Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs IBM Power Systems comparison

Cisco and IBM are both solutions in the Rack Servers category. Cisco is ranked #5 with an average rating of 9.0, while IBM is ranked #3 with an average rating of 9.3. Cisco holds a 5.4% mindshare in Rack Servers, compared to IBM’s 7.2% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 97% of IBM users who would recommend it.

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Ser...

Read 31 Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers reviews

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2,207 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

IBM Power Systems

Read 73 IBM Power Systems reviews

3,714 Views
3,714 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Ser...

IBM Power Systems

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers and IBM Power Systems compete in the server solutions category. Cisco UCS C-Series shows advantages in cost-effectiveness and ease of management, while IBM Power Systems have the upper hand in terms of performance and reliability.

Features: Cisco UCS C-Series offers integration capabilities, flexibility, and ease of management, enhancing operational efficiency. IBM Power Systems highlights include reliability, high processing power, and scalability, supporting demanding workloads efficiently.

Room for Improvement: Cisco UCS C-Series could enhance performance under heavy workloads, improve support for high-demand applications, and optimize hardware resources. IBM Power Systems require simpler configuration processes, streamlined management tools, and more intuitive interface options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco UCS C-Series is straightforward in deployment with responsive customer service, facilitating adoption and integration. IBM Power Systems may have a longer deployment curve but are supported by a knowledgeable team for handling complex queries.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco UCS C-Series offers competitive pricing and favorable ROI, appealing to budget-conscious businesses. IBM Power Systems, despite a higher setup cost, deliver robust long-term ROI through superior performance and reliability.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs. IBM Power Systems Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs. IBM Power Systems

February 2026

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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

Ranking in other categories

Density Optimized Servers (3rd)

IBM Power Systems

Ranking in Rack Servers

3rd

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

5.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

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 IBM Power Systems is 7.2%, down from 9.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Rack Servers Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
IBM Power Systems	7.2%
Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers	5.4%
Other	87.4%

Rack Servers

Featured Reviews

reviewer1441011

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.

Read full review

Foluso Jibowo

Product Manager at Hiperdist Ltd

Has empowered enterprises with secure and cost-effective solutions

When discussing disadvantages, I do not see many areas for improvement because we have received good testimonies from every client. IBM gives customers peace of mind. One challenge, which I would not really call a challenge, is that initially people have the notion that IBM Power Systems is quite expensive. However, IBM does not lose deals based on price. This is a message we need to keep communicating to people who feel that IBM is on the high side in terms of cost. We encourage them to have a discussion with us about their total cost of ownership over three or five years. There is a notion in the market that IBM is expensive, which is false. However, once we engage and show them their return on investments and their total cost of ownership savings, they tend to embrace IBM.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"In terms of the features that I have found most valuable, that is basically the hardware, which is more dynamic."

"The technical support from Cisco is fine."

"In most cases, computes compute, and there isn't much differentiation, but one point of differentiation is Intersight cloud management."

"The most valuable features of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers are integration and customization."

"The solution is stable."

"The VIC card is the most important feature."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is performance."

"The most valuable features of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers are agileness, ease of operation, and manageability."

More Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers pros

"The initial setup is simple and straightforward."

"The technical support that clients get from IBM is excellent."

"The performance and stability are great."

"The SMT that they've improved has really helped open up boundaries for other applications that can use it."

"They are reliable, their availability is very good, and their scalability is second to none; I can go from really small to very, very large, and still stay on the same platform, still go with a single server, rather than using multiple boxes and clustering them."

"On the security side, we get regular security patch updates and system hardening. There are free tools available to harden the system."

"The best features of the solution are its robustness and service level."

"The availability of a solution depends on the requirement of the customer. The most valuable feature is the virtualization. You can have this one system or you can use it for many. They were using almost 120 servers within that specific service."

More IBM Power Systems pros

Cons

"Cisco UCS C-Series Rack could improve by selling storage. Cisco doesn't sell storage, which is a problem because some customers ask for storage. There are several brands in the market, such as HPE, and Dell EMC. However, Cisco doesn't have any storage. This is where the tension comes from buying this solution."

