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Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs Oracle SPARC Servers comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

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)
Oracle SPARC Servers
Ranking in Rack Servers
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
8
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 Oracle SPARC Servers is 3.7%, down from 3.9% 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%
Oracle SPARC Servers3.7%
Other90.9%
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.
Marcel Hofstetter - PeerSpot reviewer
Oracle ACE Director "Solaris " / CEO / Enterprise Consultant at JomaSoft
Stability has reduced hardware refresh needs and supports high-performance workloads
The best features Oracle SPARC Servers offer are that they are very stable and with high performance. Regarding the high performance aspect, I can say that they are great for databases and Java applications. Oracle SPARC Servers have positively impacted our organization because it's very good for our budget since we can use the system for so many years and don't have to buy new systems.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The hardware customization capabilities are great."
"The most valuable feature of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack is the use of databases, such as MySQL."
"The initial setup is straightforward and easy to do."
"Excellent server solution with incredible network throughput."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is performance."
"The most valuable features of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers are integration and customization."
"The C-series is the most valuable."
"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."
"The processor is very helpful and the licensing is very flexible."
"Our customers are happy with many features in Oracle SPARC Servers, like the automatic ASR feature."
"The performance is the best feature."
"Oracle SPARC Servers have positively impacted our organization because it's very good for our budget since we can use the system for so many years and don't have to buy new systems."
"The Oracle server is very powerful. They are more powerful and durable compared to Intel hardware. Which has been a benefit to our organization."
"I have found the LDAP facilities most valuable. In addition, I like the CPU."
"The operating system is rock solid and the best I have ever used."
"The most valuable features of the solution stem from the fact that Oracle Database functions very well with Oracle SPARC Servers."
 

Cons

"I would like to see a little more integration with VMware."
"The scalability of the product is an area of concern where Cisco needs to focus on making some improvements."
"The warranty and support periods should be extended."
"On the contact center and video conferencing, I would definitely like to see more AI features. The AI features are key for us. You will find a lot of them in the cloud-based solution, but in the on-premises solution, they're hardly there. I would like to see the same AI features that are there in the cloud-based Cisco UC."
"The solution needs more capacity and more scalability."
"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 hard drive of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is not very good. I have already replaced three of them."
"The only thing I would change is to provide more proactive support."
"Oracle doesn't have a good roadmap for the solution because they are moving to the x86 platform."
"They need some sort of modeling because IBM has different types of models."
"The solution could improve by giving a clear roadmap about the future. I'm not seeing a lot of improvements on the OS side of the software. They need to work more on the operating system."
"I would like to see a reduced price point."
"They have declared the end of life of the hardware."
"Oracle SPARC Servers should be fine-tuned well enough to work with the other servers and software products in the market, as it is an area where Oracle SPARC Servers lack."
"Like IBM, Oracle SPARC Servers should be able to run other open operating systems like Linux."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We have to pay for the VMware and Cisco licenses."
"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 of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is approximately 20 percent more than other solutions."
"Cisco is expensive, but we didn't look at the cost of the product. We were looking at reliability and support."
"The price of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is high."
"The price of the Cisco UCS C-Series Rack could improve. It's a little more expensive in comparison with Dell or HPE solutions."
"This solution is a little expensive."
"The price of the solution could be better when compared to other solutions. However, when we purchased the solution we received Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers in a bundle with other hardware, such as IP phones and networking switches."
"My company makes yearly payments toward the licensing costs attached to the solution."
"The licensing is flexible."
"The hardware is expensive but it has very rich virtualization features that make it economical."
"The application running on it is very important to us and this makes the price worth it."
"Oracle SPARC Servers are expensive to manage, this is because after five years Oracle will increase the support charges for the hardware. The licensing policy for Oracle is different for Intel and Sparc. It will cost you less if you use your Oracle hardware with Oracle SPARC Servers."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Retailer
7%
Financial Services Firm
18%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Energy/Utilities Company
6%
Government
6%
 

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 Business5
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise1
 

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 Oracle SPARC Servers?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is that it's all okay.
What needs improvement with Oracle SPARC Servers?
Oracle SPARC Servers are fine as they are. There are no additional improvements needed for Oracle SPARC Servers that I haven't mentioned yet.
What is your primary use case for Oracle SPARC Servers?
My main use case for Oracle SPARC Servers is that they are very stable and excellent to virtualize and to consolidate because of their virtualization solution.
 

Also Known As

Unified Computing System C-Series, Cisco UCS C-Series
No data available
 

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
University Hospitals Leuven, B&H Photo, Tuscon Electric Power, IS Nordic, Siemens
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs. Oracle SPARC Servers and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.
881,757 professionals have used our research since 2012.