Alienware Aurora R3 vs. Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower

Comparison and Differences

Alienware_Aurora_R3.jpg case front and back pannel

Lenovo_ThinkCentre_M900_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel

Model
Form factor	Mid Tower	Mini Tower
CPU options	Intel Gen2 i3/i5/i7;	Intel Gen6 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
Chipset	P67	Q170
Dedicated GPU *	GeForce GTX 1650 Super	GeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAM	DIMM DDR3-1333/1866	DIMM DDR4-2133
RAM slots	4	4
RAM speed	1866 MT/s	2133 MT/s
RAM max	32 GB	64 GB
USB ports	(5x) USB 3.0 Type A; (8x) USB-A 2.0;	(8x)USB-A 3.0;
Video ports	N/A	(2x) DisplayPort 1.2; VGA;
Other ports	RJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical/analog;	RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial;
Optional ports	N.A.	2x USB-A 2.0; Media card reader (USB 2.0); (2x) PS2; eSATA;
SATA ports	4	3
PCI slots	(x2) PCIe 3.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x1;	PCIe 3.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4); M2 to PCI adapter (optional);
M.2 slots	N.A.	M.2 (WiFi/BT or PCI extension card)
Drive bays	(4x) 3.25in; (3x) 5.25in;	(2x) 2.5/3.5in; (2x) 5.25in;
PSU	525/875 W	ATX 250/400 W
Weight	22.09 kg (48.7 lb)	12.5 kg (27.5 lb)
Released	2011	2015
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 R3 and Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower which was released in 2015. The Alienware Aurora R3 is older and entered production in 2011.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Alienware Aurora R3 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower 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

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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower is using the faster 2133 MT/s RAM. The Alienware Aurora R3 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1866 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Alienware Aurora R3 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 R3 has 13 USB ports. The Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower 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. None of the desktop models has a USB 3.1 port (10Gb/s), so if you need a fast connection to your peripherals, like external Solid State Drive, you will need to look elsewhere.

Unfortunately, only the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower 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.

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 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 R3 is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower has 3 slot(s).

M.2 SSD interface allows you to transfer data with higher speeds compared to the old SATA interface. Unfortunately, neither the Alienware Aurora R3, nor the Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower 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 Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tower comes with a decent 400 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.