Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop vs. Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop
Here is a side by side comparison between Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop and Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop specs including price, processors, memory, graphics, storage, ports, and more.
Dual-channel DDR4 2933 MHz, 3200 MHz, or 3400 MHz.
4 x UDIMM slots with up to 32GB per slot.
Storage
256GB512GB1TB2TB
M.2 PCIe NVME SSD
1TB2TB
7200 RPM SATA HDD
256GB512GB1TB2TB
M.2 PCIe NVME SSD
1TB2TB
7200 rpm 3.5" SATA Hard Drive
Slots
Expansion Slots
1 x PCIe x16 slot
PCIe Gen 5 x16, Full-height
2 x PCIe x4 slot
PCIe Gen 3 x4, Full-height
SATA
3 x SATA slots
ForHDD/SSD.
M.2
1 x M.2 2230 slot
For WiFi and Bluetooth combo card
2 x M.2 2230/2280 slot
For SSD/Intel Optane
2 x PCIe x16 slots
2 x PCIe x4 slots
4 x SATA slots
1 x M.2 2242/2260/2280 slot
For solid-state drive/Intel Optane memory
1 x M.2 2230 slot
For WiFi and Bluetooth combo card
Connectivity
Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop
Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop
Wi-Fi
Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX210
Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHzWiFi-6 (802.11ax)Bluetooth 5.2
Intel® Killer™ Wi-Fi 6 AX1675
Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHzWiFi-6 (802.11ax)Bluetooth 5.2
Qualcomm QCA9377 (DW1810)
Up to 433 MbpsDual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHzWiFi-5 (802.11ac)Bluetooth 5.0
Intel AX201
Up to 2400 MbpsDual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHzWiFi-6 (802.11ax)Bluetooth 5.1
Killer AX1650i
Up to 2400 MbpsDual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHzWiFi-6 (802.11ax)Bluetooth 5.1
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.2
Bluetooth 5.0Bluetooth 5.1
Ethernet
Killer E3100 PCIe Gigabit Ethernet controller
10/100/1000/2500 Mbps.
Killer E3100 PCIe Gigabit Ethernet controller
10/100/1000/2500 Mbps.
Software
Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop
Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop
OS
Windows 10 Home
Windows 10 Pro
Windows 10 Home
Windows 10 Pro
Built-in Apps
Alienware Command CenterDell Digital DeliveryDell Mobile ConnectDell Recovery EnvironmentDropBoxMicrosoft® Office 30 Day Trial
Alienware Command Center - includingAlienFX lighting, Game Library with auto-tune game profile functionality, Fusion ( and Alienware Adrenalin, Alienware Mobile Connect.
Alienware Command CenterDell Digital DeliveryDell Mobile ConnectDell Recovery EnvironmentDropBoxMicrosoft® Office 30 Day Trial
Camera & Audio
Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop
Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop
Audio
Audio controller
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio with Waves MaxxAudio® Pro
External Ports
1 x Headset Port
Front
1 x SPDIF Digital Output (Coaxial)
1 x SPDIF Digital Output (TOSLINK)
1 x Microphone In
1 x Line In
1 x Line Out
1 x Center/Subwoofer Output
1 x Rear Surround Output
1 x Side Surround Output
No Speakers
Audio controller
Realtek ALC3861
External Ports
7.1 channel output
Microphone-in
Stereo headphones
Headset combo connector
Misc
Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop
Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop
Warranty
1 Year Hardware Warranty with Onsite/In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis
1 Year Hardware Warranty with Onsite/In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis
Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop vs. Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop
The Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop and the Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop were released in the same year, 2021. Both systems share the same full-tower form factor that can accommodate a large motherboard, multiple graphics cards, extra storage, and better cooling solution.
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 R13 Desktop, you have options to configure it with a 125W 12th Generation Intel Alder Lake 10-core Intel Core i5-12600K up to a 125W 16-core Intel Core i9-12900KF with a boost speed up to 5.20 GHz.
While Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop has configurations 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.
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 R13 Desktop up to 64GB of 4400MHz or 128GB of 3600MHz dual-channel DDR5 memory. For Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop, it supports up to 64GB of 3400MHz dual-channel DDR4 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 12 USB ports available on the Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop, three less than the Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop that has 15 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 R13 Desktop has nine USB Type-A ports and three USB Type-C ports. It has four ports that support USB 2.0 (480 Mbps), five ports that support USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), two ports that support USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps), and one port that supports USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps).
For Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop, it has thirteen USB Type-A ports and two USB Type-C ports. The PC 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).
