HPE 3PAR StoreServ vs IBM System Storage N series [EOL] comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and IBM are both solutions in the NAS category. Additionally, 94% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of IBM users who would recommend it.

HPE 3PAR StoreServ

Read 304 HPE 3PAR StoreServ reviews

18,803 Views
4,889 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

IBM System Storage N series...

Read 1 IBM System Storage N series [EOL] review

100% willing to recommend

HPE 3PAR StoreServ

IBM System Storage N series...

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between HPE 3PAR StoreServ and IBM System Storage N series [EOL] based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Dell Technologies, NetApp, CTERA and others in NAS.

To learn more, read our detailed NAS Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

NAS

September 2026

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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

HPE 3PAR StoreServ

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

304

Ranking in other categories

NAS (6th), Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) (2nd), All-Flash Storage (10th)

IBM System Storage N series...

Average Rating

9.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

Muhammad Saqib

System Engineer at Hybrid Tech

Uninterrupted upgrades accelerate performance with good support

I would rate the solution eight out of ten. It should be noted that in Pakistan, some parts are not readily available, and we need to import them from Singapore or other countries. We encountered an issue with a customer where the midplane failed and was not available. We had to wait for several days for a replacement, even in a 24/7 support case. Additionally, we faced motherboard failures in the customer's environment, encountering two motherboard failures simultaneously. We obtained one motherboard immediately, yet had to wait ten days for another. These issues should have been resolved promptly given the 24/7 support level.

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it_user281973

Storage and VMware Expert at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees

All protocols come in the same box, including CIFS file server if you have NetApp experience this storage is the same.

All features available through NetApp storage devices All the protocols are on the same box Deduplication and snapshot features are available through the NetApp FAS series It has provided a customer with CIFS file-server protocol. Unify all backup softwares on the same tool to simplify the…

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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

"We are able to replicate our Logical Unit Numbers (LUNs) easily from one 3PAR device to another."

"The technical support has been very helpful; they are responsive and knowledgeable and we've enjoyed working with them, and they tend to know if there are any issues before we can even catch anything."

"When we bought it, the big sell for us was what they called "wide striping", how they striped the data and could get performance on a cheaper disk. Nowadays, the newer models that are out, which we are going to in the next couple of years, the most valuable feature is mainly being able to achieve such high IOPS in such a small chassis."

"This is an amazing solution, it's been very good for all our projects."

"You can have SSD drives, fast disk drives, and slower drives, redundancy between drives, and hot-swappable drives on the SSDs, the faster hard drives, and the slower drives."

"I really like the new RMC (Recovery Manager Cental) software that was introduced with the 3.0 or 3.1 update. It allows us to use our data protector with our 3PAR and give it a nicer front-end than the SSMC did."

"We have had it for three years and we haven't had one hiccup."

"Overall, it has been a good product, and it is stable."

More HPE 3PAR StoreServ pros

"All features are available through NetApp storage devices and all the protocols are on the same box, with deduplication and snapshot features available through the NetApp FAS series."

Cons

"HPE 3PAR StoreServ has limited flexibility in building replication solutions. There are limitations to the number of IOPS the system can do."

"Scalability and management could be improved."

"We do see room for improvement, especially in regard to expanding the defined storage areas."

"It's a little bit difficult to figure out where the capacity is used. There is deduplication that, of course, saves space, but it sometimes it's hard to find out where the space is used. If you delete something, do you get it back? So it's not very transparent regarding capacity."

"We've got some issues at the moment on scalability. We need to grow our data quite significantly."

"In the next release, I would like them to make it a little easier to find where everything is in the new console. It now has the OneView look and sometimes I don't think the OneView look is enough. It's too different from the original console that was a separate system."

"A lot of tasks, you have to manually set up. They need to already have them set up and working. Then, you can just go in and tweak them if you need to."

"HPE could improve by making an old flash system in order to compete with the current market. For the solution to be more competitive in the mid-range market they could increase the performance."

More HPE 3PAR StoreServ cons

"Unify all backup softwares on the same tool to simplify the administration."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"3PAR was quite a bit less money than EMC, and that was one of the deciding factors."

"This licensing fees for this solution are merged with all of our HP annual costs, which in total are a couple hundred thousand dollars."

"Cost-wise, it is a little bit on the higher side, but it is an awesome product."

"This product is quite expensive and in addition, we subscribe to 24/7 support with a four-hour response time."

"I have to renew support in October for the existing solution. That will cost me roughly $50,000 this year, which in the grand scheme of things, $50,000 is not that much compared to paying $850,000. However, it will be the last year that I'll be able to get direct support from HPE. Therefore, product has to be replaced in 2020."

"The price of the license depends. Some people expect more from the hardware. Some expect more from the licensing, and that is because you can receive several licenses nowadays, such as the terabyte license. You buy the storage, and you pay extra for the terabyte license for the software. There is a one-time purchase for the license and you pay annually for the maintenance."

"We don't pay for any licensing fees."

