Acer Veriton S2660g vs. Alienware Aurora R8

Comparison and Differences

Acer_Veriton_S2660g.jpg case front and back pannelAlienware_Aurora_R8.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMini TowerMid Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen8 i3/i5/i7Intel Gen8&9 i3/i5/i7/i9;
ChipsetB360Z370
Dedicated GPU *GeForce GTX 1650 SuperGeForce RTX 2080 Ti
RAMUDIMM DDR4-2666DIMM DDR4-2666/3000
RAM slots24
RAM speed2666 MT/s3000 MT/s
RAM max32 GB64 GB
USB ports(2x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0; (2x) USB-A 3.1(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 1.4; DisplayPort 1.2N/A
Other portsRJ45; (2x) Mic, Speaker; Line in; Line outRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical/analog; Front, side, center, rare outputs;
Optional portsN.ADisplayPort
SATA ports44
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1; PCI(x2) PCIe 3.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x4;
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 3.0 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)
Released20192018
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 Acer Veriton S2660g and Alienware Aurora R8

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Acer Veriton S2660g which was released in 2019. 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 S2660g 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 Alienware Aurora R8 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Acer Veriton S2660g 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 S2660g 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 R8 is using the faster 3000 MT/s RAM. The Acer Veriton S2660g is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2666 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Alienware Aurora R8 as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Acer Veriton S2660g 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 R8 has 12 USB ports. The Acer Veriton S2660g 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.

Unfortunately, only the Acer Veriton S2660g 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 S2660g 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 S2660g 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_S2660g_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutAlienware_Aurora_R8_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout