I grabbed one of these on sale for about $1,000 - i7 (35W), 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM, Windows 11 Pro - and added a 2TB Samsung 990 Pro M.2 for about $180. I could have gotten a prebuilt version cheaper, but the HP customizer let me add a USB-C 100W port and 2.5 inch hard drive sled.
The HP device blew away my expectations.
(1) Cheaper than an equivalent NUC and about the size of a book (7x7x1.4 inches)
(2) Very quiet and draws minimal power at idle. One website ran tests on a similar HP and measured less than 9W of power draw at idle.
(3) plenty of power means it’s still usable as a PC as well as a Roon server. I’m listening to a Philadelphia Orchestra recording right now, which Roon is upsampling from redbook to 192khz. Total CPU use is less than 5%.
(4) The added USB-C port lets me output video to my Dell monitor. Unbelievably, my Dell monitor at the same time outputs 90W through the USB-C connection, eliminating the need for the DC power adapter in this set up.
(5) Because the HP has Windows Pro, I can use the remote desktop app in Windows to tunnel into the machine through another Windows machine. This means I can put the HP on my audio rack and do updates and whatever other maintenance the HP needs by using another PC in a different room as a terminal, saving the need to lug over a monitor. As icing on the cake, through the Microsoft RD app on my iPhone, I can control the HP with my phone.