Detailed Specs Comparison

Dell XPS 8950 Desktop vs. Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop

Here is a side by side comparison between Dell XPS 8950 Desktop and Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop specs including price, processors, memory, graphics, storage, ports, and more.

BY Evan Forrest February 25, 2022

Specs Comparison

	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it Dell XPS 8950 Desktop See at Amazon	Compare With Please enter device name or part of it Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop See at Amazon
Key Features
What's new	The first XPS Desktop with a liquid cooling option. 12th Generation Intel Alder Lake K-Series Processors. Up to 125W Intel Core i9-12900K (16 Cores, 30MB Cache, Up to 5.2 GHz) Up to 64GB of 4400 MHz Dual-Channel DDR5 Memory Up to 128GB of 3600 MHz Dual-Channel DDR5 Memory Up to NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3090 (24GB GDDR6x) Up to AMD® Radeon™ RX 6900 XT (16GB GDDR6) Up to 750W Platinum PSU Available in both Night Sky Platinum Silver New 27L chassis with 42% larger than before. Better cooling solutions for better airflow and acoustics.	12th Generation Intel Alder Lake K-Series Processors. Intel® Z690 Chipset Up to 125W Intel Core i9-12900K (16 Cores, 30MB Cache, Up to 5.2 GHz) Up to 64GB of 4400 MHz Dual-Channel DDR5 Memory Up to 128GB of 3600 MHz Dual-Channel DDR5 Memory Up to NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3090 (24GB GDDR6x) Up to AMD® Radeon™ RX 6900 XT (16GB GDDR6) Up to 750W Platinum PSU Available in Dark Side of the Moon Lunar Light PCI Express 5.0 Ready New Type C USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 port (up to 20 Gbps) Optional Alienware Cryo tech Edition CPU Liquid Cooling
What's missing		Has fewer USB ports. Has fewer PCI Express slots. Use Custom Alienware motherboard.

Availability	Dell XPS 8950 Desktop	Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop
Released	2021	2021
Release Info	Announced on October 27, 2021	Announced on October 27, 2021
Pricing	Starting at $919.00
Generations	2021 Dell XPS 8950 Desktop Current 2020 Dell XPS 8940 Desktop Special Edition Compare 2020 Dell XPS 8940 Desktop Compare	Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R14 Desktop Compare Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop Current Alienware Aurora R12 Desktop Compare Alienware Aurora R11 Desktop Compare Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R10 Desktop Compare

Exterior	Dell XPS 8950 Desktop	Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop
Size Comparison
Dimensions	16.8 x 14.8 x 6.81” (426.7 x 372.9 x 173 mm) Without feed 16.8 x 15.39 x 6.81” (426.7 x 391 x 173 mm) With feed	20.8 x 20.1 x 8.86” (529 x 510 x 225 mm) Without cable cover. 23.2 x 20.1 x 8.86” (589 x 510 x 225 mm) With cable cover.
Weight	Starting weight: 16.36lbs (7.42kg) Night Sky Starting weight: 16.79lbs (7.62kg) Platinum Silver	Up to 36.4 lbs. (16.5 kg)
Colors	Night Sky Platinum Silver	Dark Side of the Moon Lunar Light
Keyboard and Trackpad	Dell KB216 Multimedia Keyboard Black or White Dell MS116Optical Mouse Black or White	Multi-Media Keyboard (English) Optical Mouse MS116AW
Ports	Front 3 x USB-A USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) 1 x USB-C USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) 1 x Headset jack 1 x SD Card Slot Optional Rear 4 x USB-A 2 x USB 2.0 (480Mbps) 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) 1 x USB-C USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20Gbps) 1 x DisplayPort 1.4 Works on processors with integrated graphics. 1 x Gigabit Ethernet 6 x Audio port 7.1 channel audio 6-connector stack of restackable audio ports. 1 x AC Power Connector	Front 3 x USB-A 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) with Powershare technology 1 x USB-C USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) with Powershare technology 1 x Headphone/Line Out Rear 6 x USB-A 2 x USB 2.0 (480Mbps) 2 x USB 2.0 (480Mbps) with Smart Power on 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) 2 x USB-C 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20Gbps) 1 x RJ-45 Killer™ E3000 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet 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

