Dell PowerEdge FX vs HPE Apollo Systems comparison

Dell Technologies and Hewlett Packard Enterprise are both solutions in the Rack Servers category. Dell Technologies is ranked #9 with an average rating of 9.0, while Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.0. Dell Technologies holds a 1.4% mindshare in Rack Servers, compared to Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s 3.8% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Dell Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users who would recommend it.

Dell PowerEdge FX

Read 13 Dell PowerEdge FX reviews

765 Views
765 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

HPE Apollo Systems

Read 23 HPE Apollo Systems reviews

2,148 Views
1,890 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Dell PowerEdge FX

HPE Apollo Systems

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

HPE Apollo Systems and Dell PowerEdge FX both compete in the high-performance computing market. Dell PowerEdge FX seems to have the upper hand due to its superior features, versatility, and long-term ROI benefits.

Features: HPE Apollo Systems offer powerful processing capabilities, scalability options, and are valued for pricing and support. Dell PowerEdge FX has modular designs, flexible configurations, and is noted for adaptability to diverse workload requirements, which provides versatility.

Room for Improvement: HPE Apollo Systems can improve energy efficiency, management interface simplicity, and documentation clarity. Dell PowerEdge FX could enhance integration with existing infrastructures, offer simpler setup processes, and provide more comprehensive documentation.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HPE Apollo Systems allow straightforward deployment and have responsive customer service. Dell PowerEdge FX deployment is generally smooth but may require more technical expertise, while customer service is rated as reliable.

Pricing and ROI: HPE Apollo Systems are cost-effective, suiting budget-conscious buyers. Dell PowerEdge FX, though pricier, offers significant ROI through comprehensive features and longevity, making its higher cost justified over time.

To learn more, read our detailed Dell PowerEdge FX vs. HPE Apollo Systems Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerEdge FX vs. HPE Apollo Systems

July 2025

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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

Dell PowerEdge FX

Ranking in Rack Servers

9th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

8.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

HPE Apollo Systems

Ranking in Rack Servers

8th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

4.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Density Optimized Servers (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Rack Servers category, the mindshare of Dell PowerEdge FX is 1.4%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HPE Apollo Systems is 3.8%, down from 4.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Rack Servers

Featured Reviews

MarcGaethofs

ICT manager at Thys Bouwprojecten

A highly stable product that seamlessly integrates with the storage portfolio and provides excellent technical support

We have a lot of questions during the order process. They get answered well. The machines are ready to go when we switch on the power. It will depend on our configuration. If we don't make an order with all the configuration specs in it, we’ll get nothing. We will have to do it all by ourselves. Which isn't a problem, but it will take longer. The solution is deployed on-premise, but we're transitioning to more hybrid solutions. We have a team for storage and connectivity. We also have a team for switching and networking. We need three to five enterprise system engineers to build a normal-sized cluster with 500 users. We also need a project manager.

Read full review

Aruna Udawatte

Director -Digital Transformation at Convergence

An affordable and easy-to-implement solution, but its after-sales support and technical support should be improved

We use HPE Apollo for specific requirements of Linux servers HPE Apollo's pricing is low, and implementation is very easy compared to other products. HPE Apollo's after-sales support and technical support should be improved. The solution should provide fast delivery when it comes to replacing a…

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The setup is straightforward. It can take anywhere from an hour to half a day."

"We like PowerEdge for its high-performance computing architecture."

"It has extremely high performance, and it is easy to manage."

"The power efficiency is very good and nice."

"The best feature is PowerEdge's ability to stack up eight blade servers in one 2U chassis."

"The product seamlessly integrates with the storage portfolio."

"The console and user-friendly UI of Dell PowerEdge FX are the most valuable features. Its interface is easy to understand even for non-technical users."

"The features that I have found most valuable are that it has very robust servers and a very heavy load. We've been working on servers now for 10 years and those servers are still up and running. Those servers are still very powerful until today."

More Dell PowerEdge FX pros

"we can use the same platform for several use cases: Hadoop, Ceph, and we are considering the server for another use case right now. It's a single solution, we only have to integrate it once and we can use it for several technologies."

"It's going to meet our needs moving forward, it is scalable."

"With HPE Apollo, we can propose configurations with many hard drives, making it suitable for large storage needs."

"HPE Apollo's support is the most valuable feature."

"It enables us to implement software defined solutions very easily, because Apollo servers are certified for use with Linux systems"

"The cost benefit of this solution is most valuable. It is quite effective for the work for which we are using it. We are mainly running video servers on these, and we are quite happy with the resilience, density storage, and streaming capacity of the system."

"It's pretty flexible. You can choose how much storage you put on the server. You can have one to three nodes, depending on whether you want more CPU or storage."

"We're going to buy another Apollo 6500. We may configure it with half the number of GPUs because that may be all we need. In a sense, we can see the Apollo 6500 being so powerful that we only need half the GPU capability that we have now."

More HPE Apollo Systems pros

Cons

"The positioning of the power supply is not ideal. Both of them are on the same side, so you need to untie the cabling when you're installing the server. Another thing is storage separation. The storage can only be used by a particular server blade. I want the ability to use a storage unit for more than one server."

"I rate Dell support six out of 10. It varies. Sometimes it's good. Sometimes it's bad. The response time could be better."

"I think that Dell has full documentation on their products, but it needs to be improved for this one."

"When it comes to Dell PowerEdge FX, the area of concern revolves around the delivery time where improvements are required."

"I would prefer the next releases of Dell PowerEdge FX to be easier to use and flexible to upgrade. Sometimes, we have to do the tasks manually, but automation would be very helpful."

"The system is good, but compared to open-source and assembled servers, it is somewhat costly."

"It should have more simplified management. It is a common problem where vendors think that they have simplified a solution, but the users don't look at it in the same way. A vendor thinks that there are only ten steps for a task, but we consider them as many steps. It should also have more support for NVMe. For high performance and speed, there should also be more network cards for the fiber channel and ethernet."

"There are times when a part might break down and we need to have Dell replace it."

More Dell PowerEdge FX cons

"What's coming out in Gen 10 is very strong in terms of additional security."

"The predictive analysis feature could be improved."

"HPE Apollo's after-sales support and technical support should be improved."

"I would want to see the flexibility of being able to run various network protocols including InfiniBand, Fibre Channel, as well as iSCSI, with iSCSI going up to 100 gigabytes per second -that would be outstanding."

"We have tried to used standardization using Ubuntu Linux and it's been hard. They had some difficulties getting the RAID configuration up and running because there are no drivers for it. It's not supported by HPE."

"The technical support from HPE has always been good in my experience."

"The technical support for HPE Apollo Systems could be improved."

"We would like to see improved cooling because that is quite an issue. If you put that much compute power into a single rack, cooling really becomes an issue. And there is room for improvement there."

More HPE Apollo Systems cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost of Dell PowerEdge FX depends on the configuration we are using. We usually pay $5,000 to $10,000 based on the configuration, including RAM and storage."

"The price of Dell PowerEdge FX is affordable, and when compared to other solutions, such as Lenovo and HPE it is less expensive. There are any extra costs other than the standard solution."

"The price of the license is expensive."

"Compared to other brands, this solution is the cheapest. I would rate the pricing as a five out of five."

"Payments are generally made towards the perpetual-based licensing costs attached to the solution, but people can also opt for subscription-based licenses."

"I rate the product price a four on a scale of one to ten, where one is a high price, and ten is a low price."

"There is an annual license required to use HPE Apollo."

"Obviously I would like to see the cost go down. That speaks for itself."

"The price of the solution is more expensive than Dell which is their main competitor. However, there are times we have managed to receive a comparable price."

"It is an expensive solution but it is worth the money. The standard licensing cost is for the GPU and the features that someone is using. There are additional charges but they depend on the solution."

"Compared to other products, HPE Apollo is not an expensive solution."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

18%

Computer Software Company

11%

Media Company

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

13%

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Dell PowerEdge FX?

The product's initial setup phase was simple and easy.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerEdge FX?

The cost of Dell PowerEdge FX depends on the configuration we are using. We usually pay $5,000 to $10,000 based on the configuration, including RAM and storage.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Dell PowerEdge FX?

The system is good, but compared to open-source and assembled servers, it is somewhat costly. If it were cheaper, it would be even better. I would prefer the next releases of Dell PowerEdge FX to b...

See all answers

What do you like most about HPE Apollo?

HPE Apollo's pricing is low, and implementation is very easy compared to other products.

See all answers

What needs improvement with HPE Apollo?

Additional features would be beneficial in the next release of HPE Apollo Systems.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for HPE Apollo?

We were working with HPE Apollo Systems for one of our projects for the company named VVDN. We were using HPE Apollo Systems, GPU systems and CPU systems. For GPU systems, the model was 6500, in wh...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 20% of the time

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Compared 12% of the time

HPE Moonshot vs Dell PowerEdge FX

Compared 11% of the time

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Compared 36% of the time

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Compared 21% of the time

Dell PowerEdge XE Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 7% of the time

HPE Synergy vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 6% of the time

IBM Power Systems vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 6% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerEdge FX

August 2025

Download Dell PowerEdge FX product report

Buyer's Guide

HPE Apollo Systems

August 2025

Download HPE Apollo Systems product report

Also Known As

PowerEdge FX

HP Apollo Systems, HP ProLiant SL, HP Apollo

Overview

The PowerEdge FX converged architecture gives enterprises the flexibility to tailor their IT infrastructure to specific workloads, and the ability to scale and adapt that infrastructure as needs change over time. PowerEdge FX helps deliver the agility, flexibility and secure foundation that businesses need to simplify operations and increase business results.

Dell Technologies

The HPE Apollo high-density server family is built for the highest levels of performance and efficiency. They are rack-scale compute, storage, networking, power and cooling – massively scale-up and scale-out – solutions for your big data analytics, object storage and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads. From water-cooling that’s 1,000X more efficient than air, to “right-sized scaling” with 2X the compute density for workgroup and private cloud workloads, the HPE Apollo line is a dense, high-performance, tiered approach for organisations of all sizes.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Sample Customers

Tracewell, Govers, AXA ASSISTANCE ITALIA

Weta Digital

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerEdge FX vs. HPE Apollo Systems

July 2025

Free Report: Dell PowerEdge FX vs. HPE Apollo Systems

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