"The price of the solution could be reduced for the license and for support."

More HPE 3PAR StoreServ pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Comparison Review

it_user182013

Federal Civ/Intel Engineering Lead at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees

May 1, 2015

Measuring Up: EMC XtremIO and HP 3PAR

Leading up to EMC World 2015, IT Central Station asked how I would compare EMC XtremIO and HP 3PAR. Until recently, the flash storage conversation in my organization and many others has centered on XtremIO and Pure Storage, the leaders of the all-flash array (AFA) space. To that end, I've written a…

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Outsourcing Company

17%

Construction Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	73
Midsize Enterprise	74
Large Enterprise	170

No data available

Questions from the Community

What's the difference between HPE 3PAR StoreServ and HPE Primera?

HPE Primera has many great features but one of the best is that it is very easy to deploy. From an overall perspective, it is reliable, easy to set up, stable, and offers quality block storage. All...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HPE 3PAR StoreServ?

As a customer, I always prefer to have a lower price. Any customer will always ask for the cheaper price.

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What needs improvement with HPE 3PAR StoreServ?

I have no specific ideas for improvement at present. We just need to verify whether our current virtual server setup is acceptable to the RBI, as they had raised questions about the VSO, ISO config...

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Comparisons

IBM FlashSystem vs HPE 3PAR StoreServ

Compared 6% of the time

Dell Unity XT vs HPE 3PAR StoreServ

Compared 5% of the time

NetApp AFF vs HPE 3PAR StoreServ

Compared 5% of the time

Everpure FlashArray vs HPE 3PAR StoreServ

Compared 4% of the time

Dell PowerScale vs HPE 3PAR StoreServ

Compared 4% of the time

More HPE 3PAR StoreServ Competitors

NetApp FAS Series vs IBM System Storage N series [EOL]

Compared 26% of the time

Hitachi NAS Platform vs IBM System Storage N series [EOL]

Compared 22% of the time

Dell PowerScale vs IBM System Storage N series [EOL]

Compared 18% of the time

Huawei N2000 V3 Series NAS Storage System vs IBM System Storage N series [EOL]

Compared 15% of the time

More IBM System Storage N series [EOL] Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HPE 3PAR StoreServ

September 2026

Download HPE 3PAR StoreServ product report

Buyer's Guide

NAS

September 2026

IBM System Storage N series [EOL] report

Download IBM System Storage N series [EOL] product report

Also Known As

HPE 3PAR Flash Storage, InServ, Storeserv, 3PAR Flash Storage, HP Enterprise Storage, 3PAR Flash Array, HP 3PAR Flash Storage

System Storage N series

Overview

HPE 3PAR StoreServ offers unparalleled performance and flexibility for enterprise storage needs. It is highly valued for its manageability and advanced capabilities, making it ideal for mission-critical workloads.

HPE 3PAR StoreServ is a high-performance storage system known for its ease of use and robust architecture. It supports seamless upgrades and is adaptable to evolving technology, making it an excellent choice for electronic medical records, virtualization, and centralized data management. With integration capabilities supporting applications like SQL Server, VMware, and SAP, it effectively meets diverse business needs.

What are the key features of HPE 3PAR StoreServ?

Ease of Use: Simplifies management tasks with an intuitive interface.
Reliability: Offers high availability and robust architecture for mission-critical workloads.
Flash Storage: Provides fast data access and improved performance.
Dynamic Provisioning: Enhances scalability and resource allocation.
Data Deduplication: Reduces storage costs by eliminating duplicate data.
Tiered Storage: Optimizes data storage with automated tiering.

What benefits should users consider when evaluating HPE 3PAR StoreServ?

Performance: Handles demanding workloads with efficiency.
Scalability: Grows with enterprise needs without compromising performance.
Integration: Seamlessly integrates with existing systems and applications.
Proactive Support: Ensures smooth operation with timely updates and support.

HPE 3PAR StoreServ is employed in industries like healthcare and finance, supporting applications such as Oracle databases and SAP. It enhances data processing and provides essential storage for virtual and real-time applications, meeting the rigorous demands of sectors requiring reliable and high-performance storage solutions.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

IBM System Storage N series storage systems offer a solution for a broad range of deployment scenarios. IBM System Storage N series storage systems function as a multi-protocol storage device that is designed to allow you to simultaneously serve both file and block-level data across a single network. The flexibility of IBM System Storage N series storage systems allows them to address the storage needs of a wide range of organizations, including distributed enterprises and data centers for mid-range enterprises. IBM System Storage N series storage systems also support sites with computer and data-intensive enterprise applications, such as database, data warehousing, work-group collaboration, and messaging.

IBM

Sample Customers

Just Energy, Latisys, team AG, DreamWorks, BlueShore Financial, Erasmus MC

FreeBit, Ipeer, Trinecke Zelezarny, ACH Colombia, T-Mobile, Mitsubishi Motors Australia

Find out what your peers are saying about Dell Technologies, NetApp, CTERA and others in NAS. Updated: September 2026.

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