IBM Power Systems vs Oracle SPARC Servers comparison

IBM and Oracle are both solutions in the Rack Servers category. IBM is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.7, while Oracle is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.0. IBM holds a 9.1% mindshare in Rack Servers, compared to Oracle’s 3.8% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of Oracle users who would recommend it.

IBM Power Systems

Read 69 IBM Power Systems reviews

4,877 Views
3,452 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Oracle SPARC Servers

Read 7 Oracle SPARC Servers reviews

2,145 Views
1,511 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

IBM Power Systems

Oracle SPARC Servers

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 23, 2025

Oracle SPARC Servers and IBM Power Systems compete in the high-performance server market. Oracle SPARC Servers offer impressive security and scalability advantages, whereas IBM Power Systems lead in processing power and application flexibility.

Features: Oracle SPARC Servers have robust security, scalability, and built-in virtualization optimized for Oracle applications. IBM Power Systems excel in database management efficiency, adaptability for AI workloads, and operational flexibility across environments.

Room for Improvement: Oracle SPARC Servers can improve their cost-efficiency and broaden support beyond Oracle-centric environments. They also need to enhance integration with non-Oracle applications. IBM Power Systems could improve ease of use in non-traditional IBM environments, reduce complexity in initial setup, and lower entry-point pricing for smaller enterprises.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Oracle SPARC Servers offer integrated system setups for consistent operations and dedicated Oracle-focused support. IBM Power Systems allow versatile deployment in various environments, with extensive customer service options catering to diverse client requirements.

Pricing and ROI: Oracle SPARC Servers involve higher initial costs justified by built-in security, offering significant ROI for Oracle-focused businesses. IBM Power Systems require substantial upfront investment but ensure high ROI through efficient performance and scalability, proving cost-effective in mixed deployments.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Power Systems vs. Oracle SPARC Servers Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Power Systems vs. Oracle SPARC Servers

March 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

IBM Power Systems

Ranking in Rack Servers

4th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

8.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Oracle SPARC Servers

Ranking in Rack Servers

8th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Rack Servers category, the mindshare of IBM Power Systems is 9.1%, up from 8.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle SPARC Servers is 3.8%, down from 3.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Rack Servers

Featured Reviews

Omobolaji Olaloku

Senior Enterprise System Engineer at Zenith-bank

Extremely stable, good ROI, and scalable

The most valuable feature of our machines is their ability to replace faulty parts without causing any downtime. Our servers are equipped with advanced technology, making it possible to replace defective parts without having to bring down the servers. This is crucial, as any disruption to our services would result in inconvenience to our customers. Therefore, being able to service the machines and replace parts without causing any downtime is highly beneficial.

Read full review

Abdul-Salam

Sr. Manager - System Analyst (Datacenter Infrastructure) at Sohar International

A rock-solid OS and rich virtualization features for hosting many VMs on one box

Oracle doesn't have a good roadmap for the solution because they are moving to the x86 platform. Oracle is focusing on the cloud platform with a PCA and standard x86 architecture. Linux is their other OS and is mostly in the cloud. We don't see much development happening on Solaris even though it came as an acquisition from Sun Microsystems. Eventually, the solution and its platform will die because there has been no new development on the Solaris end and we haven't seen new servers in the last five years. At this point, we are pretty sure there is no real roadmap or future for the solution. There is a shortage of expert engineers because Oracle is not pushing the technology. It is hard for us to find engineers because the number of people supporting us has considerably reduced.

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

"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."

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

"From a reliability standpoint it has provided us with excellent performance."

"We value the stability and technology capability of this solution the most. It is very stable, and the processor technology of IBM is very good. When you have a CIO and you are dealing with C-level every day, you can, without any doubt, support the core banking or critical applications with this solution."

"On the security side, we get regular security patch updates and system hardening. There are free tools available to harden the system."

"Some of the most valuable features are the processing power, stability, and security."

"The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that the hardware is really good and reliable."

"The uptime feature is great."

More IBM Power Systems pros

"Our customers are happy with many features in Oracle SPARC Servers, like the automatic ASR feature."

"The Oracle server is very powerful. They are more powerful and durable compared to Intel hardware. Which has been a benefit to our organization."

"The processor is very helpful and the licensing is very flexible."

"I have found the LDAP facilities most valuable. In addition, I like the CPU."

"The operating system is rock solid and the best I have ever used."