"In the version we need to use, the manager is still reliant on a full Java install on a Windows OS. This is inconvenient and problematic if you have multiple management tools on different versions of Java or if you move to a machine without the appropriate Java environment."

"Technical support could be more responsive."

"The pricing is too high and no discounts are available for our country."

"The hard drive of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is not very good. I have already replaced three of them."

"The price of the solution is problematic, not the solution itself. It could be less expensive."

"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 improvement should be done as per customer requirements."

More Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers cons

"Technical support and documentation need to be improved."

"If you take advantage of some of these real advanced features, for oversubscribing as an example, it's not supported on Linux on Power. So that stops us, in particular, from going that way."

"IBM systems are old technologies. I couldn't renew and get to use IBM Power Systems, and it offers users very expensive support."

"IBM should be more flexible with marketing or offer marketing events themselves and invite the partners to attend. That might be far more productive."

"IBM Power Systems could improve by having a cloud feature."

"The solution is quite expensive."

"Power Systems' price could always be lower."

"Unfortunately, the hardware models and all those things have gone down a little bit, and there's no such diversity of models, and again, IBM is getting more and more expensive."

More IBM Power Systems cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The server itself isn't costly at all, but the CPU and the RAM can be pretty expensive. You can buy a UCS for $2,000, but the RAM and CPU can cost up to $80,000. The most expensive asset is the intel processor, but it depends on how many cores you want and the technology you want to use on your CPU, like Hyper-V, etc."

"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 price for Cisco is a bit higher than its competitors. We paid 40k for one server."

"My company has an agreement with Cisco to get discounted rates. It is one of the reasons why we chose the product."

"The solution requires an annual licensing fee."

"Cisco is expensive, but we didn't look at the cost of the product. We were looking at reliability and support."

"The price of the Cisco UCS C-Series Rack could improve. It's a little more expensive in comparison with Dell or HPE solutions."

"The solution is moderately priced."

More Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers pricing and cost advice

"The pricing is reasonable."

"Its price depends on the sizing."

"When there is an error in the SAS drive of 10,000 RPM, my company buys support for 1,500 USD."

"The pricing of the solution is very good because we can beat any other competitor with the pricing. Lately, they have offered good pricing for their customer."

"Why should I be charged for that use rather than a single CPU, a single socket?"

"It's more about the value you get for the price. Considering its stability and performance, the pricing is good."

"Power Systems is very cheap and provides good value for money."

"The price of IBM Power Systems is expensive and could improve."

More IBM Power Systems pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Retailer

Financial Services Firm

11%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	13

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	17
Midsize Enterprise	19
Large Enterprise	42

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers?

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Power Systems?

In my opinion, the product can be improved by maintaining it and not sunsetting it; that would be my recommendation for IBM. I used to work for IBM for nineteen years, and I know, unfortunately, I ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for IBM Power Systems?

I am an architect and system administrator, and I'm responsible for anything related to IBM Power Systems. In IBM Power Systems, I have found a lot of valuable features such as LVM, TCP, ODM, RSCT,...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering IBM Power Systems?

I would recommend IBM Power Systems to others. I have given this review a rating of ten out of ten.

See all answers

Comparisons

Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers

Compared 46% of the time

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers

Compared 18% of the time

Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers vs Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers

Compared 9% of the time

Dell PowerEdge XE-Series vs Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers

Compared 5% of the time

HPE Synergy vs Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers

Compared 4% of the time

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Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 25% of the time

Intel Server System vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 22% of the time

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 17% of the time

Oracle SPARC Servers vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 15% of the time

Huawei KunLun Mission Critical Server vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 3% of the time

More IBM Power Systems Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers

February 2026

Download Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Power Systems

January 2026

Download IBM Power Systems product report

Also Known As

Unified Computing System C-Series, Cisco UCS C-Series

IBM OpenPOWER LC

Overview

UCS C-Series Rack Servers deliver unified computing in an industry-standard form factor to reduce TCO and increase agility. Each server addresses varying workload challenges through a balance of processing, memory, I/O, and internal storage resources.

Cisco

IBM Power Systems are built to crush the most advanced data applications - from the mission-critical workloads you run today to the next generation of AI.

IBM

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

Cipher

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs. IBM Power Systems

February 2026

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