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Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs Dell PowerEdge XR-Series comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 14, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Ser...
Ranking in Rack Servers
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
4.3
Number of Reviews
31
Ranking in other categories
Density Optimized Servers (3rd)
Dell PowerEdge XR-Series
Ranking in Rack Servers
9th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
Rugged Servers (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Rack Servers category, the mindshare of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is 5.4%, up from 4.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell PowerEdge XR-Series is 1.6%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Rack Servers Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers5.4%
Dell PowerEdge XR-Series1.6%
Other93.0%
Rack Servers
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer1441011 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr, Manager- Network Solution Architect at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
Comprehensive support and integration ensure smooth cloud infrastructure operations
I may not be the right person to comment on advanced improvements because we are just using basic functionalities. We are getting all the functionalities which we used to get in other OEM rack servers. Potential areas for improvement may include a more flexible pricing model, better technical support, or tutorials from the vendor for users.
Igor Tiskov - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Virtualization Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Redfish manageability has supported remote site operations and consistent private cloud deployment
I think Dell PowerEdge R-Series can be improved in appearance. I would say that the improvement opportunity is probably on the monitoring side, the overall monitoring side. I would love to see closer integration with different vendors. As a company, we are still using a multi-vendor approach and cannot go all-in with one single vendor. What we struggle with is that we cannot afford to have three different monitoring systems, management systems, or lifecycle management systems for different environments. I would love to see in the future how that integrates with other vendors as well. Perhaps not as a primary tool, but at least some features and functions from other vendors.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"On the Cisco side, there is a benefit in terms of server management. Cisco provides UCS Manager, which is a multi-tenant site manager. We can manage multiple sites while maintaining disaster recovery, a feature not available on other platforms."
"Cisco rack servers are very easy to integrate with other products from different vendors."
"The product doesn't take up too much space on the rack and I like that."
"The server can be configured easily."
"What I really like about the Cisco USC Server is its service profile."
"The most valuable features of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers are integration and customization."
"The solution is reliable and easy to use."
"In most cases, computes compute, and there isn't much differentiation, but one point of differentiation is Intersight cloud management."
"The best features in Dell PowerEdge XR-Series are all-flash storage, which is easy to implement and install, and it was also easy to upgrade."
"I appreciate the management tool, iDRAC, in Dell PowerEdge XR-Series, as it is convenient for administrators to use when managing Dell PowerEdge XR-Series."
"The scalability of the Dell XR2 Rugged Server is good and easy to do."
"Dell PowerEdge XR-Series is better compared to other servers and runs more efficiently, with stability and reliability that have been good so far."
"The storage and the disc performance in terms of IOPS is great."
"What I like the most about Dell PowerEdge R-Series is probably the Redfish manageability, which provides management, remote management, and remote configuration capabilities."
"Dell PowerEdge XR-Series is a super server, so compared to HP, I see big differences from the technical side."
"Stability, good performance, and good tools to manage the system are the best features for me."
 

Cons

"The solution needs more capacity and more scalability."
"The pricing is too high and no discounts are available for our country."
"The product's stability and delivery time could be better."
"I would like to see a little more integration with VMware."
"The improvement should be done as per customer requirements."
"The solution can be improved by adjusting the cost."
"Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers could improve by adding a wider portfolio because they only have two main categories, the C-220 and 240. There is no wide range of options as other solutions have, such as Dell. Additionally, if it was more flexible with the configuration it would be good."
"The only thing I would change is to provide more proactive support."
"I think Dell PowerEdge R-Series can be improved in appearance. I would say that the improvement opportunity is probably on the monitoring side, the overall monitoring side."
"Customization could be improved; more customization options are needed."
"Regarding the weakness of Dell PowerEdge XR-Series, I think the main drawback is that it is more expensive than other servers."
"Dell XR2 Rugged Server could improve if there was more customization allowed."
"Service is a specific aspect that could be improved, but it is nothing bad."
"It lacks a modular option to expand to a 16-bay system."
"The support could work faster, but that is the only small thing that could be better."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is approximately 20 percent more than other solutions."
"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis, which is only $2,000 or $3,000."
"We have to pay for the VMware and Cisco licenses."
"My company has an agreement with Cisco to get discounted rates. It is one of the reasons why we chose the product."
"This product is slightly more expensive when compared to others."
"The solution requires an annual licensing fee."
"The prices of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers are higher compared to the competition. When we try and sell against the competition, then it becomes quite difficult to sell"
"The solution could be more cost-effective."
"The price of one Dell XR2 Rugged Server is approximately $10,000."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Retailer
7%
Manufacturing Company
15%
University
11%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise13
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise4
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers?
I may not be the right person to comment on advanced improvements because we are just using basic functionalities. We are getting all the functionalities which we used to get in other OEM rack serv...
What is your primary use case for Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers?
We are running AI on Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers, and we can do it sometimes even without any GPU.
What advice do you have for others considering Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers?
I would strongly recommend Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers to others.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell EMC XR2 Rugged Server?
I am not certain if Dell PowerEdge XR-Series is financially beneficial to use. Recently, I received a quote from Dell, and the price is much cheaper.
What needs improvement with Dell EMC XR2 Rugged Server?
Regarding the weakness of Dell PowerEdge XR-Series, I think the main drawback is that it is more expensive than other servers. The price of Dell PowerEdge XR-Series is expensive, and there are much...
What is your primary use case for Dell EMC XR2 Rugged Server?
I usually use Dell PowerEdge XR-Series to build images and build code to image for deployment. I used to build code with Dell PowerEdge XR-Series, and the time it takes depends on the project scope...
 

Also Known As

Unified Computing System C-Series, Cisco UCS C-Series
XR2 Rugged Server
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Advanced Medical Transport, Aegean Motorway, Anilana Hotels and Resorts, Artoni Transporti, BH Telecom, Bowling Green State University, City of Mississauga, Dualtec Cloud Builders, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS), Kind en Gezin, Kuwait Petroleum Italia, Nationwide, Quest, Talbots, University of St. Gallen
DIGISTOR - Secure Data Storage
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs. Dell PowerEdge XR-Series and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.
881,821 professionals have used our research since 2012.