Intel Core I5 6500T V I5 8500T OpenSSL Sign Benchmark
Intel Core I5 6500T V I5 8500T OpenSSL Sign Benchmark

Here are the verify results:

Intel Core I5 6500T V I5 8500T OpenSSL Verify Benchmark
Intel Core I5 6500T V I5 8500T OpenSSL Verify Benchmark

Here, the key takeaway is that the Core i5-8500T can be competitive with lower-end Xeon E-2200series CPUs for lower-end systems. Ultimately TDP matters, but these systems can get fairly close to the lower-end of that range.

Next, we are going to discuss power consumption before getting to our final words.

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26 COMMENTS

  1. On the 705, I bought a USB-C I/O Card from eBay. The unit came with DP card in that spot. The 800 likely allows the same.

  2. One other thing, the G4 series in general has that dgpu connector, but I can’t find second-hand cards. Any DIY sleuths know how that can be accessed, even if it is a funky fix?

  3. It would be interesting to know what kind of TPMs all the units in the tinyminimicro series comes with, manufacturer/model and TPM specification revision for example.

  5. I have two G5 (i7-9700K and i9-9900K) with a G6 (i9-10900K) on the way, about $1200 each with vestigial 4GB RAM and 128G SSD to be upgraded without HP’s outrageous markups. These are full-bore 95W CPUs with 64GB of RAM and dual M.2 NVMe drives (no SATA or dGPU in the high-performance CPU variants). Really tiny and incredibly fast machines.

    If you want a GPU or 10G Ethernet, you are better off with the Z2 G5 Mini which is actually cheaper even with a Xeon W-1290P, ut then it’s a SFF chassis, not UCFF.

  6. @WelshWizard I use it with Linux and have a requirement for a discreet TPM 2.0 (so no Intel ME/PTT for example), but sadly most PC (client) manufacturers are bad at specifying what kind of TPM are included

  7. @Erik

    That can be found in the HP Quickspecs library. (just google “prodesk 400 g4 quickspecs”) Unless the specific machines are from russia, the models will all have the same TPM chip. And it’s impossible to not have the TPM chip in europe and americas.

  8. Possible dumb question but in the pictures provided I cannot see/identify the second M.2 slot for another NVME ssd. (it it the connector under the internal speaker cable/next to the screw hole for the2.5 inch HDD/ssd cage?) Could somebody draw a circle around it on one of the motherboard pictures? I take it that it there is space to accommodate a 2280 length ssd? Also can the second m.2 connector/slot be used in conjunction with the HP HDD cage installed and occupied with a 2.5 inch drive?

    Also is it possible to order another p60 sata motherboard connector (slides on to the motherboard pins) from HP or elsewhere? Mine seems to have a crack on one side, I’l like to have a replacement handy just in case.

    Thanks to anyone in advance who can answer these questions.

  9. @Achronos – look at the picture https://www.servethehome.com/hp-elitedesk-800-g4-mini-tinyminimicro-guide-review/hp-elitedesk-800-g4-mini-internal-without-sata-assembly/
    you have the bottom m.2 occupied by one and in the right side just above the wifi card you have the second m.2. Technically You should be able to use all 3. however those m.2’s do run serious hot, and with an ssd on top, i would guess there could be heat issues.

    You should be able to by the sata connector as a sparepart. you could try to look at partsurfer.hp.com to find the sku 🙂

  11. @Tozmo – I have would also like to look into utilising the dGPU connector but am not sure which cards are compatible

    I have a elite desk 800 g4 DM 65W HP845A i5 8500 16gb 2666

    Any help would be appreciated

  12. Hi did someone test 2x 32GB of ram in this models? in the specs says that the max is 32 GB of RAM but sometimes is just commercial sh..t (Some nuc models says max 32 but they support 64 gb).

    Thanks

    Tombs up for TMM Project.

  13. Hi did someone test 2x 32GB of ram in this models? in the specs says that the max is 32 GB of RAM but sometimes is just commercial sh..t (Some nuc models says max 32 but they support 64 gb).

    Thanks

  14. regarding the 2nd m.2 nvme slot. it stand a bit taller than the first slot, so much so that it interferes with the 2.5″ SATA tray. i see no way to secure a 2.5″ drive if the 2nd m.2 nvme slot is used.

  15. Yes Cody i have the same problem i removed the stand and placed the ssd on top of the 2 nvme disk.
    I also have another problem that is with 2xM2 NVMe connect i cannot use both NVMe in RAID config on ESXi, since it have a Fake Raid controller (software Raid) the Raid is not support in ESXi. For now I am not sure if there an workaround with Proxmox.
    Just an heads up for the ones like me that bought this computer because of the 2 nvme to run raid on hypervisor.

  16. Hi,

    Breat job and idea for project mini’s -thanks for reviews and many tips 🙂
    If I may ask 1 question: I had bought same unit Elitedesk 800 G4 mini but without Wifi onboard – can You please confirm that ax200ngw will work in this unit or I should by supported Intel 9560NGW?

    Thanks and best wishes to all 😀

  17. UPDATE: AX200 WiFi is working fine – no issues reported. Maybe some will search for confirmation 😀

  19. For those of you who have done the velcro mount for the 2.5″ drives, what does the setup look like? I just got the unit and trying to figure out how that will work.

  20. changing rpm of cooler in BIOS is possible?
    Anyone tried change noisy cooler with low-noise external 80 / 92mm cooler, with modifying case ?

  22. Has anyone had issues getting Proxmox installed on their 800 G4 or is it just me possibly? Sometimes it makes it to the GUI installation environment but hasn’t passed 50% before stalling out, other times it never makes it out of the preboot and fails due to a kernel panic.

    Any tips or tricks? Specific BIOS settings to flip? Any suggestions appreciated!

  23. Has anyone (successfully) tried to fit an M.2 to RJ45 LAN adapter card into the E-key M.2 port and pass the RJ45 socket out the expansion hole at the back?

  24. Cody and GA…. frustrating for me as well!! I want to use all three slots!
    Now I’m thinking of having a modified tray 3D printed so I can still have a way to secure a third drive above. Leaving it to slide around on top of the NVME drives makes me nervous, as well as potential heat issues from one or the other.
    Since most drives in this small form factor are solid state in one form or another, having a bulky mounting tray like that makes no sense anymore. Seems like an design artifact left over from spinning drives.

  26. Reply to myself, after buying and testing an Intel AX210NGW.
    Yes it works perfectly in my HP Elitedesk 800 G4.
    Wifi and Bluetooth.

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