Acer Veriton X2660g vs. Alienware X51

Comparison and Differences

Acer_Veriton_X2660g.jpg case front and back pannelAlienware_X51.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorSmallSmall Gaming
CPU optionsIntel Gen8 i3/i5/i7; Pentium; CeleronIntel Gen2&3 i3/i5/i7;
ChipsetB360H61
Dedicated GPU *Radeon RX 6400 Low ProfileGeForce GTX 1650 Super
RAMUDIMM DDR4-2666DIMM DDR3-1333
RAM slots22
RAM speed2666 MT/s1333 MT/s
RAM max32 GB8 GB
USB ports(2x) USB-A 3.0; (4x) USB-A 2.0; (2x) USB-A 3.1(2x) USB 3.0 Type A; (6x) USB-A 2.0;
Video portsDisplayPort 1.2; HDMI 1.4; VGAHDMI
Other portsRJ45; (2x) Mic, Speaker; Line in; Line out; PS/2 ports; SerialRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical/analog;
Optional portsSerial; Parallel; Card readerN.A.
SATA ports44
PCI slotsPCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIPCIe 3.0 x16;
M.2 slotsM.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)N.A.
Drive bays3.5in; 5.25 inch slim3.25in; 5.25in;
PSU180/250 W240/330 W
Weight5.00 kg (11.02 lb)5.49 kg (12.10 lbs)
Released20182011
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 Acer Veriton X2660g and Alienware X51

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 X51 is older and entered production in 2011.

Both models have the same form factor, meaning reoughtly they have the same phiysical size and form.

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 X51 is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.

Memory

Both models have have equal amount of ram slots (2 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 Acer Veriton X2660g is using the faster 2666 MT/s RAM. The Alienware X51 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1333 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Acer Veriton X2660g as it has the ability to run 32 GB of RAM. The Alienware X51 can do a bit less at max 8 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

Both models have the same amount of USB ports for total count of 8. If this is not enough, using a USB hub is always a viable option. 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 X51 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 X51 does not have one? Don't worry though, nowadays video adapters are cheap and you can get almost any combination of conversion types.

In case your monitor supports HDMI only, you will be happy to hear that both models come with an HDMI port.

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 X51 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 X51 has a more powerful one rated at 330 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

Acer_Veriton_X2660g_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutAlienware_X51_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout