14 DAY TRIAL // There used to be a time when a starting price of $499 / €499 meant that a computer wasn't all that good for much, but things are different now, and HP seems quite eager to prove that, or rather capable of proving that without even trying.
The company has introduced the ProDesk 400 series, which can be powered by an Intel Pentium, Core i3, Core i5 or Core i7 CPU, or an AMD A-Series APU.
More precisely, there are two versions of the computer, the HP ProDesk 400 G1 and HP ProDesk 405 G1.
The former, ProDesk 400 G1, is the Intel-powered one, with 16 GB of DDR3 RAM (random access memory) and storage space of up to 2 TB.
Sure, the minimum price will limit specs to far less than that, but even 4 GB and 500 GB storage are nice parameters for business PCs.
After all, when virtual paperwork is everything you're doing on it, you don't really need much of anything beyond the basics.
And even so, HP allows for an optional discrete graphics card from NVIDIA and Advanced Micro Devices.
The ProDesk 405 G1 also has 16 GB max RAM and 2 TB top storage, but the central chip is an AMD quad-core A6-5200, A4-5000, or E1-2500 APU (accelerated processing unit).
Here, the integrated graphics are much better than on the other one, but discrete add-in cards are available nonetheless.
As for the cases, there are two that people can choose from, or will be able to choose from once availability ramps up, whenever that happens.
There is a micro tower case with more expansion options (five drive bays, up to 10 external USB ports) and a small form factor case for efficiency in terms of both energy use and space. HP Client Security software is supported in both cases.