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Dell PowerEdge MX- Series vs Dell PowerEdge R-Series comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 7, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
6.1
Dell PowerEdge MX-Series offers rapid ROI, high performance, reliability, and scalability with advanced features like AI integration and PCIe 5.
Sentiment score
6.5
Dell PowerEdge R-Series enhances stability and cost-effectiveness with reliable performance, reduced maintenance, and extended hardware lifespan.
Regarding the cost-effectiveness and measurable benefits of Dell PowerEdge MX-Series, I find it worth the money because they are modular and consolidate most things, making it good for future planning.
Principal Engineer at AXS
We utilize AI technology with Dell PowerEdge M through a module known as CloudIQ, which provides automation and takes care of predictive analysis and reporting.
Business Development Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
By not having to worry about it, I would estimate we save two to four hours a week, depending on what's happening, such as if we need to spin up a new server, which would contribute to more time if done the old way.
Manager, Systems & Desktop Support at Tilson Home Corporation
In my immediate case for antenna analysis, Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers offer a reduction from days of computing to half a day or hours.
Senior Radio Frequncy Systems Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
The value of uptime to us is critical.
VP IT Operations at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.0
Dell PowerEdge MX-Series support is valued, but issues include inconsistent partner knowledge and delays in parts and specialist availability.
Sentiment score
7.4
Dell PowerEdge R-Series support is effective and responsive, despite occasional delays, offering tailored experiences with high customer satisfaction.
They provide excellent help when needed.
Technician at Sheeltron Digital Systems Private Limited
Regarding technical support from Dell, I find them to be one of the best support providers in the industry right now.
Business Development Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
When we had errors upgrading operating systems and did not upgrade the firmware with the right compatibility matrix, they supported us and helped us with various aspects.
Tech Lead at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
I would give Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers a ten because they're always able to answer all the questions we have; they reach a solution no matter how long it takes, and they don't give up.
Manager, Systems Security at a healthcare company with 501-1,000 employees
It has always been scheduled maintenance, which says a lot for a production environment, as we haven't had to call in a trouble ticket for the actual hardware during its entire run.
Manager, Systems & Desktop Support at Tilson Home Corporation
Typically, the contacts we have on-site are very knowledgeable, they come in within a day and usually have it fixed and taken care of if there are issues.
Senior Systems Engineer at Federal Data Systems
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
Dell PowerEdge MX-Series offers scalability and modular design but may face challenges with upgrades and blade chassis limitations.
Sentiment score
7.3
The Dell PowerEdge R-Series provides scalable and flexible options, accommodating organizational growth with adaptable hardware despite potential cost hurdles.
Regarding scalability, I can scale up to 64 enclosures, and each enclosure can hold around 7 blades.
Business Development Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
It is scalable, either by adding new servers or with the expansion of memory.
Chief Technology Officer at alldea
The scalability aspect of Dell PowerEdge MX-Series is a 9.5.
Data Center Engineer And Server Administrator at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
The scalability of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers is excellent.
Software Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
Any outages or blackouts are limited to particular servers, not affecting the whole chassis or enclosures.
Senior Systems Engineer at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
We bought our product with scaling involved, and we've been scaling it up anytime we've needed more storage.
Director, Information Technology at TEXAS PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE GUARANTY ASSOCIATION
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Dell PowerEdge MX-Series is highly reliable, stable, and recommended for its impressive uptime and performance in large-scale operations.
Sentiment score
7.9
Dell PowerEdge R-Series is highly reliable and durable, offering stable performance with minimal downtime and effective workload handling.
Despite power fluctuations, the server is working fine without motherboard or hardware issues.
Data Center Engineer And Server Administrator at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
I have not experienced any crashes, downtimes, or performance issues as it is an enterprise product.
Principal Engineer at AXS
Over four years, we've had less than 1 percent downtime.
It support lead at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
There is a feature to update the server while it is running, so there is no need to restart.
Manager, Regions Information Technology Security at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
We have truly not had any downtime on the infrastructure at all.
Director, Information Technology at TEXAS PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE GUARANTY ASSOCIATION
 

Room For Improvement

Dell PowerEdge MX-Series enhances boot times and connectivity but faces challenges in networking, support, flexibility, and AI capabilities.
Dell PowerEdge R-Series needs performance, documentation, interface improvements, enhanced GPU, faster delivery, energy efficiency, support, compatibility, and cost reduction.
I would like to see more functionality with SmartFabric in Dell PowerEdge MX- Series.
Principal Engineer at AXS
Regarding firmware updates, the complexity of seeing the compatibility matrix with the operating system and all the firmware that we have to install in Dell PowerEdge MX-Series blade servers, the chassis, and switches inside is challenging.
Tech Lead at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Additionally, there was a problem with the deployment templates; it is quite complicated and not working as it is supposed to.
Chief Technology Officer at alldea
We need to know about any upcoming updates so that we can plan accordingly.
End User Manager at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
The beneficial aspect of that feature was that we could skip the PowerStore and just have the Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers alone, as they also served as storage, which helped us save money.
Director of IT at Star Kay White
This forces you to go up to a larger server to get the desired processor, which increases the cost.
Team Lead Infrastructure at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
 

Setup Cost

Dell PowerEdge MX-Series offers medium-range pricing, competitive yet higher than refurbished models, with customizable options from $10,000 to $60,000.
Dell PowerEdge R-Series offers competitive pricing with reliable performance, justified costs, and robust support ideal for enterprises.
Sometimes Dell may be a little costlier, but that is considering the services and solutions we are providing, which can be adjustable.
Business Development Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
They have been stable and running for years without performance downtime or significant disc failures.
Product manager at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Some customers find it cheaper due to contractual agreements, while others find it expensive, especially when scaling up.
System Administrator at Tigs
The software associated with servers, like VMware subscription licenses, drives costs.
Software Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
 

Valuable Features

The Dell PowerEdge MX-Series delivers modularity, scalability, integrated management, and robust performance for flexible IT environments.
Dell PowerEdge R-Series delivers scalable, high-performance solutions with reliable management, robust security, and customizable design for demanding applications.
The ease of troubleshooting and managing through remote access, using tools like iDRAC, significantly saves me time.
Technician at Sheeltron Digital Systems Private Limited
From the networking perspective, the advanced networking capabilities have excellent features called SmartFabric; for upgrades, it is just plug and play, and SmartFabric takes care of everything.
Principal Engineer at AXS
The most valuable feature is that it does not experience downtime easily.
Data Center Engineer And Server Administrator at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
They keep running for at least five to seven years without any issues.
IT Manger at Dubai precast LLc
With PowerEdge Servers, I don't need a one-to-one ratio redundancy, which leads to about eighty percent downtime reduction.
Product manager at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
One of the valuable features is Active Directory, which helps in managing the network.
IT Manager at Misrconsult
 

Categories and Ranking

Dell PowerEdge MX- Series
Ranking in Blade Servers
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
30
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Dell PowerEdge R-Series
Ranking in Blade Servers
4th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
268
Ranking in other categories
Converged Infrastructure (1st), Data Center Networking (2nd), Rack Servers (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Blade Servers category, the mindshare of Dell PowerEdge MX- Series is 12.1%, down from 19.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell PowerEdge R-Series is 4.3%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Blade Servers Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Dell PowerEdge MX- Series12.1%
Dell PowerEdge R-Series4.3%
Other83.6%
Blade Servers
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2800806 - PeerSpot reviewer
Data Center Engineer And Server Administrator at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Reliable hardware has kept critical data center services running nonstop with minimal intervention
I wanted to highlight that sometimes the patches from the firmware are not compatible with the hardware, which can crash the operating system and mess up the RAID configuration. If the patches are corrupted from the software level, we can roll back from safe mode, but if they crash on a hardware level, the whole box goes down, and it is very difficult to get the server online. The product cost is fine, but the licensing cost is much higher. For the licensing regarding Dell storage and warranty, if they could give us some discounts for extending the warranty on a Dell part, that would be beneficial for my organization.
reviewer2776431 - PeerSpot reviewer
Supply Chain and Procurement Specialist at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Relied on consistent support and efficient hardware to streamline engineering test environments
Currently, it is sometimes challenging when a component gets out of fashion or is no longer available at end of life, to quickly get a drop-in replacement. I would appreciate an XE version of the server where we have some drop-in replacements lined up beforehand, and we already know how to validate them. Right now, when this happens, we have about three months to validate the new systems, and that is usually a little short notice for us. I am already happy we get the time we get. I do have something to say about customer service and support. From time to time, we need to get special licenses or extended warranties or other items, especially for end customers. I think that could be streamlined. Right now, there is a human factor in it; there is not a click and buy option. This could save Dell some time to iterate that as well. If we have a technical question, it can take a little time, especially if we are trying to reach the Dutch support line. Usually, we still get redirected to a UK representative, which is acceptable because I speak English, but some of our customers are a little less happy. It would be beneficial if there were more local technical support. All of our questions get answered usually within a day or two, which I consider pretty quick. If it is high priority or critical, it gets answered within a couple of hours.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
12%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
11%
University
7%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business13
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise12
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business95
Midsize Enterprise59
Large Enterprise112
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Dell PowerEdge M?
The best feature is the idrac tools, which allows me to manage/config the platform from the Linux level.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerEdge M?
I am not aware of the pricing aspect of Dell PowerEdge MX- Series, as that is handled by another department, and I focus on the technical side.
What needs improvement with Dell PowerEdge M?
I would like to see improvements in Dell PowerEdge MX- Series, such as increasing the clustering capability beyond the current ten chassis, similar to PowerScale, allowing for more sleds and comput...
When shopping for a rack server, would you go with Dell EMC Poweredge or Lenovo Thinksystem?
Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether the Dell EMC Poweredge or Lenovo Thinksystem rack servers were the better fit for us. We ultimately decided to go with Dell EMC Poweredge....
What do you like most about Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers?
It has helped us reduce unplanned downtime by 20% to 30%.
What needs improvement with Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers?
I am not the right person to talk about improvements for Dell PowerEdge R-Series because I am not related to the networking aspect; I am related to CAE. At my end, everything looks good for me. In ...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Newport City Homes, Neuroblastoma and Medulloblastoma Translational Research Consortium (NMTRC), Georgian College, AgreeYa Solutions, IIHT Cloud Solutions, Arizona State University, AudienceScience, University of the Incarnate Word (UIW), The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), Holy Cross School
NxtGen Datacenter, Medien-Service Untermain (MSU), Exasol, IndigoVision, Dayco
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell PowerEdge MX- Series vs. Dell PowerEdge R-Series and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.
881,821 professionals have used our research since 2012.