Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop vs. Dell XPS 8950 Desktop
Here is a side by side comparison between Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop and Dell XPS 8950 Desktop specs including price, processors, memory, graphics, storage, ports, and more.
Specs Comparison
Compare With Please enter device name or part of it ![]() Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop | Compare With Please enter device name or part of it ![]() Dell XPS 8950 Desktop | |
Key Features | ||
What's new |
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Availability | Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop | Dell XPS 8950 Desktop |
Released | 2021 | 2021 |
Release Info | Announced on March 2021. | Announced on October 27, 2021 |
Pricing | Starting from $1,099.99 i5-11400F GTX 1650 SUPER 8GB 1TB 3.5” HDD Wi-Fi 5 | Starting at $919.00 |
Generations |
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Exterior | Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop | Dell XPS 8950 Desktop |
Size Comparison | ||
Dimensions | 17 x 18.9 x 8.771” (431.9 x 481.6 x 222.8 mm) |
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Weight | 30.42 - 39.2 lb (13.80 - 17.8 kg) |
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Colors | Dark Side of the Moon 2 unique programmable zones with up to 16.8 million distinct colors.
Lunar Light 4 unique programmable zones with up to 16.8 million distinct colors. | Night Sky Platinum Silver |
Keyboard and Trackpad |
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Ports | Front
| Front
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Chasis | Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop | Dell XPS 8950 Desktop |
Form Factor | Mid Tower | Mini Tower (27.1L) |
Power Supply | 550W 1000W |
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Optical Drives | Not Available |
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Chasis Information |
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Internal Specs | Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop | Dell XPS 8950 Desktop |
Chipset | Intel® Z490 Chipset | Intel® Z690 Chipset |
Processor |
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Integrated Graphics |
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Discrete Graphics | NVIDIA® GeForce®
| NVIDIA® GeForce®
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Memory | 8GB 16GB 32GB 64GB 128GB Dual-channel DDR4 2933 MHz, 3200 MHz, or 3400 MHz. 4 x UDIMM slots with up to 32GB per slot. |
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Storage |
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Slots |
| Expansion Slots
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Connectivity | Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop | Dell XPS 8950 Desktop |
Wi-Fi |
| Intel® Killer™ Wi-Fi 6 AX1675
Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz WiFi-6 (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.2 |
Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0 Bluetooth 5.1 | Bluetooth 5.2 |
Ethernet | Killer E3100 PCIe Gigabit Ethernet controller 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps. | Killer E3100G Ethernet controller 10/100/1000 Mbps. |
Software | Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop | Dell XPS 8950 Desktop |
OS |
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Built-in Apps | Alienware Command Center Dell Digital Delivery Dell Mobile Connect Dell Recovery Environment DropBox Microsoft® Office 30 Day Trial |
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Camera & Audio | Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop | Dell XPS 8950 Desktop |
Audio |
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Misc | Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop | Dell XPS 8950 Desktop |
Warranty | 1 Year Hardware Warranty with Onsite/In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis | 1 Year Hardware Service with Onsite/In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis |
Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop vs. Dell XPS 8950 Desktop
The Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop and the Dell XPS 8950 Desktop were released in the same year, 2021. The Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop has a full-tower form factor that can accommodate a large motherboard, multiple graphics cards, extra storage, and better cooling solution. The Dell XPS 8950 Desktop has a mini tower form factor that can fit a micro ATX and Mini ITX motherboard, a few hard disk drives, and a single full-height graphics card.
Processor
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is like the brains of your desktop computer. Its performance determines how fast and responsive your PC is. Generally, a processor with newer architecture, more CPU cores, higher TDP (measured in W), and faster clock speed (measured in GHz) tends to be more expensive and run faster than others with older architecture, fewer CPU cores, lower TDP, and lower clock speed.
For Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop, you have options to configure it with a 65W 11th Generation Intel Rocket Lake 6-core Intel Core i5-11400 up to a 125W 8-core Intel Core i9-11900KF with a boost speed up to 5.30 GHz.While Dell XPS 8950 Desktop has configurations with a 125W 12th Generation Intel Alder Lake 10-core Intel Core i5-12600K up to a 125W 16-core Intel Core i9-12900K with a boost speed up to 5.20 GHz.
Memory
The Random Access Memory or RAM is the super-fast and temporary storage used to handle all active tasks, apps, and games that will go away when your PC turns off. The more memory your PC has, the better multitasking your PC can handle without having to reload data from slower permanent storage that includes the hard disk drive or solid-state drive.
Both PCs have the same amount of four RAM slots meaning that you upgrade later if you are unsatisfied with the amount of memory on your PC. You can upgrade memory on Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop up to 64GB of 3400MHz dual-channel DDR4 memory. For Dell XPS 8950 Desktop, it supports up to 64GB of 4400MHz or 128GB of 3600MHz dual-channel DDR5 memory.
Ports
Computer ports are the interface for connecting your PC to its peripheral devices or other PCs. The most common peripherals are keyboard, mouse, monitor, flash drive, speaker, and printer. Most of them use Universal Serial Bus (USB) as their connection to your computer. So the PC with more USB ports can connect to more peripherals at the same time.
There is a total number of 15 USB ports available on the Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop, six more than the Dell XPS 8950 Desktop that has only 9 USB ports. On top of the number of USB ports, the type and version of each USB port are also necessary for determining how fast it is.
The Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop has thirteen USB Type-A ports and two USB Type-C ports. It has six ports that support USB 2.0 (480 Mbps), seven ports that support USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), and two ports that support USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps).
For Dell XPS 8950 Desktop, it has seven USB Type-A ports and two USB Type-C ports. The PC has two ports that support USB 2.0 (480 Mbps), five ports that support USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), one port that supports USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), and one port that supports USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps).
Motherboard
Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop System Board.

Dell XPS 8950 Desktop System Board.

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Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop FAQs
Here are some related questions you might want to know about the Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop:
- What Processor Does the Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop Have?
- Can You Install Graphics Card in Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop?
- What Ports Are on Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop?
- What is the Weight and Size of Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop?
- Can You Add More RAM to Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop?
Dell XPS 8950 Desktop FAQs
Here are some related questions you might want to know about the Dell XPS 8950 Desktop:
- What Processor Does the Dell XPS 8950 Desktop Have?
- Can You Install Graphics Card in Dell XPS 8950 Desktop?
- What Ports Are on Dell XPS 8950 Desktop?
- What is the Weight and Size of Dell XPS 8950 Desktop?
- Can You Add More RAM to Dell XPS 8950 Desktop?
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