Alienware Aurora R4 vs. HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Tower

Comparison and Differences

Alienware_Aurora_R4.jpg case front and back pannel

HP_EliteDesk_800_G5_Tower.jpg case front and back pannel

Model
Form factor	Mid Tower	Mini Tower
CPU options	Intel Gen3&4 i3/i5/i7;	Intel Gen8&9 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
Chipset	X79	Q370
Dedicated GPU *	GeForce GTX 1650 Super	GeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAM	DIMM DDR3-1333/1866	DIMM DDR4-2666
RAM slots	4	4
RAM speed	1866 MT/s	2666 MT/s
RAM max	32 GB	128 GB
USB ports	USB 3.0 Type A; (4x) USB-A 2.0;	USB-C 3.1; (4x)USB-A 3.1; (2x)USB-A 3.0; (4x)USB-A 2.0;
Video ports	N/A	(2x) DisplayPort;
Other ports	RJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical/analog;	RJ45; Hdph; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In;
Optional ports	N.A.	DP/HDMI/VGA/USB-C(DP); Serial; SD card reader;
SATA ports	3	4
PCI slots	(x2) PCIe 3.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x1;	PCIe 3.0 x16; (2x) PCIe 3.0 x1; PCIe 3.0 x16 (wired x4);
M.2 slots	N.A.	(2x) M.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe x4); M.2 2230 (WiFi/BT);
Drive bays	(4x) 3.25in; (4x) 2.5in; (2x) 5.25in;	2.5in; (2x) 3.5in; 5.25in; 5.25in (slim);
PSU	525/875 W	250/500 W
Weight	20.41 kg (45.00 lbs)	9.86 kg (21.74 lb)
Released	2012	2019
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 R4 and HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Tower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Tower which was released in 2019. The Alienware Aurora R4 is older and entered production in 2012.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Alienware Aurora R4 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Tower 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 HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Tower as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that Alienware Aurora 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 HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Tower is using the faster 2666 MT/s RAM. The Alienware Aurora R4 is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1866 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Tower as it has the ability to run 128 GB of RAM. The Alienware Aurora R4 can do a bit less at max 32 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Tower has 11 USB ports. The Alienware Aurora R4 is inferior in this regard and packs 5 USB ports. In any case, if you miss USB ports, you can always purchase a USB hub. What is nice about the HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Tower, is that it has 5 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the Alienware Aurora R4 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 HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Tower has a DisplayPort. The Alienware Aurora R4 does not have one? Don't worry though, nowadays video adapters are cheap and you can get almost any combination of conversion types.

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 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 HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Tower is better equipped as it comes with 4 SATA slot(s), while the Alienware Aurora R4 has 3 slot(s).

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 HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Tower. Sadly, the Alienware Aurora R4 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 HP EliteDesk 800 G5 Tower comes with a decent 500 Watt PSU, but the Alienware Aurora R4 has a more powerful one rated at 875 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.