HP ProDesk 4 Mini G1i

The HP ProDesk 4 Mini G1i is a tiny office PC with a strong CPU and 32GB of RAM that shines at productivity tasks. Its integrated graphics are a dealbreaker for gaming or video work. At the low end of its $1369–$1999 price range it's fair, but you'll want to avoid paying top dollar.

The HP ProDesk 4 Mini G1i is a pint-sized desktop aimed squarely at office desks that are short on square footage. It packs a 20-core Intel Core Ultra 7 265T, a generous 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and Windows 11 Pro into a chassis that won't eat your entire cubicle. Connectivity is solid too: Wi-Fi 6E, dual display outputs, and a healthy spread of USB ports mean you can hook up a full workstation without a dongle graveyard.

But not everything is rosy. The 512GB SSD is a bit tight for a machine that could cost north of $1900, and the integrated Intel graphics are really only fit for spreadsheets and video calls. If you stick to office duty, this little HP hums along nicely. Just don't expect it to moonlight as a gaming rig or a content creation beast.

In our database, the Core Ultra 7 265T lands around the 78th percentile among all desktop CPUs we've tested, giving it plenty of grunt for multitasking, data crunching, and running virtual meetings. The 32GB of DDR5 is even better, ranking in the top fifth of configurations, so you'll have headroom for dozens of browser tabs and Office apps. However, the integrated GPU is the anchor here: it sits at a mediocre 46th percentile, and our gaming score of 16.6 out of 100 confirms you'll be lucky to play anything modern above low settings. Storage speed is about average, and while the CPU can boost to 5.30 GHz under short loads, sustained all-core work will keep the tiny fan spinning. For a compact office PC, the performance profile is right on target, strong on productivity, weak on graphics.

Value here entirely depends on which vendor you pick. At the low end, $1369 nets you a capable, Windows 11 Pro mini PC with an excellent RAM count and a modern CPU. That's competitive, if not thrilling. But if you're looking at the $1999 sticker, you're deep into territory where a Mac mini M4 with better everything starts at $599, and even after adding a good monitor and keyboard you'd walk away with more performance per dollar. For business buys, shop around and don't pay more than the mid-$1300s.

Stacked against Apple's Mac mini M4, the HP loses the speed, efficiency, and GPU fight, though it fights back with 32GB of RAM versus the base M4's 16GB and a Windows ecosystem some IT departments demand. The Lenovo Legion Tower 5i and ASUS ROG GM700TZ are gaming towers that utterly destroy the ProDesk in graphics, but they're physically enormous next to this mini. If you need a tiny Windows machine for Office and browser-based tools, the ProDesk 4 Mini G1i is a logical, if not particularly exciting, pick.

If you need any real graphics muscle—gaming, CAD, video editing—this isn't your machine. The integrated GPU will have you waiting and stuttering. In that case, a Mac mini M4 or a compact gaming tower like the Lenovo Legion Tower 5i will serve you far better, even if they cost a little more upfront.

This is a purpose-built office tool, and for that it works well. Grab it if your IT department wants a compact, reliable Windows 11 Pro machine that can juggle spreadsheets and video calls all day. Just don't mistake it for a jack-of-all-trades. Without a separate GPU, its talents are narrow but useful for the right person.