Acer Veriton X2660g vs. Alienware Aurora R3

Comparison and Differences

Acer_Veriton_X2660g.jpg case front and back pannel

Alienware_Aurora_R3.jpg case front and back pannel

Model
Form factor	Small	Mid Tower
CPU options	Intel Gen8 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; Celeron	Intel Gen2 i3/i5/i7;
Chipset	B360	P67
Dedicated GPU *	Radeon RX 6400 Low Profile	GeForce GTX 1650 Super
RAM	UDIMM DDR4-2666	DIMM DDR3-1333/1866
RAM slots	2	4
RAM speed	2666 MT/s	1866 MT/s
RAM max	32 GB	32 GB
USB ports	(2x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0; (2x) USB-A 3.1	(5x) USB 3.0 Type A; (8x) USB-A 2.0;
Video ports	DisplayPort 1.2; HDMI 1.4; VGA	N/A
Other ports	RJ45; (2x) Mic, Speaker; Line in; Line out; PS/2 ports; Serial	RJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical/analog;
Optional ports	Serial; Parallel; Card reader	N.A.
SATA ports	4	4
PCI slots	PCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1; PCI	(x2) PCIe 3.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x1;
M.2 slots	M.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)	N.A.
Drive bays	3.5in; 5.25 inch slim	(4x) 3.25in; (3x) 5.25in;
PSU	180/250 W	525/875 W
Weight	5.00 kg (11.02 lb)	22.09 kg (48.7 lb)
Released	2018	2011
Manual	link	link
Price**	Check Price	Check 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 X2660g and Alienware Aurora R3

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Acer Veriton X2660g which was released in 2018. The Alienware Aurora R3 is older and entered production in 2011.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Acer Veriton X2660g is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Alienware Aurora R3 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 Acer Veriton X2660g as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Alienware Aurora R3 is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Alienware Aurora R3 has 4 RAM slots while the Acer Veriton X2660g 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 Acer Veriton X2660g is using the faster 2666 MT/s RAM. The Alienware Aurora R3 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1866 MT/s. In addition, you will be able to install the same amount of RAM in both models, and most probably 32 GB of RAM will be enough for most people. However, if you will be needing more RAM, make sure to check other desktop models too.

Ports

In total the Alienware Aurora R3 has 13 USB ports. The Acer Veriton X2660g 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 Acer Veriton X2660g, is that it has 2 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the Alienware Aurora R3 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 Acer Veriton X2660g has a DisplayPort. The Alienware Aurora R3 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 X2660g comes with an HDMI port, while the Alienware Aurora R3 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.

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 Acer Veriton X2660g. Sadly, the Alienware Aurora R3 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 Acer Veriton X2660g comes with a decent 250 Watt PSU, but the Alienware Aurora R3 has a more powerful one rated at 875 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.