Alienware Area 51 R5 vs. Fujitsu Esprimo G9012
Comparison and Differences
Differences between Alienware Area 51 R5 and Fujitsu Esprimo G9012
If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Fujitsu Esprimo G9012 which was released in 2022. The Alienware Area 51 R5 is older and entered production in 2015.
If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Fujitsu Esprimo G9012 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the Alienware Area 51 R5 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 Fujitsu Esprimo G9012 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Alienware Area 51 R5 is bad - it can still run some powerful CPUs, albeit being an older generation.
Memory
The Alienware Area 51 R5 has 4 RAM slots while the Fujitsu Esprimo G9012 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.
None of the desktops has an advantage when it comes to the speed of the RAM being used. Both models support RAM speeds of up to 3200. In addition, you will be able to install the same amount of RAM in both models, and most probably 64 GB of RAM will be enough for most people. However, if you will be needing more RAM, make sure to check other desktop models too.
Ports
In total the Alienware Area 51 R5 has 13 USB ports. The Fujitsu Esprimo G9012 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. 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 Fujitsu Esprimo G9012 as it has 5 USB3.1 ports (the Alienware Area 51 R5 has 2).
Unfortunately, only the Fujitsu Esprimo G9012 has a DisplayPort. The Alienware Area 51 R5 does not have one? Don't worry though, nowadays video adapters are cheap and you can get almost any combination of conversion types.
The Fujitsu Esprimo G9012 comes with an HDMI port, while the Alienware Area 51 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 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 R5 is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Fujitsu Esprimo G9012 has 2 slot(s).
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 Fujitsu Esprimo G9012 comes with a decent 150 Watt PSU, but the Alienware Area 51 R5 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
