Alienware Aurora R9 vs. Dell OptiPlex Tower Plus 7010 2023

Comparison and Differences

Alienware_Aurora_R9.jpg case front and back pannel

Dell_OptiPlex_Tower_Plus_7010_2023.jpg case front and back pannel

Model
Form factor	Mid Tower	Mini Tower
CPU options	Intel Gen9 i3/i5/i7/i9;	Intel Gen 12&13 i3/i5/i7/i9; Celeron; Pentium
Chipset	Z370	Q670
Dedicated GPU *	GeForce RTX 2080 Ti	GeForce RTX 3070
RAM	DIMM DDR4-2666/3000	DIMM DDR5-3600/4000/4400
RAM slots	4	4
RAM speed	3000 MT/s	4400 MT/s
RAM max	64 GB	128 GB
USB ports	(6x) USB 3.0 Type A; (5x) USB-A 2.0; USB 3.1 Type C; USB 3.1 Type A; USB 3.0 Type C;	(4x) USB-A 2.0; (3x) USB-A 3.0; (2x) USB-A 3.1; USB-C 3.2
Video ports	DisplayPort 1.4;	(3x) Display Port 1.4a;
Other ports	RJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical/analog; Front, side, center, rare outputs;	RJ45(2.5GHz); Audio; Line-Out/In;
Optional ports	N.A.	HDMI 2.0b/Displayport/VGA/PS2/serial/USB Type-C; Serial port; SD-card slot
SATA ports	4	4
PCI slots	(x2) PCIe 3.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x4;	PCIe 4.0 x16; PCIe 3.0 x4;PCIe 3.0 x1; PCI-32;
M.2 slots	M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); M.2 2242/2260/2280 (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe);	M.2 2230/2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT)
Drive bays	(2x) 2.5in; 3.25in; 9.5mm; U.2	(x2) 3.5in; (2x) 2.5in; 5.25in (slim);
PSU	460/850 W	260/500 W
Weight	14.82 kg (32.67 lb)	6.52 kg (14.38 lb)
Released	2018	2023
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 R9 and Dell OptiPlex Tower Plus 7010 2023

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Dell OptiPlex Tower Plus 7010 2023 which was released in 2023. The Alienware Aurora R9 is older and entered production in 2018.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Alienware Aurora R9 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Dell OptiPlex Tower Plus 7010 2023 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 Tower Plus 7010 2023 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Alienware Aurora R9 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 Tower Plus 7010 2023 is using the faster 4400 MT/s RAM. The Alienware Aurora R9 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 3000 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Dell OptiPlex Tower Plus 7010 2023 as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The Alienware Aurora R9 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 Aurora R9 has 14 USB ports. The Dell OptiPlex Tower Plus 7010 2023 is inferior in this regard and packs 10 USB ports. In any case, if you miss USB ports, you can always purchase a USB hub. Both of the models have USB 3.1 ports which will allow you to exchange data with your peripherals at up to 10Gb/s. This is especially crucial if you are using external drives on a regular basis.

DisplayPort is crucial for any desktop machine. It is good to see that both models are featuring DisplayPorts. However, the Dell OptiPlex Tower Plus 7010 2023 comes with 3 ports, while the Alienware Aurora R9 has only 1. If you are planning to use multiple monitors, the Dell OptiPlex Tower Plus 7010 2023 is the better choice.

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.

When your goal is to have the fastest SSD transfer speeds, an M.2 interface is crucial. Thus, it is good that both models have M.2 SSD slots. Today M.2 SSDs are not much more expensive than the average SATA drives, so it really does not make sense to invest in SATA drives anymore.

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 Tower Plus 7010 2023 comes with a decent 500 Watt PSU, but the Alienware Aurora R9 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.