Alienware Area 51 R4 vs. Dell XPS 8940

Comparison and Differences

Alienware_Area_51_R4.jpg case front and back pannelDell_XPS_8940.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMid TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen7&9&10 Core X-seriesIntel Gen10 & 11 i3/i5/i7;
ChipsetX299 PCHH470
Dedicated GPU *GeForce RTX 3090GeForce RTX 3080
RAMDIMM DDR4-2666/2933DIMM DDR4-2666/2933
RAM slots44
RAM speed2933 MT/s2666 MT/s
RAM max64 GB128 GB
USB ports(8x) USB 3.0 Type A; (2x) USB-A 2.0; USB 3.1 Type C; USB 3.1 Type A;USB 3.0 Type C; USB 3.1 Type A; (2x) USB-A 2.0; (7x) USB-A 3.0;
Video portsN/AHDMI 2.0; DisplayPort 1.4;
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical; Card Reader;RJ45; Mic; Headset; Card Reader;
Optional portsN.A.N.A.
SATA ports43
PCI slots(x3) PCIe 3.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x8; PCIe 3.0 x4;PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe x4; PCIe x1;
M.2 slotsM.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); M.2 2280 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x2, NVMe);M.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);
Drive bays(2x) 2.5in; (x3) 3.25in; 5.25in;(3x) 3.5in;
PSU850/1500 W500 W
Weight28 kg (61.73 lbs)6.3 kg (13.89 lb)
Released20152020
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 Dell XPS 8940

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell XPS 8940 which was released in 2020. The Alienware Area 51 R4 is older and entered production in 2015.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Alienware Area 51 R4 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Dell XPS 8940 and will fit more easily under your desk.

Processor

The two models have the same generation of Intel processors. We think that the 10 generation of Intel Processors have enough power to execute all of the home and office tasks that most people will care to do.

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 Dell XPS 8940 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2666 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Dell XPS 8940 as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The Alienware Area 51 R4 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 Area 51 R4 has 12 USB ports. The Dell XPS 8940 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. It's great that both of the models have USB 3.1 ports which will allow you to exchange data with your peripherals at up to 10Gb/s. But if you need maximum connectivity, go with the Alienware Area 51 R4 as it has 2 USB3.1 ports (the Dell XPS 8940 has 1).

Unfortunately, only the Dell XPS 8940 has a DisplayPort. The Alienware Area 51 R4 does not have one? Don't worry though, nowadays video adapters are cheap and you can get almost any combination of conversion types.

The Dell XPS 8940 comes with an HDMI port, while the Alienware Area 51 R4 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 Alienware Area 51 R4 is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Dell XPS 8940 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 Dell XPS 8940 comes with a decent 500 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 layoutDell_XPS_8940_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout