Alienware Aurora R5 vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny

Comparison and Differences

Alienware_Aurora_R5.jpg case front and back pannelLenovo_ThinkCentre_M900_Tiny.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMid TowerMicro
CPU optionsIntel Gen6 i3/i5/i7;Intel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetZ170Q170
Dedicated GPU *GeForce RTX 2070 SuperN.A.
RAMDIMM DDR4-2133/2400SODIMM DDR4-2133
RAM slots42
RAM speed2400 MT/s2133 MT/s
RAM max64 GB32 GB
USB ports(5x) USB 3.0 Type A; (6x) USB-A 2.0; USB 3.1 Type C; USB 3.1 Type A;(6x)USB-A 3.0;
Video portsN/A(2x) DisplayPort;
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical/analog; Front, side, center, rare outputs;RJ45; Headset; Mic;
Optional portsDisplayPortVGA/HDMI/DP/Serial; WiFi antenna;
SATA ports41
PCI slots(x2) PCIe 3.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x4;N.A.
M.2 slotsM.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); M.2 2280/2260/2240 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x2, NVMe); M.2 2280/2242 M-key (PCIe x4); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);
Drive bays(2x) 2.5in; 3.25in;2.5in;
PSU460/850 W65 W
Weight14.62 kg (32.23 lb)1.3 kg (2.9 lbs)
Released20152015
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 Aurora R5 and Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny

Both computers, the Alienware Aurora R5 and the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny, were released during the same year - 2015.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Alienware Aurora R5 and will fit more easily under your desk.

Processor

The two models have the same generation of Intel processors. We think that the 6 generation of Intel Processors have enough power to execute all of the home and office tasks that most people will care to do.

Memory

The Alienware Aurora R5 has 4 RAM slots while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny 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 Aurora R5 is using the faster 2400 MT/s RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2133 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Alienware Aurora R5 as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny 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 R5 has 13 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny 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 Aurora R5, is that it has 2 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny has a DisplayPort. The Alienware Aurora R5 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 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 Aurora R5 is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny comes with a decent 65 Watt PSU, but the Alienware Aurora R5 has a more powerful one rated at 850 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_R5_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutLenovo_ThinkCentre_M900_Tiny_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout