Alienware Area 51 R4 vs. HP ProDesk 600 G1 SFF

Comparison and Differences

Alienware_Area_51_R4.jpg case front and back pannelHP_ProDesk_600_G1_SFF.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMid TowerSmall
CPU optionsIntel Gen7&9&10 Core X-seriesIntel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetX299 PCHQ85
Dedicated GPU *GeForce RTX 3090GeForce GTX 1650 Low Profile
RAMDIMM DDR4-2666/2933DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots44
RAM speed2933 MT/s1600 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;(4x)USB-A 3.0; (6x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsN/A(2x) DisplayPort: VGA
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical; Card Reader;RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2;
Optional portsN.A.Media card reader (USB 2.0); Serial; Parallel;
SATA ports44
PCI slots(x3) PCIe 3.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x8; PCIe 3.0 x4;PCIe 3.0 x16; (3x) PCIe 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;2.5in; 3.5in; 5.25in (slim)
PSU850/1500 W240 W
Weight28 kg (61.73 lbs)7.6 kg (16.7 lb)
Released20152013
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 HP ProDesk 600 G1 SFF

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 HP ProDesk 600 G1 SFF is older and entered production in 2013.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the HP ProDesk 600 G1 SFF is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Alienware Area 51 R4 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 R4 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that HP ProDesk 600 G1 SFF 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 HP ProDesk 600 G1 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 R4 as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The HP ProDesk 600 G1 SFF 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 Area 51 R4 has 12 USB ports. The HP ProDesk 600 G1 SFF 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. 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 HP ProDesk 600 G1 SFF 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.

Unfortunately, only the HP ProDesk 600 G1 SFF 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.

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 HP ProDesk 600 G1 SFF 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 HP ProDesk 600 G1 SFF comes with a decent 240 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 layoutHP_ProDesk_600_G1_SFF_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout