Acer Veriton X2680g vs. Alienware Aurora R13

Comparison and Differences

Acer_Veriton_X2680g.jpg case front and back pannelAlienware_Aurora_R13.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallMid Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen11 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; CeleronIntel Gen12 i3/i5/i7/i9;
ChipsetB560Z690
Dedicated GPU *Radeon RX 6400 Low ProfileGeForce RTX 3090
RAMUDIMM DDR4-2933DIMM DDR4-4400
RAM slots44
RAM speed2933 MT/s4400 MT/s
RAM max64 GB128 GB
USB ports(2x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0; (2x) USB-A 3.1(5x) USB 3.0 Type A; (4x) USB-A 2.0; (2x) USB 3.1 Type C; USB 3.2 Type C;
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/analog; Front, side, center, rare outputs;
Optional portsSerial; Parallel; Card readerN.A.
SATA ports43
PCI slotsPCIe 4.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1(x2) PCIe 5.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x4;
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)M.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);
Drive bays3.5in; 5.25 inch slim3.25in;
PSU180/300 W460/750 W
Weight5.00 kg (11.02 lb)16.05 kg (35.38 lb)
Released20212021
Manuallinklink
Price**Check PriceCheck Price

** As an Amazon associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
* 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 Aurora R13

Both computers, the Alienware Aurora R13 and the Acer Veriton X2680g, were released during the same year - 2021.

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 Aurora R13 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 Alienware Aurora R13 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Acer Veriton X2680g 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 Aurora R13 is using the faster 4400 MT/s RAM. The Acer Veriton X2680g is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2933 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Alienware Aurora R13 as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The Acer Veriton X2680g can do a bit less at max 64 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the Alienware Aurora R13 has 12 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 Aurora R13 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 Aurora R13 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 ports are placed on the system board and it is where you connect your HDD, SSD and Optical Disk Drives. More SATA slots will allow you to have more drives running at the same time. In this regard the Acer Veriton X2680g is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Alienware Aurora R13 has 3 slot(s).

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 Aurora R13 has a more powerful one rated at 750 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_Aurora_R13_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout