Alienware Aurora R8 vs. HP ProDesk 600 G6 Microtower

Comparison and Differences

Alienware_Aurora_R8.jpg case front and back pannelHP_ProDesk_600_G6_Microtower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMid TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen8&9 i3/i5/i7/i9;Intel Gen10 i3/i5/i7/i9; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetZ370Q470
Dedicated GPU *GeForce RTX 2080 TiGeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAMDIMM DDR4-2666/3000DIMM DDR4-3200
RAM slots44
RAM speed3000 MT/s3200 MT/s
RAM max64 GB128 GB
USB ports(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;USB-C 3.1; (2x)USB-A 3.1; (5x)USB-A 3.0; (2x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsN/A(2x) DisplayPort:
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical/analog; Front, side, center, rare outputs;RJ45; Headset; Line-Out;
Optional portsDisplayPortDP1.4/ HDMI2.0a/ VGA/ USB-C(DP1.4)/ (2x)USB-A 3.0/ LAN/ Serial; Serial/Thunderbolt3; SD card reader;
SATA ports44
PCI slots(x2) PCIe 3.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x4;PCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4);
M.2 slotsM.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); M.2 2242/2260/2280 (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe); (2x) M.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe x4); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);
Drive bays(2x) 2.5in; 3.25in; 9.5mm; U.2(2x) 2.5in; 3.5in; 5.25in; 5.25in (slim)
PSU460/850 W180/260/550 W
Weight14.82 kg (32.67 lb)5.0 kg (11.02 lb)
Released20182020
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 R8 and HP ProDesk 600 G6 Microtower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP ProDesk 600 G6 Microtower which was released in 2020. 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 HP ProDesk 600 G6 Microtower 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 HP ProDesk 600 G6 Microtower 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

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 HP ProDesk 600 G6 Microtower is using the faster 3200 MT/s RAM. The Alienware Aurora R8 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 HP ProDesk 600 G6 Microtower as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The Alienware Aurora R8 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 R8 has 12 USB ports. The HP ProDesk 600 G6 Microtower 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 HP ProDesk 600 G6 Microtower as it has 3 USB3.1 ports (the Alienware Aurora R8 has 2).

Unfortunately, only the HP ProDesk 600 G6 Microtower 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.

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 HP ProDesk 600 G6 Microtower has 1 M.2 slots while the Alienware Aurora R8 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 HP ProDesk 600 G6 Microtower comes with a decent 550 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

Alienware_Aurora_R8_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutHP_ProDesk_600_G6_Microtower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout