Alienware Area 51 R5 vs. Dell OptiPlex 3050M

Comparison and Differences

Alienware_Area_51_R5.jpg case front and back pannelDell_OptiPlex_3050M.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMid TowerMicro
CPU optionsIntel Gen7&9&10 Core X-seriesIntel Gen6&7 i3/i5; Pentium; Celeron;
ChipsetX299 PCHB250
Dedicated GPU *GeForce RTX 3090N.A.
RAMDIMM DDR4-2666/3200SODIMM DDR4-2133/2400
RAM slots42
RAM speed3200 MT/s2400 MT/s
RAM max64 GB32 GB
USB ports(9x) 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; (2x) USB-A 2.0;
Video portsN/ADisplay Port 1.2; HDMI 1.4;
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical; Card Reader;RJ45; Headset; Line-Out;
Optional portsN.A.DP1.2/VGA/Serial+PS2/Serial; WiFi antenna;
SATA ports41
PCI slots(x3) PCIe 3.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x8; PCIe 3.0 x4;N.A.
M.2 slotsM.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); M.2 2280 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x2, NVMe);M.2 2280/2242 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x2, NVMe) ; M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)
Drive bays(2x) 2.5in; (x3) 3.25in;2.5in;
PSU850/1500 W65 W
Weight28 kg (61.73 lbs)1.18 kg (2.6 lb)
Released20152017
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 Alienware Area 51 R5 and Dell OptiPlex 3050M

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell OptiPlex 3050M which was released in 2017. The Alienware Area 51 R5 is older and entered production in 2015.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Dell OptiPlex 3050M is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Alienware Area 51 R5 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 R5 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell OptiPlex 3050M is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Alienware Area 51 R5 has 4 RAM slots while the Dell OptiPlex 3050M 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 R5 is using the faster 3200 MT/s RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 3050M is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2400 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Alienware Area 51 R5 as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Dell OptiPlex 3050M 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 R5 has 13 USB ports. The Dell OptiPlex 3050M is inferior in this regard and packs 6 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 R5, is that it has 2 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the Dell OptiPlex 3050M 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 Dell OptiPlex 3050M has a DisplayPort. The Alienware Area 51 R5 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 OptiPlex 3050M comes with an HDMI port, while the Alienware Area 51 R5 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 R5 is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Dell OptiPlex 3050M has 1 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 OptiPlex 3050M comes with a decent 65 Watt PSU, but the Alienware Area 51 R5 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_R5_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_OptiPlex_3050M_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout