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HPE Apollo Systems vs PowerEdge C comparison

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Dell Technologies are both solutions in the Density Optimized Servers category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.5, while Dell Technologies is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.8. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 20.9% mindshare in DOS, compared to Dell Technologies’s 26.3% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Dell Technologies users who would recommend it.
HPE Apollo Systems
Read 23 HPE Apollo Systems reviews
  • 2,251 Views
  • 225 Comparison Views
96% willing to recommend
PowerEdge C
Read 28 PowerEdge C reviews
  • 419 Views
  • 281 Comparison Views
96% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between HPE Apollo Systems and PowerEdge C based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Density Optimized Servers solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

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To learn more, read our detailed HPE Apollo Systems vs. PowerEdge C Report (Updated: June 2025).
Buyer's Guide
HPE Apollo Systems vs. PowerEdge C
June 2025
Download the complete report
Helped 861,524 peers since 2012

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 Apollo Systems
Ranking in Density Optimized Servers
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
4.7
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
Rack Servers (6th)
PowerEdge C
Ranking in Density Optimized Servers
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
28
Ranking in other categories
Blade Servers (7th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Density Optimized Servers category, the mindshare of HPE Apollo Systems is 20.9%, down from 30.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of PowerEdge C is 26.3%, up from 18.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Density Optimized Servers
 

Featured Reviews

Gayan Senadheera - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers higher capacities compared to other solutions, making it suitable for handling large storage needs
In terms of improvement, we could benefit from some training. If there could be some training for our team, we would be better equipped to promote and support HPE Apollo. Currently, we haven't received any specific training related to HPE Apollo throughout my career. If HPE Apollo provides training, we can share the knowledge with our partners, which could lead to more opportunities for HPE Apollo in the market. Deal protection and other support measures would also be beneficial, as they could help us achieve better results in this market.
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Al Vasek - PeerSpot reviewer
Supports business apps and VDI with reliable compute
The solution is all about compute. The solutions are easy to handle, priced correctly, reliable, and dependable. Cisco is similar but more complex to configure and usually more expensive. My team supports a lot of Dell, focusing on hybrid environments like Azure Stack, splitting workloads between high compute needs in databases, which are expensive in the cloud, and other workloads in the cloud.
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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

"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."
"The technical support from HPE has always been good in my experience."
"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."
"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."
"The solution is well documented in a data sheet."
"It enables us to implement software defined solutions very easily, because Apollo servers are certified for use with Linux systems"
"Absolutely being able to mount into Omni-Path architecture, HFIs on those nodes, because we were the very first site in the world"
More HPE Apollo Systems pros
"The product stability has been excellent."
"It is a scalable platform."
"It provides the necessary infrastructure for our operations."
"The product has high performance and no downtime."
"The hybrid solution is much more stable than other products."
"The security of the product is very good."
"PowerEdge C is the best server I have worked with. I like that it's user-friendly. PowerEdge C performs very well."
"The solution provides good support and service."
More PowerEdge C pros
 

Cons

"The support from HPE Apollo could be better, they are making knowledgeable."
"What's coming out in Gen 10 is very strong in terms of additional security."
"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."
"There is a shared battery for all cache controllers in the node. When you have to replace that element, you have to take down all three nodes and not just one."
"Lustre seems to be just a little bit unstable overall."
"The technical support from HPE has always been good in my experience."
"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."
"The solution's deployment, security, and scalability need improvement."
More HPE Apollo Systems cons
"The price must be improved."
"The VxRail should be opened to allow other virtualization platforms to be used."
"It would be easier if data center management and disaster recovery were combined."
"There could be some more ports added in the future."
"The product’s pricing could be a little cheaper."
"There is some trouble with the stability part of the product, making it an area where improvements are required."
"The need to update the firmware and check if there is any bug in the product is one of the areas where Dell PowerEdge C falls short and needs to make improvements."
"The reliability needs improvement."
More PowerEdge C cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Compared to other products, HPE Apollo is not an expensive solution."
"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."
"There is an annual license required to use HPE Apollo."
"Obviously I would like to see the cost go down. That speaks for itself."
"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."
"The licensing cost of PowerEdge C is very high."
"I would rate the pricing 4 out of 10, in terms of its cost expense."
"PowerEdge C is very expensive, but personally, I think it's worth the price."
"Despite the slightly higher price, we prefer Dell due to the high quality of their products."
"The price of the solution is reasonable."
"There is a need to pay towards the annual subscription-based licensing model offered by the solution. The product is moderately priced. Price is a critical issue, and it is always good to have moderately priced solutions."
"PowerEdge C is a reasonably priced product, and the pricing depends on how many years you need the product. The cost also includes the support."
"The product costs can be high, especially for disks and other components."
More PowerEdge C pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
11%
Venture Capital & Private Equity Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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?
HPE Apollo's after-sales support and technical support should be improved. The solution should provide fast delivery when it comes to replacing a particular product that is under warranty.
See all answers
What is your primary use case for HPE Apollo?
We use HPE Apollo for specific requirements of Linux servers.
See all answers
What do you like most about PowerEdge C?
The solution provides good support and service.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for PowerEdge C?
PowerEdge is quite a costly solution, and I would rate the pricing around seven or eight on a scale from one to ten with ten being the most expensive.
See all answers
What needs improvement with PowerEdge C?
With reference architectures like VX rack, the update process is quite painful. They could automate or simplify it more. There are prerequisites to go through, and that's usually the only time-cons...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems Logo
HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems
Compared 35% of the time
Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems Logo
Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems
Compared 21% of the time
Dell PowerEdge FX vs HPE Apollo Systems Logo
Dell PowerEdge FX vs HPE Apollo Systems
Compared 8% of the time
Dell PowerEdge XE Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems Logo
Dell PowerEdge XE Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems
Compared 7% of the time
Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems Logo
Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems
Compared 2% of the time
More HPE Apollo Systems Competitors
Huawei FusionServer X Series vs PowerEdge C Logo
Huawei FusionServer X Series vs PowerEdge C
Compared 54% of the time
Cray CS-Storm vs PowerEdge C Logo
Cray CS-Storm vs PowerEdge C
Compared 33% of the time
More PowerEdge C Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
HPE Apollo Systems
July 2025
HPE Apollo Systems reportDownload HPE Apollo Systems product report
Buyer's Guide
Blade Servers
July 2025
PowerEdge C reportDownload PowerEdge C product report
 

Also Known As

HP Apollo Systems, HP ProLiant SL, HP Apollo
No data available
 

Overview

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

PowerEdge C help you to maximize hyperscale performance with up to 4 independent server nodes, flexible storage and shared infrastructure in a compact 2U chassis.

Dell Technologies
 

Sample Customers

Weta Digital
NxtGen Datacenter, Medien-Service Untermain (MSU), Exasol, IndigoVision, Dayco
Buyer's Guide
HPE Apollo Systems vs. PowerEdge C
June 2025
Free Report: HPE Apollo Systems vs. PowerEdge C
Find out what your peers are saying about HPE Apollo Systems vs. PowerEdge C and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
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