Alienware Aurora R5 vs. HP ProDesk 400 G3 Microtower

Comparison and Differences

Alienware_Aurora_R5.jpg case front and back pannelHP_ProDesk_400_G3_Microtower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMid TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen6 i3/i5/i7;Intel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetZ170H110
Dedicated GPU *GeForce RTX 2070 SuperGeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAMDIMM DDR4-2133/2400DIMM 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;(4x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsN/ADisplayPort; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical/analog; Front, side, center, rare outputs;RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2;
Optional portsDisplayPortSD card reader; Serial; Parallel;
SATA ports43
PCI slots(x2) PCIe 3.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x4;PCIe 3.0 x16; (3x) PCIe x1;
M.2 slotsM.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); M.2 2280/2260/2240 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x2, NVMe); N.A.
Drive bays(2x) 2.5in; 3.25in;(2x) 3.5in; 5.25in (slim)
PSU460/850 W180/300 W
Weight14.62 kg (32.23 lb)7.05 kg (15.5 lb)
Released20152015
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 R5 and HP ProDesk 400 G3 Microtower

Both computers, the Alienware Aurora R5 and the HP ProDesk 400 G3 Microtower, were released during the same year - 2015.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Alienware Aurora R5 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the HP ProDesk 400 G3 Microtower 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 HP ProDesk 400 G3 Microtower 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 HP ProDesk 400 G3 Microtower 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 HP ProDesk 400 G3 Microtower 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 HP ProDesk 400 G3 Microtower 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 R5, is that it has 2 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the HP ProDesk 400 G3 Microtower 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 HP ProDesk 400 G3 Microtower 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 HP ProDesk 400 G3 Microtower has 3 slot(s).

If you want the fastest transfer speeds for your SSD, an M.2 interface is crucial. Thus, if the M.2 SSD slot is a mandatory requirement for you, go with the Alienware Aurora R5. Sadly, the HP ProDesk 400 G3 Microtower has no such slot, and you will be forced to use the SATA interface instead.

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 HP ProDesk 400 G3 Microtower comes with a decent 300 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 layoutHP_ProDesk_400_G3_Microtower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout