HP Z2 G4, Core i5-9500, 16GB, 1TB SSD, Black

The HP Z2 G4 pairs a 1TB NVMe SSD and Windows 11 Pro with a CPU in the 22nd percentile and integrated graphics that score 17 out of 100 for gaming. It's a $550 USD refurbished office workhorse, not a performance machine. The 500W 90% efficient PSU and workstation build quality are nice, but the aging i5-9500 and 16GB of RAM mean this is a basic productivity box, nothing more.

The Intel Core i5-9500 is a 6-core chip running at 3.0GHz with a 4.4GHz turbo. In our database, that puts it in the 22nd percentile for CPUs in this category. Translation: it's fine for spreadsheets, email, and web browsing, but it's going to feel its age when you throw anything heavier at it. The 16GB of DDR4 2666MHz RAM is similarly modest at the 20th percentile. It's dual-channel, which helps, but 16GB is the floor for Windows 11 these days, not a selling point.

The Intel UHD Graphics 630 is integrated and shares system memory. The 97th percentile GPU ranking is misleading because it's being compared against desktops that typically have discrete GPUs. In real terms, this thing can push dual DisplayPort monitors for office work, but gaming lands at 17 out of 100. Don't expect anything beyond solitaire and maybe some light browser games. The 1TB NVMe SSD is the real bright spot at the 73rd percentile. Boot times and app launches will feel snappy, which masks some of the CPU's age in day-to-day use.

Against the Lenovo Legion 90YA003GUS, the Z2 G4 gets absolutely smoked on gaming and CPU performance. The Legion is a gaming rig with a discrete GPU, while the HP scores 17 out of 100 for gaming. The Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 likely offers newer silicon and better port selection, since the HP sits at the 19th percentile for ports. The Apple Mac mini M4 Pro is in a different league entirely for CPU and GPU performance, though it costs more and runs macOS. The iBUYPOWER Slate and MSI Codex Z2 are both gaming-focused desktops that will crush the HP in graphics but may not match its workstation build quality or the 90% efficient PSU. If you need a quiet, reliable office machine with fast storage, the HP holds its own. If you need any kind of graphical horsepower, look elsewhere.

At $550 USD refurbished, the Z2 G4 is priced like a budget office PC but built like a workstation. The 1TB NVMe SSD and Windows 11 Pro license add real value, and the 500W PSU means you could theoretically drop in a low-power discrete GPU later. But you're paying for build quality and reliability, not raw performance. The CPU and RAM are both below the 25th percentile, so you're getting a machine that's already behind the curve. For pure specs-per-dollar, there are newer options in this price range, but few with this level of workstation pedigree.

The HP Z2 G4 is a weird mix. You get a 1TB NVMe SSD and integrated graphics that rank in the 97th percentile for this category, which sounds great until you realize that GPU score is mostly because most desktops in our database ship with discrete cards and this one doesn't. The CPU sits at the 22nd percentile and RAM at the 20th, so the bones here are older than the storage would suggest. At $550 USD refurbished, it's a workstation that's been repurposed for office duty, not a performance machine.

For business and home office use, the scores land at 53.6 and 51.7 out of 100. That's middle of the pack. The 4.9 out of 5 customer rating from 4 reviews is nice, but with that sample size we're not calling it a trend. The 500W 90% efficient PSU is a solid touch for a refurb, and Windows 11 Pro is already activated, which saves you a license headache.

Skip this if you need any kind of graphical performance. The integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630 scores 17 out of 100 for gaming, which is one of the worst results we've seen for that use case. Also skip it if you run heavy multitasking workloads, since the 16GB of RAM at the 20th percentile and the CPU at the 22nd percentile will both become bottlenecks quickly. If you're buying for a power user, a developer running VMs, or anyone who edits photos or video, this machine will frustrate them within a week. The port selection at the 19th percentile is another reason to look elsewhere if you need lots of USB devices or modern connectivity.

The HP Z2 G4 is a refurbished workstation that makes sense for a narrow audience. If you need a reliable Windows 11 Pro machine for office work, web browsing, and dual monitors, the 1TB NVMe SSD and solid PSU make it a decent buy at $550 USD. But the CPU and RAM are both in the bottom quartile of our database, and the integrated graphics are a non-starter for anything beyond basic display output. The 4.9 rating from 4 reviews is encouraging but thin. This is a machine for people who value stability and build quality over raw performance, and who understand they're buying older silicon.