Dell PowerEdge XE-Series vs IBM Power Systems comparison

Dell Technologies and IBM are both solutions in the Rack Servers category. Dell Technologies is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.7, while IBM is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.9. Dell Technologies holds a 1.3% mindshare in Rack Servers, compared to IBM’s 8.7% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Dell Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 97% of IBM 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

IBM Power Systems

Read 72 IBM Power Systems reviews

3,714 Views
3,714 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Dell PowerEdge XE-Series

IBM Power Systems

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 26, 2025

IBM Power Systems and Dell PowerEdge XE-Series compete in the advanced server solutions category. IBM Power Systems holds an advantage in virtualization capabilities, while Dell PowerEdge XE-Series is noted for integration ease with security solutions.

Features: IBM Power Systems are known for exceptional virtualization, high performance, and robust security features. Users can efficiently manage complex workloads with features such as Live Partition Mobility and PowerVM. Dell PowerEdge XE-Series emphasizes ease of integration, extensive storage, and VMware compatibility, making it suitable for adaptable environments with external solutions.

Room for Improvement: IBM Power Systems receive criticism for complex licensing and high pricing, with users seeking more transparency. Dell PowerEdge XE-Series could improve in scalability and stability, particularly in hardware expandability and management interfaces for dynamic workloads.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Power Systems are often on-premises with reliable support, though responses can vary by region. Users value IBM's expertise but suggest faster support. Dell PowerEdge XE-Series offers on-premises and cloud deployment options, with responsive customer service; some users note location-based variability but appreciate the engagement.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Power Systems feature higher upfront costs, compensated by long-term reliability and performance, though challenging for smaller organizations. Dell PowerEdge XE-Series is more affordable, offering competitive initial pricing and adaptable licensing models, enhancing cost-effectiveness for various scales.

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

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerEdge XE-Series vs. IBM Power 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

IBM Power Systems

Ranking in Rack Servers

4th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

4.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

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 IBM Power Systems is 8.7%, down from 8.8% 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	8.7%
Dell PowerEdge XE-Series	1.3%
Other	90.0%

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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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

"The solution is flexible in my experience."

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

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

"Its reliability and consistency are most valuable."

"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."

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

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

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

More Dell PowerEdge XE-Series pros

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

"Power VM gives us the flexibility to increase or decrease machine resources when required."

"Active Memory Expansion allows you to compress your memory on the run time to allow you to have less physical memory available, but provision more memory to your partitions, as everything will be compressed on the fly."

"It scales a lot, you can just keep on adding frames, you can add on CPUs, you get capacity on demand, you can tune the machine very easily to handle different workloads."

"What we like the most is the ability to upgrade the scaling of the system itself. Whenever we need extra storage, we can do that. Whenever we need extra memory, we can do that as well. It's fast and it's available."

"BM Power Systems get updated every two years and are scalable and stable."

"IBM Power Systems provides very good performance and stability compared to other brands or processors."

"The most valuable feature of our machines is their ability to replace faulty parts without causing any downtime."

More IBM Power Systems pros

Cons

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

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

"The support team must improve the speed of response."

"Upgrading can be a bit difficult."

"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."

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

"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."

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

More Dell PowerEdge XE-Series cons

"Sometimes, the availability of additional services can be a challenge. Certain IBM software takes time to deliver to the client. It can be slow."

"In Power6, latency was an issue, but nowadays, we are on Power8, which doesn't have any such problems. Sometimes, we have issues when we are moving to a new version, which is the case with almost every company. Some new issues or problems show up suddenly, and you do not have the time to research and find the solution. That's when we contact IBM technical support."

"Initially when sizing it, people perceive IBM Power Systems as quite expensive."

"Better manage heterogeneous footprints of all the different operating systems that are out there across one common interface."

"The pricing is high."

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

"There are improvements that can be made on the technical side."

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

More IBM Power Systems cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"The pricing model is quite competitive."

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

"Dell has competitive pricing."

"This solution is priced very reasonably."

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

"It is designed for a large workload, as opposed to a small workload. For our circumstances, and even as an independent, I can't buy a Power system to experiment on. It can't happen. You cannot buy them."

"IBM Power Systems is a really expensive product."

"Price-wise, I rate the solution a five out of ten."

"The licensing costs are okay. With IBM Power Systems, it's inclusive, so you can differentiate the price of the hardware from the software itself."

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

"The price of the solution depends upon the configuration part of it. Based on what configuration you want to go for it, there is a range like IBM Power Systems POWER9 and IBM Power Systems Power10."

"Its price depends on the sizing."

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

More IBM Power Systems pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

18%

Financial Services Firm

Retailer

University

Financial Services Firm

13%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

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	17
Midsize Enterprise	18
Large Enterprise	42

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 do you like most about IBM Power Systems?

IBM Power Systems provides very good performance and stability compared to other brands or processors.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Power Systems?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for IBM Power Systems?

IBM Power Systems are used mainly in large organizations, generally in the financial industry, government, telecommunications, oil and gas sectors for their high availability environment. These sys...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 22% of the time

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Compared 17% of the time

Oracle SPARC Servers vs Dell PowerEdge XE-Series

Compared 14% of the time

Dell PowerEdge XR-Series vs Dell PowerEdge XE-Series

Compared 14% of the time

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Intel Server System vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 30% of the time

Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 22% of the time

Oracle SPARC Servers vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 17% of the time

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 17% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Rack Servers

October 2025

Download Dell PowerEdge XE-Series product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Power Systems

October 2025

Download IBM Power Systems product report

Also Known As

PowerEdge XE Servers

IBM OpenPOWER LC

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

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

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

Cipher

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerEdge XE-Series vs. IBM Power Systems

September 2025

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