Alienware Area 51 R5 vs. HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower

Comparison and Differences

Alienware_Area_51_R5.jpg case front and back pannelHP_ProDesk_400_G1_Microtower.jpg case front and back pannel
Model
Form factorMid TowerMini Tower
CPU optionsIntel Gen7&9&10 Core X-seriesIntel Gen4 i3/i5/i7; Celeron; Pentium;
ChipsetX299 PCHH81
Dedicated GPU *GeForce RTX 3090GeForce GTX 1660 Super
RAMDIMM DDR4-2666/3200DIMM DDR3-1600
RAM slots42
RAM speed3200 MT/s1600 MT/s
RAM max64 GB16 GB
USB ports(9x) USB 3.0 Type A; (2x) USB-A 2.0; USB 3.1 Type C; USB 3.1 Type A;(2x)USB-A 3.0; (6x)USB-A 2.0;
Video portsN/ADVI-D; VGA;
Other portsRJ45; Headset; Line-Out; Line-In; S/PDFI optical; Card Reader;RJ45; Hdph; Mic; Line-Out; Line-In; Serial; (2x) PS2;
Optional portsN.A.Media card reader (USB 2.0); Serial; Parallel;
SATA ports44
PCI slots(x3) PCIe 3.0 x16; (x2) PCIe 3.0 x8; PCIe 3.0 x4;PCIe x16; (3x) PCIe x1;
M.2 slotsM.2 2230 (WiFi/BT); M.2 2280 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x2, NVMe);N.A.
Drive bays(2x) 2.5in; (x3) 3.25in;(3x) 3.5in; (2x) 5.25in
PSU850/1500 W300 W
Weight28 kg (61.73 lbs)7.1 kg (15.75 lb)
Released20152013
Manuallinklink
Price**Check PriceCheck Price

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* 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 Area 51 R5 and HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower

If you are looking for a more modern desktop, then you should go with the Alienware Area 51 R5 which was released in 2015. The HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower is older and entered production in 2013.

If you are looking for the smaller form factor the Alienware Area 51 R5 is the right one for you. It is smaller than the HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower 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 Alienware Area 51 R5 as it is running a newer generation CPU. This is not to say that HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower 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 HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower 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.

The Alienware Area 51 R5 is using the faster 3200 MT/s RAM. The HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower is slower by supporting RAM speeds of up to 1600 MT/s. Additionally, if you will be needing a lot of RAM, better go for the Alienware Area 51 R5 as it has the ability to run 64 GB of RAM. The HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower can do a bit less at max 16 GB. Most of the times, this should be sufficient for the majority of users.

Ports

In total the Alienware Area 51 R5 has 13 USB ports. The HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower 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. What is nice about the Alienware Area 51 R5, is that it has 2 USB 3.1 port(s) which allows transfer of up to 10Gb/s. Unfortunately, the HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower 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.

Nowadays, almost every new computer comes equipped with a DisplayPort. However, none of the devices being compared here has one. Don't worry though, DisplayPort adapters are very cheap and you can get virtually 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 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 Alienware Area 51 R5. Sadly, the HP ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower 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 ProDesk 400 G1 Microtower comes with a decent 300 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

Alienware_Area_51_R5_motherboard.jpg motherboard layoutHP_ProDesk_400_G1_Microtower_motherboard.jpg motherboard layout