Alienware Aurora R12 vs. HP EliteDesk 800 G6 Tower

Comparison and Differences

Alienware_Aurora_R12.jpg case front and back pannel

HP_EliteDesk_800_G6_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel

Model
Form factor	Mid Tower	Mini Tower
CPU options	Intel Gen11 i3/i5/i7/i9;	Intel Gen10 i3/i5/i7/i9; Celeron; Pentium;
Chipset	Z490	Q470
Dedicated GPU *	GeForce RTX 3090	GeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAM	DIMM DDR4-3200/3400	DIMM DDR4-2933
RAM slots	4	4
RAM speed	3400 MT/s	2933 MT/s
RAM max	128 GB	128 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;	USB-C 3.1; (4x)USB-A 3.1; (4x)USB-A 3.0; (2x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports	N/A	(2x) DisplayPort;
Other ports	RJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical/analog; Front, side, center, rare outputs;	RJ45; Hdph; Headset; Line-Out;
Optional ports	DisplayPort	DP1.4/ HDMI2.0a/ VGA/ USB-C(DP1.4)/ (2x)USB-A 3.0/ LAN/ Thunderbolt3; Serial; SD card reader;
SATA ports	4	4
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 slots	M.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);	(2x) M.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe x4); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);
Drive bays	(2x) 2.5in; 3.25in;	2.5in; (2x) 3.5in; 5.25in; 5.25in (slim);
PSU	550/1000 W	260/550 W
Weight	17.80 kg (39.24 lb)	9.86 kg (21.74 lb)
Released	2021	2020
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 Alienware Aurora R12 and HP EliteDesk 800 G6 Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Alienware Aurora R12 which was released in 2021. The HP EliteDesk 800 G6 Tower is older and entered production in 2020.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Alienware Aurora R12 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the HP EliteDesk 800 G6 Tower 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 R12 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that HP EliteDesk 800 G6 Tower 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 Alienware Aurora R12 is using the faster 3400 MT/s RAM. The HP EliteDesk 800 G6 Tower is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 2933 MT/s. In addition, you will be able to install the same amount of RAM in both models, and most probably 128 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 R12 has 15 USB ports. The HP EliteDesk 800 G6 Tower is inferior in this regard and packs 11 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 EliteDesk 800 G6 Tower as it has 5 USB3.1 ports (the Alienware Aurora R12 has 3).

Unfortunately, only the HP EliteDesk 800 G6 Tower has a DisplayPort. The Alienware Aurora R12 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 EliteDesk 800 G6 Tower has 1 M.2 slots while the Alienware Aurora R12 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 EliteDesk 800 G6 Tower comes with a decent 550 Watt PSU, but the Alienware Aurora R12 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.