HP ProDesk 4 G1i AI

Gobs of RAM and ports make it a solid office desk jockey, but the price jumps around like a caffeinated squirrel and the weak storage needs a day-one upgrade.

The HP ProDesk 4 G1i AI is a business workhorse dressed in a small form factor suit. You get a 14-core Intel Core Ultra 5 235, a generous 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and a connector buffet that puts most towers to shame. It's built for multitasking, spreadsheets, and everything short of 3D rendering. But right out of the gate, HP's decision to ship it with just a 512GB SSD and integrated graphics feels like ordering a loaded pizza and getting one slice of pepperoni. If you're running a home office or a cubicle farm, this desktop will chew through your workday, but you'll need to add storage sooner than you'd like, and forget about gaming or GPU-heavy tasks.

The CPU surprised us. In our tests, the Core Ultra 5 235 handled 40+ browser tabs, video calls, and a couple of Office apps without breaking a sweat. The built-in NPU is a nice touch for AI-powered tools, though real-world benefits are still niche. What's less surprising is the storage. A 512GB NVMe SSD puts it in the bottom half of the pack, and with Windows 11 Pro and a few apps, you'll be staring at a 'low disk space' warning before the first month is out. Fortunately, the empty M.2 slot and a 3.5-inch bay let you fix that on your own dime.

The price swings from $1481 to $1949 depending on where you look. At the low end, you're getting a fair deal for a no-nonsense business PC with gobs of RAM. At the high end, you're being taken for a ride. Do yourself a favor and shop around. If you see it above $1600, walk away and wait for a sale. The lower the price, the easier it is to swallow that flimsy SSD.

The obvious Windows rival is a Dell XPS desktop, which often gives you similar CPU and RAM but with better storage options and sometimes a dedicated GPU at a similar price. Then there's the elephant in the room: the Apple Mac mini M4. It smokes this HP in raw processing and graphics power while costing hundreds less, and it's even smaller. The catch? Fewer ports and macOS. If you're a Windows lifer who needs eight USB-A ports and HDMI 2.1 on a single box, the ProDesk fits the bill, but for everyone else, the Mac mini is the smarter buy.

If you're hunting for a gaming rig or anything that uses a discrete GPU, this is the wrong machine. Skip it and check out the ASUS ROG or Lenovo Legion lineups for similar money with real graphics punch. Even if you just want a tiny, powerful PC, the Mac mini M4 demolishes it on performance per dollar.

The HP ProDesk 4 G1i AI gets the business basics right. It's fast, quiet, and packed with connectivity. But the stingy storage and integrated graphics feel like an upsell tactic. Buy it only if you find it on sale near the $1500 mark and you don't need a GPU. At full price, you're better off building your own SFF PC or grabbing a Mac mini and a USB hub.