"The performance is the best feature."

"The most valuable features of the solution stem from the fact that Oracle Database functions very well with Oracle SPARC Servers."

Cons

"I would like to see the scaling model improved so it's not just either tiny or huge."

"The pricing is high."

"Power Systems' price could always be lower."

"The price is a bit high and could be improved."

"The lack of software vendors moving onto the platform, as opposed to fleeing the platform, is an issue."

"The number of times IBM refreshes its operating system appears to be very slow."

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

"It does not offer the ability to run any X86 or X64 Intel architecture-based application on Power Systems. There are a lot of applications, lots of business use cases that do not support this architecture as of now. If somehow application tasks can be ported on to IBM Power Systems, that would be a big improvement."

More IBM Power Systems cons

"I would like to see a reduced price point."

"They have declared the end of life of the hardware."

"Oracle doesn't have a good roadmap for the solution because they are moving to the x86 platform."

"Like IBM, Oracle SPARC Servers should be able to run other open operating systems like Linux."

"They need some sort of modeling because IBM has different types of models."

"Oracle SPARC Servers should be fine-tuned well enough to work with the other servers and software products in the market, as it is an area where Oracle SPARC Servers lack."

"The solution could improve by giving a clear roadmap about the future. I'm not seeing a lot of improvements on the OS side of the software. They need to work more on the operating system."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"IBM Power is more expensive than other rack-mount servers, and you have to have a license for everything, including cores and memory."

"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."

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

"The additional software costs are high."

"Its price depends on the sizing."

"Its price is too high."

"IBM Power Systems is very expensive."

"The pricing is reasonable."

More IBM Power Systems pricing and cost advice

"The licensing is flexible."

"The application running on it is very important to us and this makes the price worth it."

"Oracle SPARC Servers are expensive to manage, this is because after five years Oracle will increase the support charges for the hardware. The licensing policy for Oracle is different for Intel and Sparc. It will cost you less if you use your Oracle hardware with Oracle SPARC Servers."

"The hardware is expensive but it has very rich virtualization features that make it economical."

"My company makes yearly payments toward the licensing costs attached to the solution."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

24%

Computer Software Company

13%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

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?

IBM should provide a platform where users can learn about the storage and security of IBM Power Systems.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for IBM Power Systems?

In my company, we use the system for the data center and our IBM Cloud Pak System.

See all answers

What do you like most about Oracle SPARC Servers?

The most valuable features of the solution stem from the fact that Oracle Database functions very well with Oracle SPARC Servers.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle SPARC Servers?

My company makes yearly payments toward the licensing costs attached to the solution. My company's clients, who have paid for the licensing costs attached to the solution, have also engaged with so...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Oracle SPARC Servers?

Oracle products are usually fine-tuned with the software of other Oracle products, like Oracle WebLogic Server Services, Oracle Database, and Oracle Core Banking Software and Solutions, as all the ...

See all answers

Comparisons

Intel Server System vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 45% of the time

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 16% of the time

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 14% of the time

Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 5% of the time

HPE Apollo Systems vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 2% of the time

More IBM Power Systems Competitors

Intel Server System vs Oracle SPARC Servers

Compared 26% of the time

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs Oracle SPARC Servers

Compared 12% of the time

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers vs Oracle SPARC Servers

Compared 11% of the time

HPE Apollo Systems vs Oracle SPARC Servers

Compared 4% of the time

Dell PowerEdge FX vs Oracle SPARC Servers

Compared 4% of the time

More Oracle SPARC Servers Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Power Systems

March 2025

Download IBM Power Systems product report

Buyer's Guide

Rack Servers

March 2025

Download Oracle SPARC Servers product report

Also Known As

IBM OpenPOWER LC

No data available

Overview

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

Oracle's SPARC S7, T7, and M7 Servers with always-on memory intrusion protection and comprehensive data encryption secure data with no performance penalty. Security in silicon features and Oracle Solaris protect data in memory from unauthorized access and stop malware before it gets in.

Oracle

Sample Customers

Cipher

University Hospitals Leuven, B&H Photo, Tuscon Electric Power, IS Nordic, Siemens

Buyer's Guide

IBM Power Systems vs. Oracle SPARC Servers

March 2025

Free Report: IBM Power Systems vs. Oracle SPARC Servers

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Power Systems vs. Oracle SPARC Servers and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.

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