Looking for hardware opinion

[wintry tundra]

Greetings,
I'm setting up my first HA system and I'm looking for an opinion on which of the 2 PCs I have available to me to use. I'm planning on installing the HAOS version as I want access to add-ons (and the update ability is handy). The system will be paired with a SMLight SLZB-06 network connected ZigBee coordinator. The two systems are almost identical, with the HP having a slightly faster processor and the Lenovo having easier to deal with video output (HDMI) and built in wireless. I'm planning on running the box headless and connected via the 1GB ethernet though, so the Lenovo's advantages probably there probably aren't really relevant.

-K

Option 1:
HP EliteDesk 800 G3 Mini
CPU: Core i5-6600T @ 2.70GHz (3.5gHz Turbo Boost) 4 Core/4 Thread
RAM: 8GB (Expandable to 64GB)
GPU: Onboard Intel HD530
Video Out: 1 VGA, 1 DisplayPort
Storage: 500GB NVMe SSD
Network: 1 x 1GB port (Intel I219-LM w/vPro)
WiFi - N/A (Can be added)
TDP: 35watt
Power Supply: 35watt

Option 2:
Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny
CPU: Core i5-6500T @ 2.50GHz (3.1gHz Turbo Boost) 4 Core/4 Thread
RAM: 8GB (Expandable to 32GB officially, 64GB anecdotally)
GPU: Onboard Intel HD530
Video Out: 1 HDMI, 2 DisplayPort
Storage: 500GB NVMe SSD
Network: 1 x 1GB port (Intel I219-LM w/vPro)
WiFi: Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260, Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.1
TDP: 35watt
Power Supply: 65watt

Both have an abundance of USB ports and headphone/mic jacks.

[analog dragon]

I'd just pick what is cheapest or what suits you better from a color standpoint. I'd definitely recommend to virtualize HAOS though: https://gist.github.com/Impact123/c23c36eafe1672ec056233e450a86ae2

[wintry tundra]

Both systems are already in my possession, so the cost isn't an issue. And the color is not an issue. I wasn't certain if HA would benefit from the slightly faster processor though. As far as virtualizing it goes, from what I read on the HA web site, you can't use Add-ons or Updates with anything but the straight HAOS. Is that not true? I read through the link you provided (although not all it's sub-links) and I don't see anything about that.

[analog dragon]

That is definitely not true. HAOS works fine in a VM. It even has its own entry here: https://analytics.home-assistant.io/

There is a slight difference but it's unlikely to be very noticeable: https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/Intel-Core-i5-6500T-vs-Intel-Core-i5-6600T/2627vs2613
Perhaps if you routinely compile ESPHome firmware or similar. But if you have the choice anyways then yeah use the more powerful machine.

[wintry tundra]

I think I see my disconnect, it's the containerized versions (under CasaOS, Synology, etc) that can't use the add-ons. That makes more sense, I was wondering why a virtualized instance wouldn't be able to use them.