Alienware Aurora R11 vs. Dell Inspiron 3881

Comparison and Differences

Alienware_Aurora_R11.jpg case front and back pannelDell_Inspiron_3881.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMid TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen10 i3/i5/i7/i9;Intel Gen10 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetZ490H470
Dedicated GPU *GeForce RTX 3090GeForce GTX 1650 Super
RAMDIMM DDR4-2933/3400DIMM DDR4-2666/2933
RAM slots42
RAM speed3400 MT/s2933 MT/s
RAM max128 GB64 GB
USB ports(6x) USB 3.0 Type A; USB 3.0 Type C; (6x) USB-A 2.0; USB 3.1 Type C; USB 3.1 Type A;(3x) USB 3.0 Type A; USB 3.1 Type C; (4x) USB-A 2.0;
Video portsN/AHDMI 1.4; DisplayPort 1.4; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical/analog; Front, side, center, rare outputs;RJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Card Reader;
Optional portsDisplayPortN.A.
SATA ports42
PCI slots(x2) PCIe 3.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x4;PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1;
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2260/2242 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); M.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);
Drive bays(2x) 2.5in; 3.25in; U.23.25in; 9.5mm
PSU550/1000 W260 W
Weight17.80 kg (39.24 lb)6.40 kg (14.11 lb)
Released20202020
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 Alienware Aurora R11 and Dell Inspiron 3881

Both computers, the Dell Inspiron 3881 and the Alienware Aurora R11, were released during the same year - 2020.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Alienware Aurora R11 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Dell Inspiron 3881 and will fit more easily under your desk.

Processor

The two models have the same generation of Intel processors. We think that the 10 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 R11 has 4 RAM slots while the Dell Inspiron 3881 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 R11 is using the faster 3400 MT/s RAM. The Dell Inspiron 3881 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2933 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Alienware Aurora R11 as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The Dell Inspiron 3881 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 R11 has 15 USB ports. The Dell Inspiron 3881 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. 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 Alienware Aurora R11 as it has 3 USB3.1 ports (the Dell Inspiron 3881 has 1).

Unfortunately, only the Dell Inspiron 3881 has a DisplayPort. The Alienware Aurora R11 does not have one? Don't worry though, nowadays video adapters are cheap and you can get almost any combination of conversion types.

The Dell Inspiron 3881 comes with an HDMI port, while the Alienware Aurora R11 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 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 R11 is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Dell Inspiron 3881 has 2 slot(s).

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 Dell Inspiron 3881 comes with a decent 260 Watt PSU, but the Alienware Aurora R11 has a more powerful one rated at 1000 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_R11_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_Inspiron_3881_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout