Alienware Aurora R5 vs. Dell Inspiron 620

Comparison and Differences

Alienware_Aurora_R5.jpg case front and back pannelDell_Inspiron_620.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMid TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen6 i3/i5/i7;Intel Gen2 & 3 i3/i5/i7;
ChipsetZ170H61
Dedicated GPU *GeForce RTX 2070 SuperGeForce GTX 1650 Super
RAMDIMM DDR4-2133/2400DIMM DDR3-1333/1600
RAM slots42
RAM speed2400 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max64 GB8 GB
USB ports(5x) USB 3.0 Type A; (6x) USB-A 2.0; USB 3.1 Type C; USB 3.1 Type A;(8x) USB-A 2.0;
Video portsN/AHDMI 1.2; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical/analog; Front, side, center, rare outputs;RJ45; Hdph; (2x) Mic; Line-Out; Line-In;
Optional portsDisplayPortN.A.
SATA ports44
PCI slots(x2) PCIe 3.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x4;PCIe 2.0 x16; (3x) PCIe 2.0 x1;
M.2 slotsM.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); M.2 2280/2260/2240 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x2, NVMe); N.A.
Drive bays(2x) 2.5in; 3.25in;3.5in; 5.25in;
PSU460/850 W300W
Weight14.62 kg (32.23 lb)8.94 kg (19.71 lb)
Released20152012
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 R5 and Dell Inspiron 620

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Alienware Aurora R5 which was released in 2015. The Dell Inspiron 620 is older and entered production in 2012.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Alienware Aurora R5 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Dell Inspiron 620 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 R5 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Dell Inspiron 620 is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

The Alienware Aurora R5 has 4 RAM slots while the Dell Inspiron 620 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 R5 is using the faster 2400 MT/s RAM. The Dell Inspiron 620 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1600 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Alienware Aurora R5 as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The Dell Inspiron 620 can do a bit less at max 8 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the Alienware Aurora R5 has 13 USB ports. The Dell Inspiron 620 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 Aurora R5, is that it has 2 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the Dell Inspiron 620 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.

Nowadays, almost every new computer comes equipped with a DisplayPort. However, none of the devices being compared here has one. Don't worry though, DisplayPort adapters are very cheap and you can get virtually any combination of conversion types.

The Dell Inspiron 620 comes with an HDMI port, while the Alienware Aurora R5 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 Alienware Aurora R5. Sadly, the Dell Inspiron 620 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 Dell Inspiron 620 comes with a decent 300 Watt PSU, but the Alienware Aurora R5 has a more powerful one rated at 850 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_R5_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutDell_Inspiron_620_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout