HP ProDesk ProDesk 4 G1i Jack Black Review

The HP ProDesk 4 G1i Mini is a secure, super-compact business PC with a capable Core Ultra 5 CPU and HP Wolf Pro Security. Storage is stingy at 512GB and the integrated graphics are weak, so it's strictly an office machine. Pricing is all over the place, look for it around $999 to get decent value. If you need a tiny Windows PC with enterprise security, this fits the bill, just don't expect to game on it.

The HP ProDesk 4 G1i Mini is the kind of PC that slides into an office like it was always meant to be there. It's a barely-there black box, a kilogram and change, that can vanish behind a monitor or sit unobtrusively on a desk. HP built this for businesses and home offices that need reliable, secure Windows computing without the clutter of a tower. Our database puts its overall business score at 70.9, and for compact form factor it jumps to 78, so if space is your top concern, you're looking at a strong candidate. It ships with Windows 11 Pro and HP's Wolf Pro Security suite, which is a genuine selling point for IT managers who'd rather not spend their day fighting malware.

Under the hood is Intel's new Core Ultra 5 235T, a 14-core chip with a dedicated NPU that delivers a claimed 13 TOPS for AI-accelerated tasks. We're seeing it rank in the 72nd percentile across all desktop CPUs, which is well above average for an office workhorse. You get 16GB of DDR5 and a 512GB NVMe SSD, though the storage sits at the 40th percentile, definitely on the lean side for 2025. Connectivity is solid, with gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6E, DisplayPort, HDMI 2.1, and a decent mix of USB ports. The toolless chassis is a nice touch, letting you pop it open to swap SSDs without reaching for a screwdriver.

This is not a machine for gamers, and the specs agree, the gaming score is a pitiful 13.3 out of 100. But HP isn't trying to win over that crowd. The ProDesk aims squarely at the person who needs a trustworthy desktop for spreadsheets, video calls, and maybe some light coding. With the NPU onboard, it's also prepared for a future where Windows leans harder on local AI for Copilot and security processing. If you're an HP shop already using their management tools, this mini PC slots in effortlessly, and the preconfigured security stack is a big differentiator against generic mini PCs.

The Core Ultra 5 235T holds its own for office multitasking. With 14 cores (likely a mix of performance and efficiency cores) and a 2.2GHz base clock, it chews through browsers full of tabs, Teams calls with screen sharing, and moderate Excel models without breaking a sweat. In our percentile rankings it lands at the 72nd spot, putting it well above the typical office PC. The integrated Intel Graphics, however, are another story. They rank in the 46th percentile, which is mediocre at best. You'll drive dual 4K displays just fine, but don't expect smooth frame rates in anything tougher than Solitaire. Even photo editing can feel sluggish if you're working on high-res images.

Real-world, that means Outlook, Slack, and a dozen PDFs open simultaneously won't phase it. We'd be comfortable recommending it as a daily driver for accounting, customer support, or administrative roles. The 16GB of DDR5 RAM is about average for this class, placing in the 53rd percentile. It's enough for now, but if your workload involves large datasets or virtual machines, you'll feel the ceiling sooner than you'd like. The SSD delivers okay sequential reads but sequential writes and random access are just okay, and with only 512GB, disk-hungry users will need to lean on cloud storage or the second M.2 slot sooner rather than later. The 90W external power brick is silent, which helps keep the whole package quiet under normal loads, though the tiny fan does spin up audibly when the CPU is maxed out.

Pricing on the ProDesk 4 G1i is a mess. Across different vendors we've seen it listed for anywhere from $999 to a ridiculous $26,799. Clearly, some sellers are trying to pull a fast one. At around $999, this mini PC makes sense for a business that values the security features and compact design. For $1,200 or $1,300, it's still competitive with similar enterprise-focused minis from Dell or Lenovo. But anything north of $1,500 and you're overpaying, especially when a Mac mini M4 with a much beefier chip and GPU starts at $599.

If you need Windows 11 Pro and HP's Wolf security, the value prop is there, but only at street prices near the lower end. We'd steer clear of the outlandish listings. Check Newegg and other reputable retailers for the sub-$1,100 range. And remember, a third of that cost is the OS and enterprise support, so if you don't need those, a consumer NUC or Mac mini will give you vastly more horsepower for your dollar.

The set of competitors our database pulled is a bit schizophrenic. The ASUS ROG GM700TZ, Lenovo Legion Tower 5i, and MSI Aegis RS2 are full-size gaming rigs with discrete GPUs, massive power supplies, and no interest in sitting quietly on a receptionist's desk. They absolutely destroy the ProDesk in any graphics workload, but they're also huge, loud, and priced like it. If you're actually considering a ProDesk, you're probably not cross-shopping gaming towers. The one reasonable rival in the list is the Apple Mac mini M4. That little aluminum box is smaller, faster, and cheaper, with a GPU that can handle light video editing and even some casual gaming. But you'll have to leave Windows behind, which for many business environments is a nonstarter.

For a true apples-to-apples comparison, you'd look toward the Dell OptiPlex Micro or Lenovo ThinkCentre Tiny lines. Those offer similar vPro security, tool-less access, and compact footprints at comparable prices. We haven't benchmarked those specific models head to head, but based on the components, this HP holds its own on CPU performance while leaning heavily on its security software as the differentiator. So if you're an HP house, the ProDesk 4 G1i makes sense. If you're brand agnostic, you might find a better storage or memory configuration from Lenovo at the same price.

If gaming or GPU-accelerated work is even remotely on your radar, this machine is a complete dud. The integrated Intel graphics score in the bottom half of our rankings, so you'll struggle with any modern games, 3D modeling, or heavy video editing. Even casual Minecraft will feel choppy. Steer clear and look at something like the Mac mini M4 if you need compact form but with real graphical chops, or a small tower with a discrete GPU.

You should also skip the ProDesk if a large local storage pool is a must. The 512GB drive is paltry, and while you can add a second SSD, the base configuration might frustrate photographers, architects, or anyone juggling huge file sets. In that case, a Dell XPS desktop or even a NAS-backed setup with a larger Mini PC would serve you better. Finally, if you're not locked into the Windows ecosystem and don't need HP's security stack, the lower price and vastly better performance of Apple's M4 Mac mini make it a smarter buy.

For the right office, the HP ProDesk 4 G1i is a tidy little workhorse. It's not flashy, it's not fast for games, and it won't impress anyone with its benchmark scores, but it does exactly what it says on the box: secure, quiet, and dependable Windows computing in a package you can hide behind a monitor. Business users who are already using HP's management tools and need that Wolf Pro Security layer will appreciate the out-of-the-box protection and straightforward deployment. The toolless dual SSD design is a practical touch that IT staff will love.

Home office users with tighter budgets and no need for enterprise security might be better off with a Mac mini or a slightly larger DIY mini PC that offers more RAM and storage for the money. The 16GB of memory is adequate today, but if you plan to keep this PC for four or five years, you might hit a wall if that RAM is indeed soldered. And we need to say it again: don't pay anywhere near $26,000 for this thing. At the right price, it's a solid B-tier office PC. At the wrong price, it's a punchline.