Dell PowerEdge XE-Series 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 8.7, while Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.0. Dell Technologies holds a 1.3% mindshare in Rack Servers, compared to Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s 3.8% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Dell Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users who would recommend it.

Dell PowerEdge XE-Series

Read 11 Dell PowerEdge XE-Series reviews

658 Views
658 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

HPE Apollo Systems

Read 23 HPE Apollo Systems reviews

1,950 Views
1,716 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Dell PowerEdge XE-Series

HPE Apollo Systems

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 26, 2025

HPE Apollo Systems and Dell PowerEdge XE-Series compete in the high-performance computing market. HPE Apollo has the upper hand in customization and energy efficiency, while Dell PowerEdge XE-Series impresses with flexibility and global support.

Features: HPE Apollo Systems offer high-density design, energy-efficient performance, and customizable configurations, making them suitable for specialized workloads. Dell PowerEdge XE-Series features powerful processing capabilities, extensive scalability, and strong integration with various platforms, catering to diverse enterprise needs.

Room for Improvement: HPE Apollo needs to enhance initial configuration ease, expand global support networks, and improve compatibility with multiple platforms. Dell PowerEdge XE-Series could benefit from further energy efficiency improvements, a broader range of customization options, and enhanced automation capabilities to streamline management processes.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HPE Apollo Systems provide straightforward deployment with onsite support tailored to specific business needs but require more initial configuration. Dell PowerEdge XE-Series ensures a quick and streamlined deployment experience, backed by extensive global customer service for reduced downtime and better service consistency.

Pricing and ROI: HPE Apollo Systems often have a higher upfront cost but provide long-term energy savings and value for tailored deployments. Dell PowerEdge XE-Series is generally more cost-effective initially, offering quicker ROI through flexible deployment options and robust feature sets.

To learn more, read our detailed Dell PowerEdge XE-Series vs. HPE Apollo Systems Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerEdge XE-Series vs. HPE Apollo Systems

September 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 XE-Series

Ranking in Rack Servers

9th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.0

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 (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Rack Servers category, the mindshare of Dell PowerEdge XE-Series is 1.3%, up from 1.1% 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 Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
HPE Apollo Systems	3.8%
Dell PowerEdge XE-Series	1.3%
Other	94.9%

Rack Servers

Featured Reviews

Muzammil Nasim

Software Architect at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees

We're hardly using 15 percent of their computing power, so there's a lot left over that we could utilize

It should be easier to extend PowerEdge XE servers. We haven't architected them with an eye toward scalability. They have a fixed number of slots for hard drives, which is enough for our present use case, However, we would have more options if we could extend that. We could deploy the servers in a broader range of use cases with different requirements. It's fine for our current deployment with only a few thousand users. We're exploring other solutions like such as VxRail or PowerFlex for larger public-facing use cases.

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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

"PowerEdge XE servers are high-performing. We're hardly using 15 percent of their computing power, so there's a lot left over that we could utilize."

"Its reliability and consistency are most valuable."

"One of the most valuable features of Dell PowerEdge XE Servers is the ease of fixing issues if there are any."

"The most valuable feature of these servers is the ability to store a lot—the capacity and the number of hard disk drives."

"The solution is flexible in my experience."

"In general, it works well. We haven't had issues."

"The most valuable feature is that it can support up to 32 drives of internal storage."

"The strong point of this solution is its compatibility with VMware and its resilience."

More Dell PowerEdge XE-Series pros

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

"HPE Apollo's most valuable feature is the ability to expand our storage capacity."

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

"The solution is well documented in a data sheet."

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

"Apollo Systems provide stuff that standard services do not. More HTDs, more compute power, at very reasonable pricing."

"When we moved to the Apollo and all flash drives, we gained a lot of performance."

"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."

More HPE Apollo Systems pros

Cons

"In future releases, there should be more support options for the latest processor."

"The quality and reliability could be improved."

"We use OpenManager a lot, and that can be a bit clunky at times. They can make that better."

"Upgrading can be a bit difficult."

"It should be easier to extend PowerEdge XE servers. We haven't architected them with an eye toward scalability. They have a fixed number of slots for hard drives, which is enough for our present use case, However, we would have more options if we could extend that. We could deploy the servers in a broader range of use cases with different requirements. It's fine for our current deployment with only a few thousand users. We're exploring other solutions like such as VxRail or PowerFlex for larger public-facing use cases."

"It is mostly stable, but the usual problem would be, for example, upgrading to a newer version of VMware or dealing with compatibility issues during the process."

"Dell PowerEdge XE Servers can improve by adapting HCI technology."

"I would like to have support for performing a detailed analysis of the server from a mobile device."

More Dell PowerEdge XE-Series cons

"If there could be some training for our team, we would be better equipped to promote and support HPE Apollo."

"The solution's deployment, security, and scalability need improvement."

"We could, perhaps, use more GPUs in the future, go from eight to 16 GPUs per instance. That could run head-to-head against the DGX-1, the DGX-2 that NVIDIA has developed in their own chassis. That would be interesting to see."

"One drawback which I had: When I needed to expand storage on the Apollo, I had significant problems getting disks for it. It was a very long wait-time. So, if I were to give any advice in regards to improving this product, I would say make more of the 8TB disks available quicker."

"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."

"The predictive analysis feature could be improved."

"We are quite happy with it, but its price and storage density can be better."

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

More HPE Apollo Systems cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"This solution is priced very reasonably."

"If you want an SLA for parts and equipment then you need to purchase a support agreement."

"You always want slightly cheaper, but overall, they are quite comparable and quite neutral."

"There are different types of licensing available, that works well for customers. The product is not very much to purchase."

"The pricing model is quite competitive."

"Dell has competitive pricing."

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

"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."

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

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

"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."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

18%

Financial Services Firm

Retailer

University

Manufacturing Company

13%

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	3

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	12

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Dell PowerEdge XE Servers?

The resource management features are valuable.

See all answers

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

Dell has competitive pricing.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Dell PowerEdge XE Servers?

For Dell PowerEdge XE Servers, particularly for standalone servers, extendability would be a great improvement. This feature is currently available only with virtualization environment. Adding exte...

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

What advice do you have for others considering HPE Apollo?

Our company is a platinum partner with HPE, and we continue to deal with HPE. We sell many of their hardware products. Depending on the requirement or deal, we may sell HPE Converged System, hardwa...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 17% of the time

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Compared 14% of the time

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Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs Dell PowerEdge XE-Series

Compared 12% of the time

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

Compared 12% of the time

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HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 39% of the time

Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 23% of the time

HPE Synergy vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 8% of the time

IBM Power Systems vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 5% of the time

More HPE Apollo Systems Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Rack Servers

October 2025

Download Dell PowerEdge XE-Series product report

Buyer's Guide

HPE Apollo Systems

October 2025

Download HPE Apollo Systems product report

Also Known As

PowerEdge XE Servers

HP Apollo Systems, HP ProLiant SL, HP Apollo

Overview

The PowerEdge XE-Series caters to AI-centric workloads by offering exceptional GPU support and processing power for demanding tasks like inferencing and large-scale training, making it ideal for organizations aiming to innovate with AI.

PowerEdge XE-Series stands out in modern GPU-centric computing with its purpose-built design for AI acceleration. Known for handling extreme workloads like model fine-tuning and AI-driven applications, it supports high-density GPU configurations and advanced thermal management. Its vast storage capacity and compatibility with VMware ensure reliable performance across virtualization, big data, and analytics while providing trusted security integration and robust scalability options. However, improvements in processor support, reliability, and management monitoring are sought by users.

What are the key features of PowerEdge XE-Series?

High-Density GPU Support: Configures multiple GPUs for demanding AI tasks.
Advanced Thermal Design: Optimizes cooling for enhanced performance.
Vast Storage Capacity: Supports up to 32 drives for extensive data management.
Compatibility: Works seamlessly with platforms like VMware.
Security Integration: Includes trusted platform modules for data protection.

What benefits should users expect from PowerEdge XE-Series?

Efficient AI Management: Enhances AI workloads with advanced processing.
Scalability: Adapts to growing demands in virtualization and big data.
Security: Offers robust data protection and reliability.
Improved Resource Management: Facilitates straightforward setup and usage.

In different industries, PowerEdge XE-Series is utilized for hosting SaaS, high-performance computing, and general-purpose servers. System integrators use it in client networks for applications like Hadoop, backup, and ERP. It supports virtualization and hyper-converged infrastructure solutions. Real estate sectors leverage iDRAC for efficient management, enhancing data security, power, and network redundancy.

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

Epsilon, ROZETTA CORP, JIGUANG, RACKSPACE, NEW BELGIUM BREWING

Weta Digital

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerEdge XE-Series vs. HPE Apollo Systems

September 2025

Free Report: Dell PowerEdge XE-Series vs. HPE Apollo Systems

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