HP 800 G3, Core i5-6500, 16GB, 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD, Black/Silver

The HP 800 G3 SFF is a refurbished budget desktop that handles everyday office work fine thanks to 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. But the aging Core i5-6500 CPU and integrated graphics make it a poor choice for gaming or heavy workloads. At around $190, it's a decent deal for basic productivity and not much else.

Let's talk numbers. The Core i5-6500 is a 4-core, 4-thread chip with a 3.2GHz base clock and up to 3.6GHz boost. In our database, that puts it in the 8th percentile for CPU performance among desktops. Translation: it's one of the slowest processors we track right now. It'll chug through basic tasks, but throw heavy multitasking or anything CPU-intensive at it and you'll feel the age immediately.

The storage setup is a mixed bag. The 256GB SSD is where Windows 11 Pro lives, and it makes everyday navigation feel responsive. The 1TB HDD is fine for file storage, but it's slow by modern standards. Our storage score lands right around the middle of the pack, which feels accurate. The 16GB of DDR4 RAM sits at the 33rd percentile, which is workable but not impressive. And the integrated HD 530 graphics? That's the 97th percentile for GPU, but only because integrated graphics in old office PCs are all equally useless for real work. Don't let that percentile fool you.

Stacked against the Dell Precision 3630, the HP 800 G3 looks like what it is: an older, cheaper office box. The Precision 3630 supports newer Xeon and Core chips, has better expansion options, and generally feels like a more serious workstation. But it also costs more, and if you don't need that extra muscle, the HP is the better budget pick. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M710Q is a closer match in spirit, another tiny refurbished office PC, but it typically comes with lower RAM ceilings and fewer storage options. The HP's 16GB of RAM and dual-drive setup give it a slight edge for everyday multitasking.

Then there's the Minisforum DeskMini UM880 Plus, which is a completely different animal. It's a modern mini PC with a much faster AMD processor and far better integrated graphics. It costs more, but if you want a small desktop that can actually handle light gaming or photo editing, the Minisforum is the smarter buy. The ACEMAGIC M1 is another budget mini PC that trades blows with the HP on price but offers newer silicon. And the Apple iMac REF-MNE92LL/A is only relevant if you're already in the Apple ecosystem and don't mind spending more for a cleaner all-in-one experience.

At around $190, the HP 800 G3 SFF is cheap, but is it a good value? That depends on what you need. For a basic home office machine or a kid's homework station, it's hard to argue with the price. You get Windows 11 Pro, 16GB of RAM, and an SSD, which is more than many new budget PCs offer at double the cost. But you're also buying into a platform with no meaningful upgrade path. The CPU is soldered to an old socket, and the integrated graphics are what they are. If you need this machine to do anything beyond basic productivity, you'll outgrow it fast. The Dell Precision 3630 and Lenovo ThinkCentre M710Q are both worth a look if you want something with a bit more headroom, though they'll cost more.

The HP 800 G3 SFF is a refurbished small form factor desktop that sits firmly in the budget office PC category. You're looking at around $190 for a machine with an Intel Core i5-6500, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 256GB SSD paired with a 1TB HDD. It's the kind of box that gets bought in bulk by offices, then finds a second life on refurb sites for people who just need a reliable Windows machine without spending real money.

So is the HP 800 G3 good for everyday use? For web browsing, email, spreadsheets, and light multitasking, yeah, it holds up fine. The 16GB of RAM is actually more than you'd expect at this price, and the SSD keeps Windows 11 Pro feeling snappy on boot and app launches. But this is a 6th gen Intel chip from 2015, and our database puts its CPU performance near the bottom of the pile compared to modern desktops.

If you're asking whether the HP 800 G3 is good for gaming, the short answer is no. The integrated Intel HD Graphics 530 can handle solitaire and maybe some very old titles, but our gaming score for this machine is 17.2 out of 100. That's not a typo. This is a workhorse, not a racehorse.

Skip the HP 800 G3 if you need any real graphics power. Gamers, video editors, and anyone working with 3D modeling or CAD software will find the integrated HD 530 graphics unusable. It's also a poor fit for heavy multitaskers who keep dozens of browser tabs open while running demanding applications, the old i5 will buckle. If you need a small desktop with actual performance, the Minisforum DeskMini UM880 Plus is a much better choice, and the Dell Precision 3630 is worth a look if you want a more capable refurbished workstation.

Should you buy the HP 800 G3 SFF? If you need a cheap, compact Windows 11 machine for email, web browsing, office apps, and light multitasking, this is a solid deal at $190. The 16GB of RAM and SSD boot drive make it feel more capable than its age suggests, and the SFF chassis is easy to tuck away. It's a perfectly fine refurbished office PC.

But if you're hoping to game, edit video, run virtual machines, or do anything that actually taxes a CPU, look elsewhere. The Core i5-6500 is one of the weakest processors in our database, and the integrated graphics are a dead end. For basic productivity, it's a bargain. For anything more, it's a paperweight with a power cord.