Acer Veriton X2611g vs. Alienware X51 R3

Comparison and Differences

Acer_Veriton_X2611g.jpg case front and back pannelAlienware_X51_R3.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallSmall Gaming
CPU optionsIntel Gen3 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; CeleronIntel Gen6 i3/i5/i7;
ChipsetH61Z170
Dedicated GPU *Radeon RX 6400 Low ProfileGeForce GTX 1650 Super
RAMUDIMM DDR3-1333DIMM DDR3-2133
RAM slots22
RAM speed1333 MT/s2133 MT/s
RAM max16 GB32 GB
USB ports(10x) USB-A 2.0(4x) USB 3.0 Type A; (2x) USB-A 2.0; (2x) USB 3.1 Type A
Video portsDVI; VGAHDMI 1.4b;
Other portsRJ45; (2x) Mic, Speaker; Line in; Line out; PS/2 ports; SerialRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical/analog;
Optional portsCard readerN.A.
SATA ports33
PCI slotsPCIe 2.0 x16; PCIe 2.0 x1PCIe 3.0 x16;
M.2 slotsN.A.N.A.
Drive bays3.5in; 5.25 inch(2x) 2.5in; 3.25in; 5.25in;
PSU220 W180/240/330 W
Weight6.50 kg (14.33 lb)5.49 kg (12.10 lbs
Released20122015
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 X2611g and Alienware X51 R3

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Alienware X51 R3 which was released in 2015. The Acer Veriton X2611g is older and entered production in 2012.

Both models have the same form factor, meaning reoughtly they have the same phiysical size and form.

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 X51 R3 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Acer Veriton X2611g is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

Both models have have equal amount of ram slots (2 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 Alienware X51 R3 is using the faster 2133 MT/s RAM. The Acer Veriton X2611g is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1333 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Alienware X51 R3 as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The Acer Veriton X2611g can do a bit less at max 16 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the Acer Veriton X2611g 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. What is nice about the Alienware X51 R3, is that it has 2 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the Acer Veriton X2611g 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 Alienware X51 R3 has a DisplayPort. The Acer Veriton X2611g 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 3 SATA slot(s). Keep in mind that having too few SATA slots might limit your options for connecting additional memory drives.

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 X2611g 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 Acer Veriton X2611g comes with a decent 220 Watt PSU, but the Alienware X51 R3 has a more powerful one rated at 330 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_X2611g_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutAlienware_X51_R3_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout