Alienware Aurora R13 vs. Dell Tower Plus EBT2250

Comparison and Differences

Alienware_Aurora_R13.jpg case front and back pannelDell_Tower_Plus_EBT2250.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMid TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen12 i3/i5/i7/i9;Core Ultra 5/7/9/7K/9K (Series 2)
ChipsetZ690Z890
Dedicated GPU *GeForce RTX 3090RTX 4090
RAMDIMM DDR4-4400SODIMM DDR5-5200
RAM slots42
RAM speed4400 MT/s5200 MT/s
RAM max128 GB64 GB
USB ports(5x) USB 3.0 Type A; (4x) USB-A 2.0; (2x) USB 3.1 Type C; USB 3.2 Type C;(4x) USB-A 2.0; (5x) USB-A 3.2 Gen 1; (1x) USB-C 3.2 Gen 2; (1x) Thunderbolt 4/USB4 (USB-C)
Video portsN/A(3x) DisplayPort 1.4; HDMI 2.1
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical/analog; Front, side, center, rare outputs;RJ45 (2.5 Gbps); Audio (Headset, Line-in, Line-out, S/PDIF);
Optional portsN.A.SD-card slot
SATA ports33
PCI slots(x2) PCIe 5.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x4;PCIe Gen5 x16; (2x) PCIe Gen3 x4
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); (2x) M.2 2230/2280 (PCIe Gen4 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)
Drive bays3.25in;N.A.
PSU460/750 W460/750/1000 W
Weight16.05 kg (35.38 lb)12.94 kg (28.53 lb)
Released20212025
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 Aurora R13 and Dell Tower Plus EBT2250

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 which was released in 2025. The Alienware Aurora R13 is older and entered production in 2021.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Alienware Aurora R13 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 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 Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Alienware Aurora R13 is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Alienware Aurora R13 has 4 RAM slots while the Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 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 Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 is using the faster 5200 MT/s RAM. The Alienware Aurora R13 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 4400 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Alienware Aurora R13 as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 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 Aurora R13 has 12 USB ports. The Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 is inferior in this regard and packs 4 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 Aurora R13 as it has 2 USB3.1 ports (the Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 has 1).

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.

The Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 comes with an HDMI port, while the Alienware Aurora R13 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 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 3 SATA slot(s). Keep in mind that having too few SATA slots might limit your options for connecting additional memory drives.

An M.2 SSD can be several times faster than a SATA one. Thus, we are happy to see that both models support the M.2 interface. However, the Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 has 1 M.2 slots while the Alienware Aurora R13 comes with just 1.

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 R13 comes with a decent 750 Watt PSU, but the Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 has a more powerful one rated at 1000 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_Aurora_R13_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_Tower_Plus_EBT2250_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout