Acer Veriton M6650g vs. Alienware X51 R3

Comparison and Differences

Acer_Veriton_M6650g.jpg case front and back pannelAlienware_X51_R3.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerSmall Gaming
CPU optionsIntel Gen7 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; CeleronIntel Gen6 i3/i5/i7;
ChipsetQ270Z170
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650 SuperGeForce GTX 1650 Super
RAMUDIMM DDR4-2400DIMM DDR3-2133
RAM slots42
RAM speed2400 MT/s2133 MT/s
RAM max64 GB32 GB
USB ports(4x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0; USB-A 3.1; USB-C 3.1(4x) USB 3.0 Type A; (2x) USB-A 2.0; (2x) USB 3.1 Type A
Video ports(2x) DisplayPort 1.2; HDMI; VGAHDMI 1.4b;
Other portsRJ45; (2x) Mic, Speaker; Line in; Line out; PS/2 portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical/analog;
Optional portsSerial; Parallel: Card readerN.A.
SATA ports53
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x1; PCI; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4)PCIe 3.0 x16;
M.2 slotsM.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)N.A.
Drive bays(5x) 2.5/3.5in; 5.25 inch(2x) 2.5in; 3.25in; 5.25in;
PSU300/500 W180/240/330 W
Weight9.00 kg (19.84 lb)5.49 kg (12.10 lbs
Released20182015
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 M6650g and Alienware X51 R3

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Acer Veriton M6650g which was released in 2018. The Alienware X51 R3 is older and entered production in 2015.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Alienware X51 R3 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Acer Veriton M6650g 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 M6650g as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Alienware X51 R3 is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Acer Veriton M6650g has 4 RAM slots while the Alienware X51 R3 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 M6650g is using the faster 2400 MT/s RAM. The Alienware X51 R3 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 Acer Veriton M6650g as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Alienware X51 R3 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 Acer Veriton M6650g has 10 USB ports. The Alienware X51 R3 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. Both of the models have USB 3.1 ports which will allow you to exchange data with your peripherals at up to 10Gb/s. This is especially crucial if you are using external drives on a regular basis.

DisplayPort is crucial for any desktop machine. It is good to see that both models are featuring DisplayPorts. However, the Acer Veriton M6650g comes with 2 ports, while the Alienware X51 R3 has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the Acer Veriton M6650g is the better choice.

The Acer Veriton M6650g comes with an HDMI port, while the Alienware X51 R3 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 Acer Veriton M6650g is better equipped as it comes with 5 SATA slot(s), while the Alienware X51 R3 has 3 slot(s).

M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the Alienware X51 R3, nor the Acer Veriton M6650g has one. However, you can still use a SATA SSD drive which should give you satisfactory performance.

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 X51 R3 comes with a decent 330 Watt PSU, but the Acer Veriton M6650g has a more powerful one rated at 500 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_M6650g_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutAlienware_X51_R3_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout