Alienware Area 51 R4 vs. Alienware Aurora R3

Comparison and Differences

Alienware_Area_51_R4.jpg case front and back pannelAlienware_Aurora_R3.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMid TowerMid Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen7&9&10 Core X-seriesIntel Gen2 i3/i5/i7;
ChipsetX299 PCHP67
Dedicated GPU *GeForce RTX 3090GeForce GTX 1650 Super
RAMDIMM DDR4-2666/2933DIMM DDR3-1333/1866
RAM slots44
RAM speed2933 MT/s1866 MT/s
RAM max64 GB32 GB
USB ports(8x) USB 3.0 Type A; (2x) USB-A 2.0; USB 3.1 Type C; USB 3.1 Type A;(5x) USB 3.0 Type A; (8x) USB-A 2.0;
Video portsN/AN/A
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical; Card Reader;RJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical/analog;
Optional portsN.A.N.A.
SATA ports44
PCI slots(x3) PCIe 3.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x8; PCIe 3.0 x4;(x2) PCIe 3.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x1;
M.2 slotsM.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); M.2 2280 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x2, NVMe);N.A.
Drive bays(2x) 2.5in; (x3) 3.25in; 5.25in;(4x) 3.25in; (3x) 5.25in;
PSU850/1500 W525/875 W
Weight28 kg (61.73 lbs)22.09 kg (48.7 lb)
Released20152011
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 R4 and Alienware Aurora R3

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Alienware Area 51 R4 which was released in 2015. The Alienware Aurora R3 is older and entered production in 2011.

Both models have the same form factor, meaning reoughtly they have the same phiysical size and form.

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 R4 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Alienware Aurora R3 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 R4 is using the faster 2933 MT/s RAM. The Alienware Aurora R3 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1866 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Alienware Area 51 R4 as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Alienware Aurora R3 can do a bit less at max 32 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the Alienware Aurora R3 has 13 USB ports. The Alienware Area 51 R4 is inferior in this regard and packs 12 USB ports. In any case, if you miss USB ports, you can always purchase a USB hub. What is nice about the Alienware Area 51 R4, is that it has 2 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the Alienware Aurora R3 has no such port, thus restricting your transfer speeds significantly. For people who want to use external drives on regular basis, this might be an issue.

Nowadays, almost every new computer comes equipped with a DisplayPort. However, none of the devices being compared here has one. Don't worry though, DisplayPort adapters are very cheap and you can get virtually 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 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.

If you want the fastest transfer speeds for your SSD, an M.2 interface is crucial. Thus, if the M.2 SSD slot is a mandatory requirement for you, go with the Alienware Area 51 R4. Sadly, the Alienware Aurora R3 has no such slot, and you will be forced to use the SATA interface instead.

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 Alienware Aurora R3 comes with a decent 875 Watt PSU, but the Alienware Area 51 R4 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_R4_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutAlienware_Aurora_R3_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout