Acer Veriton S2690g vs. Alienware Aurora R8

Comparison and Differences

Acer_Veriton_S2690g.jpg case front and back pannelAlienware_Aurora_R8.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMid Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen12 i3/i5/i7/i9Intel Gen8&9 i3/i5/i7/i9;
ChipsetH610Z370
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650 SuperGeForce RTX 2080 Ti
RAMUDIMM DDR4-3200DIMM DDR4-2666/3000
RAM slots24
RAM speed3200 MT/s3000 MT/s
RAM max64 GB64 GB
USB ports(4x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0(4x) USB 3.0 Type A; (5x) USB-A 2.0; USB 3.1 Type C; USB 3.1 Type A; USB 3.0 Type C;
Video portsHDMI 2.0; DisplayPort 1.4aN/A
Other portsRJ45; (2x) Mic, Speaker; Line in; Line out; PS/2 ports; SerialRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical/analog; Front, side, center, rare outputs;
Optional portsN.ADisplayPort
SATA ports44
PCI slotsPCIe 4.0 x16; PCIe 4.0 x1(x2) PCIe 3.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x4;
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); M.2 2242/2260/2280 (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe);
Drive bays(2x) 3.5in; 5.25 inch slim(2x) 2.5in; 3.25in; 9.5mm; U.2
PSU180/300 W460/850 W
Weight6.84 kg (15.07 lb)14.82 kg (32.67 lb)
Released20212018
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 Acer Veriton S2690g and Alienware Aurora R8

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Acer Veriton S2690g which was released in 2021. The Alienware Aurora R8 is older and entered production in 2018.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Alienware Aurora R8 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Acer Veriton S2690g 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 Acer Veriton S2690g as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Alienware Aurora R8 is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Alienware Aurora R8 has 4 RAM slots while the Acer Veriton S2690g 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 Acer Veriton S2690g is using the faster 3200 MT/s RAM. The Alienware Aurora R8 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 3000 MT/s. In addition, you will be able to install the same amount of RAM in both models, and most probably 64 GB of RAM will be enough for most people. However, if you will be needing more RAM, make sure to check other desktop models too.

Ports

In total the Alienware Aurora R8 has 12 USB ports. The Acer Veriton S2690g is inferior in this regard and packs 8 USB ports. In any case, if you miss USB ports, you can always purchase a USB hub. What is nice about the Alienware Aurora R8, is that it has 2 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the Acer Veriton S2690g 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 Acer Veriton S2690g has a DisplayPort. The Alienware Aurora R8 does not have one? Don't worry though, nowadays video adapters are cheap and you can get almost any combination of conversion types.

The Acer Veriton S2690g comes with an HDMI port, while the Alienware Aurora R8 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 4 SATA slot(s). Keep in mind that having too few SATA slots might limit your options for connecting additional memory drives.

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 Acer Veriton S2690g comes with a decent 300 Watt PSU, but the Alienware Aurora R8 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

Acer_Veriton_S2690g_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutAlienware_Aurora_R8_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout