Alienware Area 51 R4 vs. Dell OptiPlex 7090 SFF
Comparison and Differences
Differences between Alienware Area 51 R4 and Dell OptiPlex 7090 SFF
If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell OptiPlex 7090 SFF which was released in 2021. The Alienware Area 51 R4 is older and entered production in 2015.
If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Dell OptiPlex 7090 SFF is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Alienware Area 51 R4 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 Dell OptiPlex 7090 SFF as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Alienware Area 51 R4 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 Dell OptiPlex 7090 SFF is using the faster 3200 MT/s RAM. The Alienware Area 51 R4 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 Dell OptiPlex 7090 SFF as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The Alienware Area 51 R4 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 Area 51 R4 has 12 USB ports. The Dell OptiPlex 7090 SFF is inferior in this regard and packs 9 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 Dell OptiPlex 7090 SFF as it has 3 USB3.1 ports (the Alienware Area 51 R4 has 2).
Unfortunately, only the Dell OptiPlex 7090 SFF has a DisplayPort. The Alienware Area 51 R4 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 OptiPlex 7090 SFF comes with an HDMI port, while the Alienware Area 51 R4 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 Area 51 R4 is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Dell OptiPlex 7090 SFF has 3 slot(s).
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 Dell OptiPlex 7090 SFF has 1 M.2 slots while the Alienware Area 51 R4 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 Dell OptiPlex 7090 SFF comes with a decent 300 Watt PSU, but the Alienware Area 51 R4 has a more powerful one rated at 1500 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