Chasis	Dell XPS 8950 Desktop	Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop
Form Factor	Mini Tower (27.1L)	Mid Tower (44L)
Power Supply	460W 80+ Bronze 85% Efficiency 750W 80+ Platinum 92% Efficiency	460W 80+ Bronze 85% Efficiency 750W 80+ Platinum 92% Efficiency
Optical Drives	No Optical Drive Tray load DVD Drive Reads and Writes to DVD/CD Tray-load Blu-Ray Drive Reads and Writes to BD/DVD/CD	Not Available
Chasis Information		Chasis Options 460W Bronze Rated PSU, Air-Cooled CPU & Solid Side Panel 460W Bronze Rated PSU, Liquid-Cooled CPU & Solid Side Panel 750W Platinum Rated PSU, Air-Cooled CPU & Solid Side Panel 750W Platinum Rated PSU, Liquid-Cooled CPU & Solid Side Panel 750W Platinum Rated PSU, Air-Cooled CPU & Clear Side Panel 750W Platinum Rated PSU, Liquid-Cooled CPU & Clear Side Panel 750W Platinum Rated PSU, Alienware Cryo-tech™ Edition CPU Liquid Cooling & Clear Side Panel 750W Platinum Rated PSU, Air-Cooled CPU & Solid Side Panel 750W Platinum Rated PSU, Liquid-Cooled CPU & Solid Side Panel 750W Platinum Rated PSU, Air-Cooled CPU & Clear Side Panel 750W Platinum Rated PSU, Liquid-Cooled CPU & Clear Side Panel 750W Platinum Rated PSU, Alienware Cryo-tech™ Edition CPU Liquid Cooling & Clear Side Panel

Internal Specs	Dell XPS 8950 Desktop	Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop
Chipset	Intel® Z690 Chipset	Intel® Z690 Chipset
Processor	12th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-12600K 10C/16T, 3.70 → 4.90 GHz, 20MB SmartCache, 125W 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-12700K 12C/20T, 3.60 → 5.00 GHz, 25MB SmartCache, 125W 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-12900K 16C/24T, 3.20 → 5.20 GHz, 30MB SmartCache, 125W	12th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-12600K 10C/16T, 3.70 → 4.90 GHz, 20MB SmartCache, 125W 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-12600KF 10C/16T, 3.70 → 4.90 GHz, 20MB SmartCache, 125W 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-12700K 12C/20T, 3.60 → 5.00 GHz, 25MB SmartCache, 125W 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-12700KF 12C/20T, 3.60 → 5.00 GHz, 25MB SmartCache, 125W 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-12900K 16C/24T, 3.20 → 5.20 GHz, 30MB SmartCache, 125W 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-12900KF 16C/24T, 3.20 → 5.20 GHz, 30MB SmartCache, 125W
Integrated Graphics	12th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-12600K Intel® UHD Graphics 770 32 Execution Units, 300 → 1450 MHz 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-12700K Intel® UHD Graphics 770 32 Execution Units, 300 → 1500 MHz 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-12900K Intel® UHD Graphics 770 32 Execution Units, 300 → 1550 MHz	12th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-12600K Intel® UHD Graphics 770 32 Execution Units, 300 → 1450 MHz 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-12600KF Not Available 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-12700K Intel® UHD Graphics 770 32 Execution Units, 300 → 1500 MHz 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i7-12700KF Not Available 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-12900K Intel® UHD Graphics 770 32 Execution Units, 300 → 1550 MHz 12th Gen Intel® Core™ i9-12900KF Not Available
Discrete Graphics	NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 SUPER™ - 4GB GDDR6 GTX 1660 SUPER™ - 6GB GDDR6 GTX 1660 Ti - 6GB GDDR6 RTX™ 3060 - 12GB GDDR6 RTX™ 3060 Ti - 8GB GDDR6 LHR RTX™ 3070 - 8GB GDDR6 LHR RTX™ 3080 - 10GB GDDR6x LHR RTX™ 3080 Ti - 12GB GDDR6x RTX™ 3090 - 24GB GDDR6x AMD® Radeon™ RX 6700 XT - 12GB GDDR6 RX 6900 XT - 16GB GDDR6	NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 SUPER™ - 4GB GDDR6 GTX 1660 SUPER™ - 6GB GDDR6 GTX 1660 Ti - 6GB GDDR6 RTX™ 3060 - 12GB GDDR6 RTX™ 3060 Ti - 8GB GDDR6 LHR RTX™ 3070 - 8GB GDDR6 LHR RTX™ 3080 - 10GB GDDR6x LHR RTX™ 3080 Ti - 12GB GDDR6x RTX™ 3090 - 24GB GDDR6x AMD® Radeon™ RX 5300 - 3GB GDDR6 RX 6600 XT - 8GB GDDR6 RX 6700 XT - 12GB GDDR6 RX 6800 XT - 16GB GDDR6 RX 6900 XT - 16GB GDDR6
Memory	Memory Slots: 4 DIMM slots Memory Type: Single or Dual Channel DDR5 Memory Memory Speed: 3600 MHz 4400 MHz Memory Per Slot: 8GB 16GB 32GB Memory Configurations 8GB 16GB 32GB 64GB 4400 MHz Dual-Channel DDR5 memory. 128GB 3600 MHz Dual-Channel DDR5 memory.	Memory Slots: 4 DIMM slots Memory Type: Single or Dual Channel DDR5 Memory Memory Speed: 3600 MHz 4400 MHz Memory Per Slot: 8GB 16GB 32GB Memory Configurations 8GB 16GB 32GB 64GB 4400 MHz Dual-Channel DDR5 memory. 128GB 3600 MHz Dual-Channel DDR5 memory.
Storage	256GB 512GB 1TB 2TB M.2 PCIe NVME SSD 1TB 2TB 7200 RPM SATA HDD	256GB 512GB 1TB 2TB M.2 PCIe NVME SSD 1TB 2TB 7200 RPM SATA HDD
Slots	Expansion Slots 1 x PCIe x16 slot PCIe Gen 5, Full-height 2 x PCIe x4 slot Full-height SATA 4 x SATA slots ForHDD/SSD, and slim Optical Drive. 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	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

Connectivity	Dell XPS 8950 Desktop	Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop
Wi-Fi	Intel® Killer™ Wi-Fi 6 AX1675 Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz WiFi-6 (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.2	Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX210 Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz WiFi-6 (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.2 Intel® Killer™ Wi-Fi 6 AX1675 Dual band 2.4 GHz/5 GHz WiFi-6 (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.2
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.2	Bluetooth 5.2
Ethernet	Killer E3100G Ethernet controller 10/100/1000 Mbps.	Killer E3100 PCIe Gigabit Ethernet controller 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps.

Software	Dell XPS 8950 Desktop	Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop
OS	Windows 11 Home Windows 11 Pro	Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro
Built-in Apps	Microsoft Office 30-day trial McAfee LiveSafe 12 Month Subscription	Alienware Command Center Dell Digital Delivery Dell Mobile Connect Dell Recovery Environment DropBox Microsoft® Office 30 Day Trial Alienware Command Center - includingAlienFX lighting, Game Library with auto-tune game profile functionality, Fusion ( and Alienware Adrenalin, Alienware Mobile Connect.

Camera & Audio	Dell XPS 8950 Desktop	Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop
Audio	Audio controller Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio with Waves MaxxAudio® Pro External Ports One Headset Port Front Six Audio port Rear, 7.1 channel audio 6-connector stack of restackable audio ports.	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

Misc	Dell XPS 8950 Desktop	Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop
Warranty	1 Year Hardware Service with Onsite/In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis	1 Year Hardware Warranty with Onsite/In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis

Dell XPS 8950 Desktop vs. Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop

The Dell XPS 8950 Desktop and the Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop were released in the same year, 2021. 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. The Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop has a 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 Dell XPS 8950 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 i9-12900K with a boost speed up to 5.20 GHz.

While Alienware Aurora R13 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 i9-12900KF 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 both systems 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 9 USB ports available on the Dell XPS 8950 Desktop, three less than the Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop that has 12 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 Dell XPS 8950 Desktop has seven USB Type-A ports and two USB Type-C ports. It 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).

For Alienware Aurora R13 Desktop, it has nine USB Type-A ports and three USB Type-C ports. The PC 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).