HP G2 Tiny 2019, Core i5-6500T, 16GB, 1TB SSD, Black

The HP G2 Tiny is a refurbished mini PC with a 6th Gen i5 that's showing its age, but 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD keep it usable for basic office work. Prices range from USD 265 to USD 420, and the bundles with dual monitors are the best value. Skip it if you need any real performance, but for a cheap Windows 11 Pro machine, it gets the job done.

Let's talk about that i5-6500T. It's a 4-core, 4-thread chip running at 2.5GHz base with a 3.1GHz boost. In our database, this CPU lands in the 8th percentile for this product category. That's rough. It means 92% of the mini PCs and desktops we track will run circles around it in CPU-heavy tasks. For everyday stuff like email, spreadsheets, and web browsing, you'll be fine. But throw anything demanding at it, like video editing or heavy multitasking, and you'll feel the age immediately.

The 16GB of DDR4 RAM is actually the saving grace here. It sits in the 33rd percentile, which isn't great, but 16GB is enough to keep Windows 11 Pro happy with a dozen browser tabs open. The storage situation is where you need to pay attention. The 1TB SSD version is the one you want. The 500GB HDD version will boot slowly and feel sluggish no matter what. The specs list is a bit confusing, with the description mentioning HDD while the highlights mention SSD, so double-check before you buy. The Intel HD Graphics 530 is integrated and shares system memory, so don't expect any GPU acceleration for modern apps.

Stack this against the Apple Mac mini M4 and it's not even a contest. The Mac mini will absolutely demolish this HP in every performance metric imaginable. But it also costs significantly more, and you're locked into macOS unless you want to deal with the hassle of running Windows on Apple silicon. The Mac mini is for people who want a premium experience. The HP G2 Tiny is for people who want a cheap Windows box.

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M70q Gen 5 and ASUS NUC 14 Pro are both modern mini PCs that will outperform this HP by a wide margin. They're also more expensive, typically running several hundred dollars more for comparable configurations. The Minisforum DeskMini UM880 Plus is an interesting middle ground, offering newer AMD silicon at a reasonable price. If you can stretch your budget, any of these modern options will serve you better long-term. But if USD 300 is your hard ceiling, the HP G2 Tiny is one of the few ways to get a complete Windows 11 Pro setup at that price.

The pricing on this thing is all over the place. We're seeing USD 265 to USD 420 across two US listings, and that USD 155 spread means you need to shop carefully. The lower end of that range gets you a barebones unit, while the higher end likely includes the dual monitors and peripherals. For a complete Windows 11 Pro setup with two 22-inch displays, even USD 420 isn't unreasonable. But if you're paying that much for just the mini PC itself, you're getting fleeced.

Value with refurbished hardware this old is tricky. The components have already depreciated to near zero. What you're really paying for is the convenience of a pre-built, pre-configured system with Windows 11 Pro already installed. If you're comfortable with a screwdriver, you could probably piece together something similar from eBay parts for less. But for someone who just wants to plug in and go, the convenience factor has real value. Just make sure you're getting the SSD version, not the HDD one.

The HP G2 Tiny is a refurbished mini PC that's been floating around Best Buy's shelves, and it's an interesting little box if you know exactly what you're getting into. This is a 6th Gen Intel machine, which means it's from around 2015 or 2016. That's ancient in PC years, but HP built these things like tiny tanks, and the refurb market has kept them alive for a reason. You're looking at an i5-6500T, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and either a 1TB SSD or a 500GB HDD depending on which listing you grab.

The target audience here is pretty specific. This is for someone who needs a basic Windows 11 Pro machine for office work, web browsing, or maybe a home media setup, and doesn't want to spend real money. The dual 22-inch LED monitors, WiFi, keyboard, and mouse included in some bundles sweeten the deal considerably. At USD 265 to USD 420 depending on configuration and vendor, you're getting a complete setup for less than the cost of a mid-range smartphone.

What makes this interesting is the mismatch between its age and its capabilities. The CPU is genuinely old and slow by modern standards, sitting near the bottom of our database. But the integrated GPU, oddly enough, ranks surprisingly high for this category. That's more a comment on how weak mini PC graphics generally are than a sign this thing can game. It can't. The gaming score of 18.2 out of 100 should tell you everything you need to know there.

If you need to run anything beyond basic office applications, skip this. Video editors, programmers compiling large projects, anyone working with large datasets, and especially gamers should look at modern alternatives like the Minisforum DeskMini UM880 Plus or the ASUS NUC 14 Pro. The CPU bottleneck will frustrate you daily.

Also skip this if you need HDMI output. The G2 Tiny only has DisplayPort, which means you'll need adapters or DisplayPort-capable monitors. If your existing setup is HDMI-based, that's an extra expense and hassle. And if you're not comfortable with refurbished hardware and a 90-day warranty, spend a bit more on something new with a proper warranty period.

For a basic home office machine, the HP G2 Tiny is genuinely serviceable. If you're doing email, web browsing, document editing, and maybe some light spreadsheet work, the 16GB of RAM and SSD will keep things moving. The Windows 11 Pro license alone has value, especially for small business users who need domain join and BitLocker. Just don't expect to do anything creative or demanding on this machine.

For anyone who needs to run modern applications, do any kind of media work, or even think about gaming, look elsewhere. The CPU is simply too old, and the integrated graphics are a non-starter for anything beyond basic display output. This is a machine for people who know exactly what they need and nothing more. If that's you, and you can find it at the lower end of that USD 265 to USD 420 range with the SSD, it's a reasonable buy. Otherwise, save up for something newer.