Acer Veriton X2680g vs. Alienware Area 51 R5

Comparison and Differences

Acer_Veriton_X2680g.jpg case front and back pannelAlienware_Area_51_R5.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallMid Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen11 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; CeleronIntel Gen7&9&10 Core X-series
ChipsetB560X299 PCH
Dedicated GPU *Radeon RX 6400 Low ProfileGeForce RTX 3090
RAMUDIMM DDR4-2933DIMM DDR4-2666/3200
RAM slots44
RAM speed2933 MT/s3200 MT/s
RAM max64 GB64 GB
USB ports(2x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0; (2x) USB-A 3.1(9x) USB 3.0 Type A; (2x) USB-A 2.0; USB 3.1 Type C; USB 3.1 Type A;
Video portsDisplayPort 1.4; HDMI 2.0; VGAN/A
Other portsRJ45; (2x) Mic, Speaker; Line in; Line out; PS/2 ports; SerialRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical; Card Reader;
Optional portsSerial; Parallel; Card readerN.A.
SATA ports44
PCI slotsPCIe 4.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1(x3) PCIe 3.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x8; PCIe 3.0 x4;
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); M.2 2280 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x2, NVMe);
Drive bays3.5in; 5.25 inch slim(2x) 2.5in; (x3) 3.25in;
PSU180/300 W850/1500 W
Weight5.00 kg (11.02 lb)28 kg (61.73 lbs)
Released20212015
Manuallinklink
Price**Check PriceCheck Price

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* Dedicated GPU warning: Check if your particular power supply model has enough power. Additionally some PSUs don't come with an auxiliary PCIe power connector and you may need to buy a SATA to PCIe power adapter.

Differences between Acer Veriton X2680g and Alienware Area 51 R5

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Acer Veriton X2680g which was released in 2021. The Alienware Area 51 R5 is older and entered production in 2015.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Acer Veriton X2680g is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Alienware Area 51 R5 and will fit more easily under your desk.

Processor

Usually the newer the generation of the CPU, the better the performance and efficiency is. If your budget allows it, you should go with the Acer Veriton X2680g as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Alienware Area 51 R5 is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

Both models have have equal amount of ram slots (4 RAM). Usually two RAM slots are more than enough for most cases. However, the count should be taken into account when planning how much and what combination of RAM you are going to need for your system.

The Alienware Area 51 R5 is using the faster 3200 MT/s RAM. The Acer Veriton X2680g is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2933 MT/s. In addition, you will be able to install the same amount of RAM in both models, and most probably 64 GB of RAM will be enough for most people. However, if you will be needing more RAM, make sure to check other desktop models too.

Ports

In total the Alienware Area 51 R5 has 13 USB ports. The Acer Veriton X2680g is inferior in this regard and packs 10 USB ports. In any case, if you miss USB ports, you can always purchase a USB hub. Both of the models have USB 3.1 ports which will allow you to exchange data with your peripherals at up to 10Gb/s. This is especially crucial if you are using external drives on a regular basis.

Unfortunately, only the Acer Veriton X2680g has a DisplayPort. The Alienware Area 51 R5 does not have one? Don't worry though, nowadays video adapters are cheap and you can get almost any combination of conversion types.

The Acer Veriton X2680g comes with an HDMI port, while the Alienware Area 51 R5 does not support the interface. Of course missing HDMI port is something that can be easily fixed with a good adapter (e.g. DisplayPort to HDMI).

SATA slots are located on the motherboard and it is where SSD, HDD and Optical Disk Drives are connected. Each of the two models being compared have 4 SATA slot(s). Keep in mind that having too few SATA slots might limit your options for connecting additional memory drives.

When your goal is to have the fastest SSD transfer speeds, an M.2 interface is crucial. Thus, it is good that both models have M.2 SSD slots. Today M.2 SSDs are not much more expensive than the average SATA drives, so it really does not make sense to invest in SATA drives anymore.

Make sure that the available M.2 slot supports the PCIe (also called NVMe) interface. This is important as there are M.2 slots which support only the inferior SATA III interface. For comparison, the SATA III interface has max speeds of 6Gb/s, while the PCIe 3.0 x4 will support speeds up to 32Gb/s!

Power Supply

Having a Power Supply Unit with high power rating is important, if you are going to use components which require extra power. The Acer Veriton X2680g comes with a decent 300 Watt PSU, but the Alienware Area 51 R5 has a more powerful one rated at 1500 Watts. Choosing either one depends on your specific requirements and use case. Also don't forget that some models might have more than one PSU option - try to always get the most powerful one, especially if you plan to upgrade to a powerful GPU.

Motherboard

Acer_Veriton_X2680g_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutAlienware_Area_51_R5_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout