Alienware Area 51 R2 vs. Dell OptiPlex 3020 SFF

Comparison and Differences

Alienware_Area_51_R2.jpg case front and back pannelDell_OptiPlex_3020_SFF.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMid TowerSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen5&6 i7 Extreme/K; Xeon E5-v3/v4Intel Gen4 i3/i5; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetX99 ExpressH81
Dedicated GPU *GeForce RTX 2080 TiGeForce GT 1030 Low Profile
RAMDIMM DDR4-2133/2667DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots42
RAM speed2667 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max64 GB16 GB
USB ports(6x) USB 3.0 Type A; (4x) USB-A 2.0;(2x) USB-A 3.0; (6x) USB-A 2.0;
Video portsN/ADisplayPort 1.2; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical/analog; Card Reader;RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In;
Optional portsN.A.Serial+PS2;
SATA ports62
PCI slots(x2) PCIe 3.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x4;PCIe 2.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x1;
M.2 slotsM.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);N.A.
Drive bays(2x) 2.5in; (x3) 3.25in; 5.25in;2.5/3.5in; 5.25in(slim);
PSU850/1500 W255 W
Weight28 kg (61.73 lbs)5 kg (11.02 lb)
Released20182013
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 Alienware Area 51 R2 and Dell OptiPlex 3020 SFF

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Alienware Area 51 R2 which was released in 2018. The Dell OptiPlex 3020 SFF is older and entered production in 2013.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Dell OptiPlex 3020 SFF is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Alienware Area 51 R2 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 Area 51 R2 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell OptiPlex 3020 SFF is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Alienware Area 51 R2 has 4 RAM slots while the Dell OptiPlex 3020 SFF has only 2 slot(s). This is not something to worry about. Just make sure you take it into consideration when planning how much RAM you are going to use.

The Alienware Area 51 R2 is using the faster 2667 MT/s RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 3020 SFF is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1600 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Alienware Area 51 R2 as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 3020 SFF can do a bit less at max 16 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the Alienware Area 51 R2 has 10 USB ports. The Dell OptiPlex 3020 SFF is inferior in this regard and packs 8 USB ports. In any case, if you miss USB ports, you can always purchase a USB hub. None of the desktop models has a USB 3.1 port (10Gb/s), so if you need a fast connection to your peripherals, like external Solid State Drive, you will need to look elsewhere.

Unfortunately, only the Dell OptiPlex 3020 SFF has a DisplayPort. The Alienware Area 51 R2 does not have one? Don't worry though, nowadays video adapters are cheap and you can get almost any combination of conversion types.

None of the models has an HDMI port. If your monitor supports only the HDMI interface, you will need to buy an adapter. Such adapters are cheap so nothing to worry about.

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 Alienware Area 51 R2 is better equipped as it comes with 6 SATA slot(s), while the Dell OptiPlex 3020 SFF has 2 slot(s).

M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the Dell OptiPlex 3020 SFF, nor the Alienware Area 51 R2 has one. However, you can still use a SATA SSD drive which should give you satisfactory performance.

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 Dell OptiPlex 3020 SFF comes with a decent 255 Watt PSU, but the Alienware Area 51 R2 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

Alienware_Area_51_R2_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_OptiPlex_3020_SFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout