HP ProDesk 600 G3 Black/Silver 2016

A cheap and cheerful refurbished office PC that nails the basics. The i7 and SSD keep things moving for everyday work, but the ancient integrated graphics mean gaming is a total no-go. For under $360, it's a smart buy for a no-frills workstation.

For everyday business tasks, this thing is solid. The i7-6700 is middle of the pack by today's standards, but it handles spreadsheets, email, and a dozen browser tabs without breaking a sweat. The 512GB SSD keeps boot times snappy and apps load fast. Just don't expect any gaming magic. The integrated Intel HD 530 graphics are one of the worst we've seen for modern titles, landing in the bottom 10% of our database. It'll push a couple of monitors for productivity, but that's about it.

Stacked against a new Apple Mac mini M4, the ProDesk gets absolutely smoked in raw power and efficiency, but it also costs a fraction of the price. The Lenovo IdeaCentre and Dell Optiplex 7070 are its real peers, offering similar refurbished business performance. The ProDesk holds its own with a better CPU than many budget competitors, though a Minisforum DeskMini or ASUS NUC 14 Pro will run circles around it in a smaller, more modern package if your budget can stretch.

At around $310 to $360, this is a lot of functional PC for not much money. You're getting a legitimate Windows 11 Pro license, a decent chunk of RAM, and an SSD, all in a tidy package. It's not a powerhouse, but for a basic office terminal, student workstation, or point-of-sale system, the value is hard to beat. You'd spend more trying to build something comparable with new parts.

This is a refurbished office workhorse that still has some life left in it. HP's ProDesk 600 G3 SFF packs an older quad-core i7, 16GB of RAM, and a speedy 512GB SSD into a compact metal box that won't eat up your desk. It ships with Windows 11 Pro and a wireless keyboard and mouse, so you're pretty much ready to go out of the box, just add a monitor.

If you need to do any 3D rendering, video editing, or gaming, look elsewhere because the integrated graphics are a serious bottleneck. Creative pros and anyone wanting a future-proof machine should save up for a modern mini PC with a recent AMD or Intel chip.

This is for the practical buyer who needs a dependable Windows machine for work, not play. If your daily routine is web apps, Office, and video calls, the ProDesk 600 G3 will serve you well without making your wallet cry. It's a sensible, no-nonsense desktop that knows exactly what it is.