HP ProDesk 405 G6 Desktop Mini PC Review – Tiny But Powerful

With the increase in demand for mini desktop computers on the market, machines like HP ProDesk 405 G6 are now found in every office and business environment around the globe. Now when it comes to standard desktop computers, HP is the most reliable option to go with. But does HP continues to offer the same value to users when it comes to mini PCs like ProDesk 405 G6? Well, this review guide will answer all of your questions.

HP ProDesk 405 G6 Mini PC Review

The HP ProDesk 405 G6 is the most compact machine from HP so far. If you are more concerned about saving extra space on your desk, then the ProDesk 405 G6 with its tiny footprints can easily fit anywhere.

HP has built this mini PC around different specifications based on your budget and workload requirements. The base models start with AMD Athlon Silver PRO 3125GE CPU and go all the way up to AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 4750GE. These are 75W CPUs that are more energy-efficient than standard desktop CPUs.

Also, there are two DIMM slots on this PC, out of which one is pre-equipped with 8GB of DDR4 RAM. This gives you enough headroom to install another RAM stick to boost up your performance.

Furthermore, you get 256GB NVMe SSD storage space on this mini PC, which I believe is more than enough if you deal with mainstream workloads. And lastly, we have some useful I/Os at the front, RJ-45, and built-in Wi-Fi.

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Design

The HP ProDesk 405 G6 isn’t much different in design from its predecessors, the 405 G6 and 400 G6. However, this time HP has opted for a wavy textured look at the front of the case.

The bottom panel that includes the useful I/Os and the power button is now dark gray in color. Even some minor changes in the design give the HP ProDesk 405 G6 a decent and appealing look.

The entire unit measures 17.7 x 17.5 x 3.42 cm which is almost the same as the previous model, HP ProDesk 400 G5 mini PC. However, the 405 G6 with approx 1.25 kg weighs lighter than the previous 400 G5 machine.

CPU

Most variants of HP ProDesk 405 G6 are fueled by AMD Ryzen Pro 4th generation “GE” processors. The one that we are reviewing here comes with AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 4650GE 3.3 GHz and a total of six cores.

No doubt, this mini packs a lot of processing power to crush any single or multi-threaded workload that you’ll throw on it. The Ryzen 5 Pro 4650E also has the ability to clock up to 4.2 GHz when there’s a lot of stress on your CPU.

So as far as you are dealing with content creation and other CPU-intensive tasks, this mini PC would deliver you plenty of performance juice. After all, having a six-core CPU is the bare minimum to have these days on your PC.

Previous HP ProDesk 400 models used Intel Gen8 CPUs to power up, but this time HP has used more energy-efficient Ryzen Pro GE CPUs with 35W of TDP in G6 mini PCs.

The 4th gen Ryzen chips are more power-efficient as compared to older 8th-generation Intel chips. This brings you more performance while consuming half the amount of power that older HP ProDesk mini PCs did.

RAM

The HP ProDesk 405 G6 supports up to 64GB DDR4 DIMMs with transfer rates of 2666 MT/s and 3200 MT/s. The older ProDesk models only supported 2666 MT/s DIMM sticks., but G6 lets you higher transfer rates by popping in 3200 MT/s sticks.

Right out of the box, you only have 8GB or 16GB of memory. There are a total of two DIMM slots available on this mini PC, but there’s only one slot left for you to make any upgrades.

Even with the stock 8GB or 16GB sticks, the HP ProDesk G6 gives you plenty of performance that you need. As mini PCs are meant for workloads that do not eat a lot of RAM, I believe the 8GB or 16GB number would be sufficient for you.

But if somehow you are dealing with complex projects that demand more RAM, then you have the option to expand up to 64GB of RAM on this mini PC.

Storage

In terms of storage, just like many other mini PCs, the HP ProDesk 405 G6 also comes with a standard 256GB NVMe SSD drive. But this is not all, there’s an empty space for installing an extra 2.5″ hard drive or SSD if you need more storage.

There are a handful of data protection utilities that come along with ProDesk G6 like the HP Drivelock and Secure Erase to avoid any data breach.

Graphics

The HP ProDesk 405 G6 makes use of built-in AMD Radeon Vega to take care of graphics. It’s the same chip that HP has used in the previous ProDesk mini PC models as well.

From the performance perspective, the Radeon Vega is not as powerful as a dedicated graphics card, but it still does its job well in the world of graphics.

You can easily watch videos at 1080p quality and play some less intensive games on this integrated graphics chip at 720p settings. Overall, this integrated graphics card is good enough for browsing the web, and watching/streaming videos online.

But if you are too heavy on rendering graphics and editing 4K videos, you may have to look for a regular desktop computer that comes with a dedicated graphics card.

With ProDesk G6, you get three video outputs to connect multiple monitors at the same time. Compared to the G5 only had two DisplayPorts on it, the ProDesk G6 comes with 1x HDMI 1.4, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, and 1x VGA video connections.

I/Os

ProDesk 405 G6 comes with some of the most advanced I/O ports for faster data transfer and device connectivity. At the front panel, you’ll find a fast Type USB-C port and two Type-A ports for lightning-fast performance.

At the back panel, there are other USB ports, video ports, and LAN ports for connecting RJ-45 ethernet cables. Furthermore, there’s built-in WiFi and Bluetooth which you mostly don’t find on many mini PCs.

Operating System

The ProDesk 405 G6 runs on the Windows 10 64-bit operating system, which meets the requirements of every app and program out there. However, does promise you a free upgrade to Windows 11 if you want.

Along with the Windows 10 operating system, there are some preinstalled utilities and programs to optimize your PC and prevent any viruses.

Personally, I recommend staying with Windows 10 if you want fast and clean performance. If you are too curious about installing Windows 11 on this PC, then don’t forget to upgrade your RAM in the first place.

Why You Should Buy HP ProDesk 405 G6 Mini Desktop?

The ProDesk 405 G6 is a compact and lightweight mini PC with a fast processor, enough RAM, and advanced I/O ports. All of this makes G6 a good option for office workloads and other routine tasks like surfing the internet, creating content, watching or streaming videos, and light gaming.

For office users that need multiple screens to work on, the HP ProDesk G6 offers up to three video outputs (HDMI, DisplayPort, and VGA port).

Alternatives to HP ProDesk 405 G6

If you are not satisfied with what HP ProDesk 405 G6 offers, then there are some other mini PCs that you can consider as alternatives.

Beelink SER4 Ryzen Mini PC is one of the best alternatives to the HP ProDesk 405 G6. The Beelink SER4 packs Ryzen 7 4700U processor, 16GB of RAM, Radeon graphics, and Windows 11 operating system to outperform the HP ProDesk 405 in productivity tasks. Not only this, but the Beelink SER4 costs significantly less than HP’s G6 mini PC.

Another option is to go with an Apple Mac Mini PC that comes with an M2 octa-core chip to chew the toughest of workloads that you’ll throw on it. However, Apple’s Mac mini is expensive as compared to the HP ProDesk 405 G6. But you can easily find some affordable mini PCs to get your work done.