HP 600 G3 2017, Core i5-7500, 16GB, 256GB SSD + 500GB HDD, Black

The HP 600 G3 costs $215 to $220 and comes with 16GB RAM, a 256GB SSD, and Windows 11 Pro. But the Core i5-7500 CPU is a 10th percentile performer, and gaming scores just 17.5 out of 100. It's fine for basic office work, but don't expect it to keep up with anything modern.

Let's talk about that Core i5-7500. Four cores, 3.4GHz base, 3.8GHz turbo, 6MB cache. On paper it sounds okay, but in our database it's a 10th percentile CPU. That's rough. You'll feel it when you have a dozen browser tabs open alongside Excel and a video call. The 16GB of DDR4 RAM helps, but it's only 33rd percentile for memory, so don't expect to run heavy virtual machines or edit 4K video. The 256GB SSD is the saving grace here. Boot times will be quick and apps will launch without the painful HDD grind. The 500GB HDD is fine for cold storage, but it's not where you want to install anything you use daily.

The Intel HD Graphics 630 shows up as 97th percentile in our GPU rankings, which sounds impressive until you realize it's integrated graphics from 2017. It'll push a 4K display over DisplayPort for desktop work, but gaming is a 17.5 out of 100. Don't even think about it. This is a spreadsheet machine, not a gaming rig.

Stacked against the Apple Mac mini M4, this HP looks ancient. The Mac mini's M4 chip runs circles around the i5-7500 in every metric we track, though it costs significantly more. The Dell Precision 3630 is a closer match in spirit, another business tower, but with better CPU options and a more modern platform. The Minisforum DeskMini UM880 Plus and Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q Gen 5 are both tiny machines that outperform this HP in CPU and RAM while taking up a fraction of the desk space. The BOSGAME P3 is another budget option, but with newer internals. If you're set on a tower form factor and a sub-$250 price, the HP 600 G3 is one of the few options, but you're paying with performance.

At $215 to $220, you're getting a complete Windows 11 Pro desktop with keyboard and mouse. That's not nothing. But the value depends entirely on what you need. For a basic office PC or a machine for a kid's homework, it's hard to argue with the price. The dual storage setup means you won't immediately run out of space. But the CPU is old enough that you're buying into a platform with no meaningful upgrade path. If you need this to last more than a couple of years, you might be better off spending a bit more on something with a newer processor.

The HP 600 G3 is a refurbished business tower that lands at $215 to $220 in our database. That's cheap for a Windows 11 Pro machine with 16GB of DDR4 and a dual-drive setup, but the CPU is the elephant in the room. The Core i5-7500 sits at the 10th percentile for processors in this category, which means it's slower than 90% of what we've tested. The integrated Intel HD Graphics 630, oddly listed with 48GB VRAM, is actually a 97th percentile GPU in our database, but that's a quirk of how integrated graphics get categorized, not a reason to get excited.

For basic office work, email, and web browsing, this thing will chug along fine. The 256GB SSD keeps boot times snappy and the extra 500GB HDD gives you room for files. But the 9.07kg weight tells you this is an old-school tower, not a sleek modern desktop. It's a budget play for someone who needs a Windows box and doesn't care about looks or future-proofing.

Anyone who needs a machine for gaming, video editing, or heavy multitasking should look elsewhere. The 17.5 gaming score and 10th percentile CPU are dealbreakers for those use cases. Also skip this if you want something compact or quiet, the 9.07kg tower is a relic from a different era. And if you're buying for a business that needs reliability over several years, the 69th percentile reliability score and 90-day warranty aren't exactly confidence-inspiring. Spend a bit more and get something with a modern processor.

The HP 600 G3 is a $215 to $220 office workhorse with a tired engine. The 16GB RAM and SSD keep it usable for everyday tasks, but the 10th percentile CPU means it's already behind the curve. Buy it if you need a cheap Windows 11 Pro machine for light work and don't care about gaming or future upgrades. Skip it if you can stretch your budget even $100 more, because the performance gap between this and a modern budget desktop is substantial.