Alienware Aurora R9 vs. Dell OptiPlex 5000 Tower

Comparison and Differences

Alienware_Aurora_R9.jpg case front and back pannelDell_OptiPlex_5000_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMid TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen9 i3/i5/i7/i9;Intel Gen 12 i3/i5/i7/i9; Pentium
ChipsetZ370Q670
Dedicated GPU *GeForce RTX 2080 TiAMD Radeon RX 6600
RAMDIMM DDR4-2666/3000DIMM DDR4-3200
RAM slots44
RAM speed3000 MT/s3200 MT/s
RAM max64 GB128 GB
USB ports(6x) 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;(4x) USB-A 2.0; (5x) USB-A 3.0; USB-C 3.1;
Video portsDisplayPort 1.4;(2x) Display Port 1.4a;
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical/analog; Front, side, center, rare outputs;RJ45; Audio; Line-Out/In;
Optional portsN.A.HDMI 2.0b/Displayport/VGA/PS2/serial/USB Type-C; Serial port; SD-card slot
SATA ports44
PCI slots(x2) PCIe 3.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x4;PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x4; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1;
M.2 slotsM.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); M.2 2242/2260/2280 (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe);(2x) M.2 2230/2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)
Drive bays(2x) 2.5in; 3.25in; 9.5mm; U.23.5in; (2x) 2.5in; 5.25in (slim);
PSU460/850 W240/260/400 W
Weight14.82 kg (32.67 lb)7.34 kg (16.18 lb)
Released20182022
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 R9 and Dell OptiPlex 5000 Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell OptiPlex 5000 Tower which was released in 2022. The Alienware Aurora R9 is older and entered production in 2018.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Alienware Aurora R9 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Dell OptiPlex 5000 Tower 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 OptiPlex 5000 Tower as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Alienware Aurora R9 is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

Both models have have equal amount of ram slots (4 RAM). Usually two RAM slots are more than enough for most cases. However, the count should be taken into account when planning how much and what combination of RAM you are going to need for your system.

The Dell OptiPlex 5000 Tower is using the faster 3200 MT/s RAM. The Alienware Aurora R9 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 3000 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Dell OptiPlex 5000 Tower as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The Alienware Aurora R9 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 R9 has 14 USB ports. The Dell OptiPlex 5000 Tower is inferior in this regard and packs 10 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 R9 as it has 2 USB3.1 ports (the Dell OptiPlex 5000 Tower has 1).

DisplayPort is crucial for any desktop machine. It is good to see that both models are featuring DisplayPorts. However, the Dell OptiPlex 5000 Tower comes with 2 ports, while the Alienware Aurora R9 has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the Dell OptiPlex 5000 Tower is the better choice.

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 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.

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 OptiPlex 5000 Tower has 1 M.2 slots while the Alienware Aurora R9 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 Dell OptiPlex 5000 Tower comes with a decent 400 Watt PSU, but the Alienware Aurora R9 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_R9_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_OptiPlex_5000_Tower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout