Dell PowerEdge MX- Series Reviews

We use the solution for hyper-converged infrastructures with VMware and physical/virtual SQL solutions. 

Both Dell and Cisco would be data center modernization. We're modernizing from a three-tier to a single infrastructure. 

The enterprise manager feature sets are great. It's great for managing overall infrastructure. 

It is scalable. 

The setup is fine if you have some expertise.

It offers average pricing.

They are pretty much all the same in terms of what this solution versus competitors offers. Cisco is number one, HP Synergy is number two, and this solution would be number three.

I'm more into PowerEdge R-600, 700, and 800 series instead of blades. 

Technical support is not good. 

I've used the solution for a couple of years from a presales perspective.

I'd rate the stability at a five or six out of ten. 

The scalability is fine. It's blade infrastructure. You just basically plug into converged switches. It isn't a single pane of glass for management. You don't have the feature set that HPE and Cisco have with the fabric interconnects and everything. You still can scale up, however.

I've never had a good experience with technical support. 

Negative

I've used Cisco and HP as well.

The initial setup is a bit more complex unless you are really savvy with Dell. I'm more used to HP and Cisco. Other engineers handle Dell-centric blade solutions. We've been migrating off Dell blades to HPE and Cisco. 

It is possible to get an ROI from this solution. I probably wouldn't say you'd get an ROI from Cisco or HPE.

I'd rate the pricing as average. It's not terrible. The lead times over Cisco and HPE are weeks as opposed to months. 

I'd advise potential new users that they need to have experience with PowerEdge and management to understand all of the features on offer.

I'd rate the solution six out of ten.

Our facility relies heavily on PowerEdge, spanning multiple generations. It is the foundation of our entire infrastructure, supporting a wide array of workloads, ranging from administrative tasks to private cloud and scientific computing. PowerEdge is a versatile and reliable platform that we can depend on.

PowerEdge has been a foundational part of our IT infrastructure, and its Fresh Air configuration saved us from disasters on multiple occasions. The solution's ability to survive extreme conditions has been invaluable, and its reliability has been astounding. We currently run three generations of PowerEdge in our data centers.

The solution offers remarkable flexibility, reliability, and extensive software support. PowerEdge is capable of running Microsoft private cloud, VMware private cloud, OpenStack, Linux distributions, and scientific workloads. The infrastructure is truly remarkable.

We can typically expect a 20 percent improvement in performance from Intel processors with each new generation, depending on the workload.

Utilizing the OpenManage capabilities of the platform is essential for us since we have a limited number of personnel to manage the PowerEdge that we possess. Thus, OpenManage's console productivity is invaluable for our IT staff.

The PowerEdge servers have proven to be invaluable in preventing up to 90 percent of unplanned production downtime. When other servers were failing due to extreme heat, PowerEdge was able to withstand the conditions and keep running. This made the solution an invaluable part of our operations.

The introduction of PowerEdge servers drastically increased the flexibility of our operations. We are leveraging the solution's capabilities for a wide range of applications and it is certainly the most versatile platform available to us. We deployed a variety of server models in different sizes, ranging from 1U to 2U and beyond, providing us with the flexibility to handle almost any task.

We are testing the latest PowerEdge from Dell for scientific workloads such as machine learning, deep learning, data analysis, and engineering simulation. We see excellent performance improvement and power consumption control. This is part of our Green Data Center project, where we take into account the “green” capabilities of the hardware we buy.

We are beginning to employ cyber-resilient architecture features. It is no longer just the platform security of the past that we take into consideration when making a new acquisition, but now we are also bearing in mind the security features on the server side due to the ever-evolving environment.

We found that the power consumption inside the BIOS of the latest PowerEdge has been significantly improved. The power control capabilities are now much more precise and the iDRAC tool that allows external programs to control the system's power consumption is also much more detailed than its predecessor.

We have been utilizing OpenManage for many years as beta testers, and our experience with OpenManage has been overwhelmingly positive. Dell OpenManage console is incredibly user-friendly and has made our lives significantly easier.

I would like to have additional HPC and AI capabilities on general Dell PowerEdge servers. To optimize the PowerEdge for HPC and AI, modified designs may be necessary.

I have been using Dell PowerEdge .Next for two months.

The stability and power consumption of Dell PowerEdge .Next are incredibly impressive. We have been running a single unit 24 hours a day for a month, primarily to test its stability and understand the power consumption control capabilities, and it exceeded expectations. Compared to the previous PowerEdge models, the stability and power management of .Next are remarkable.

There are no issues with the scalability. Up to now, I haven't been able to identify any drawbacks of the platform I'm using.

Dell's technical support is perfect and one of the reasons we buy their solutions.

Positive

We see a return on investment. The performance of the platform, which we tested on virtualization platforms such as VMware, is very impressive. PCIe 5 has made great improvements in communication and storage. Depending on what we can afford, Intel Scalable Architecture CPUs are more powerful than ever before.

The pricing of Dell PowerEdge .Next has changed drastically due to the introduction of the latest technologies such as PCIe 5, DDR5, and the next generation of CPUs. This caused the prices of CPUs, DRAM, and PCIe cards to skyrocket. Consequently, it is difficult to compare the new pricing to what it was two years ago since the market has evolved significantly. The pricing of PowerEdge .Next is higher than it was before.

Our university is similar to a hardware supermarket, offering almost all brands of hardware, including Lenovo and HP. Although I have not had the opportunity to experience the newest HPE ProLiant 11 machines, I can say that PowerEdge is more reliable, more customizable, and has better management compared to other brands. The iDRAC capabilities, with its easy-to-use remote management, integrate seamlessly with OpenManage. When we purchase a PowerEdge server, we don't need to worry about hidden or additional costs for the management. As for the future, this remains to be seen.

I give Dell PowerEdge .Next a ten out of ten.

We have been testing the latest generation of Dell PowerEdge systems in our data center for the past couple of months, in addition to the generations already in production.

Since 2016, our data center experience has been excellent, with very few hardware issues, including machines that still run from that year.

In our PowerEdge servers, we predominantly use Intel Xeon scalable processors of various generations, with AMD processors making up the remaining 10 percent.

We see a lot of improvement over the generations of PowerEdge. I must admit that while there is plenty of competition, the difference is remarkable. Enhancing PowerEdge is no easy task, yet Dell Technologies took great strides to incorporate customer feedback. The platform grew in flexibility, such as the range of disks available, the evolving iDRAC features to meet customer needs, and so much more.

We host a substantial infrastructure at the University. While we utilize public cloud services such as Microsoft 365 and Google Meets, we do not use them for computing, engineering simulations, or any internal services. All of our services are kept in-house.

The PowerEdge .Next platform is more than just its CPU, it encompasses all the solution's features, from the iDRAC to the next-generation RAID controller, which is 20 to 30 percent faster than the previous generation. Furthermore, Dell PowerEdge .Next's new architecture helps to drive the entire platform, making its performance even more impressive.

We are using PowerEdge primarily in our infrastructure. We have an on-premises private cloud and a virtualization layer. We use PowerEdge for automation on the firmware, which provides alerting capabilities whenever there is an issue.

PowerEdge has high functionality, especially for automation on the firmware, which allows us to receive alerts for issues. 

The service and support from Dell have been excellent, typically providing resolution within four hours. Security features were initially a significant attraction, as Dell offered a lot of in-built security. The hardware is stable, which is essential due to the low outage rates.

The caching is a bit weak, which can make the hardware non-responsive, especially on hypervisor layers like ESXi or Hyper-V. Caching is vital for virtualization platforms, which is an area where PowerEdge is a little weaker.

We have been using it for more than five years.

The hardware is very stable. Outages are very rare with Dell products.

Scaling in is good, however, scaling out is where we faced some issues. PowerEdge servers are slightly challenging to scale out.

The support is good. That said, the account management needs to be strengthened.

Positive

I have used Lenovo, Cisco, IBM, and Dell previously. I initially chose Dell for their excellent service and support, many in-built security features, and stable hardware.

The initial setup is very simple and straightforward.

It's priced medium, however, recently the global pricing has increased by twelve percent. It would be beneficial for us if the pricing could be reduced by about eight percent.

We are currently using Dell, however, we need to have more discussions with Lenovo for more insights beyond what online searches offer.

Based on my experience, PowerEdge is suitable for all sizes of companies, especially beneficial for BFSI and enterprise-class companies. 

I rate PowerEdge ten out of ten.

We use Dell PowerEdge M for data center consolidation. If a customer requests, we position the blade server to save the cabling or electricity.

The solution's most valuable features are centralized monitoring and management and the ease of upgrading firmware. Dell PowerEdge M has enhanced our virtualization and containerization.

Cisco UCS X-series provides a GPU node and compute node in a single chassis. Dell PowerEdge M lacks GPU nodes and doesn't have a direct solution for GPUs.

I have been using Dell PowerEdge M for three years.

Dell PowerEdge M is a stable solution. Once it's installed, the solution operates without any maintenance.

Our clients for Dell PowerEdge M are medium and enterprise businesses.

The solution provides very good technical support.

Positive

Cisco is better than Dell PowerEdge M.

The initial setup of the solution is not straightforward but a little complex. By default, if the switching comes with 100G or 40G, then we need to split it to 10G or 25G as per the requirement. All these configurations are complex in Dell PowerEdge M as compared to Cisco.

In Cisco, we have a GUI or something called Intersight, which allows us to graphically select the ports and deploy them to the corresponding speed. We lack those interfaces in Dell and need to do it in the command line.

One architect and an engineer can install and configure the solution in two to three days.

The solution's pricing is slightly higher. However, we don't require an additional license for it. The solution's pricing depends on the customer's connectivity requirements, whether 10G, 25G, or 100 G.

The solution is scalable, and you can add multiple chassis. You don't need to worry about the physical cabling or the number of switchboards. It can be easily scaled based on the requirement. When we calculate other factors like power and cooling, we'll get savings by the end of the third or fourth year. One person can easily maintain the solution. We faced no challenges integrating Dell PowerEdge M into our existing infrastructure.

Dell PowerEdge M should have GPU addition or future scalability. Cisco claims a ten-year life cycle, wherein its product will support new technology like GPU and water cooling for ten years. However, Dell PowerEdge M lacks that part regarding future enhancements and adaptation to new technologies like water cooling.

Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

We used it for normal Windows servers before, in my previous client. They used it for regular Windows clients, and they have a significant infrastructure.

I have explored the new iDRAC features. It's similar to what we have in HP as well.

Using the iDRAC feature makes server management much easier for this type of setup. It's quite useful.

Perhaps the processor needs some improvement in terms of processing features. If I remember correctly, the Intel Xeon processor shipped with the Dell PowerEdge M is the 6426Y.

This processor is a 16-core processor that can handle around 32 threads. Now, the HP server we are considering has a 6430 processor, which is 32 cores. It can handle 64 threads. So it's twice as much as the Dell PowerEdge M. However, the memory module, the DDR4-4800, is the same.

But according to reviews and online sources, the memory performance is much better on the Dell PowerEdge. That's where the confusion arises.

Another area of improvement could be scalability. 

I have been working as a system admin for 15 years. So, we used Dell PowerEdge M in the past. 

We had Dell PowerEdge M ranging from the 2900 to the 2950 models. We have the 360 G5, G6, G7, and the 380 G7. And later on, we started virtualizing the environment.

I would rate the stability an eight out of ten. 

If we consider the end users, it would be more than 10,000. This setup is for the Ministry of Education, specifically for a college.

I would rate the scalability a seven out of ten. 

Our clients are planning to upgrade the system infrastructure with Cisco Blades. They want to move away from the complexity of managing other servers.

The initial setup is easy. 

In my current client's environment, but they are more inclined towards Cisco servers and have a large infrastructure based on Cisco blades. They have three different clusters with individual hosts, and they primarily use Hyper-V rather than VMware.

The processor performance is better on the HP, while Dell has an advantage in terms of memory performance. The client is having trouble deciding which one to go for.

On a scale from one to ten, I would rate this solution a seven out of ten. I have worked with the older servers. Even though they were quite old, they performed well because it has been a long time since we acquired Dell servers. I purchased Dell PowerEdge R730 or Dell PowerEdge R740. In general, the parts are reasonably priced compared to other products. They are easy to manage. And I strongly believe that the parts are of better quality.

I was searching for a comparison since one of my clients made the software at Black Duck, such as SAST, Coverity, CCASP, SCA, BINDI, and CODES. Therefore, I want to make a comparison to forward it to my client, showing the differences. They have decided to purchase the software for the first time.

The biggest advantage of PowerEdge is that it is cost-effective, and its performance and infrastructure are much better than other competitors like Lenovo and HP. 

Scalability and flexibility are key aspects, and most importantly, performance. The performance is very good, even when you are using it at one hundred percent load, providing one hundred percent performance.

There is no need for improvements. Everything is okay. I have not noticed any specific improvements needed as most updates are done by the OEM over time. 

I have been providing a session for the last 14 to 15 years.

Based on my experience, there is little maintenance required, yet not much if you are using it in a proper environment and providing the proper conditions for the servers. Then there's no need for extensive maintenance.

The scalability and flexibility are better compared to others.

Dell support is satisfactory. I always have a good experience with it.

Positive

It's easy. It's not a difficult task. You can manage it, and it is quite straightforward.

One person can handle it. It's not a hard task that requires engaging different people.

Dell high-end server prices are quite high for some servers, yet not all. Most of the Dell series, like the PowerEdge series, are reasonably priced and accessible.

Overall the rating is around nine out of ten. 

We primarily use Dell PowerEdge M for server purposes in solar power plants. The server is utilized as a simple data logger and for SCADA. Our use cases are primarily focused on solar power service for the solar power plant, which involves simple data logging and does not require heavy or complex calculations.

Our company operates in the energy sector and the Dell PowerEdge M serves our needs effectively. The equipment allows us to support SCADA and servers required by our customers. We do not delve much into the intricate configuration and parts specification. We ensure the equipment meets the operational requirements set by our clients.

The server is more common for the mass market and although it is nothing special, what stands out is the good after-sales service provided.

We work primarily with power plants such as thermal, solar, and wind power plants. There is no specific feedback on improvements directly from our usage. If areas need improvement, we would address them with our integrator. 

I have been dealing with Dell PowerEdge for five years.

I cannot say specifically about the stability as it is not my area of concern.

I don't know about the scalability.

I rate their customer service at nine out of ten since our requests have been attended to in a timely manner.

Positive

My customers prefer Dell, and for us, Dell has provided all the support we need. I cannot say about switching from another solution as Dell remains our preferred choice.

We have not specifically gotten into the initial setup details. It might be straightforward for the end-users, however, I do not directly deal with it.

We contact the integrator to handle the parts related to the implementation and maintenance.

I do not have any specific return on investment information regarding Dell's impact on our company.

The pricing is okay for us. For us, the confidence in Dell's equipment is higher than HP. HP is cheaper, however, our preference for Dell comes from its reliability and support.

I recommend Dell PowerEdge M. Over the past five to six years that I have worked with PowerEdge, I have had no complaints from my customers.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.

I mainly use PowerEdge M for virtualization and HDC cluster management. It is effectively managed from a single console, which greatly supports my admin tasks.

PowerEdge M allows me to manage all servers and blades from one admin console. It is essential for my virtualization tasks and proves very effective in HDC cluster management. The scalability is excellent, and it is well-suited for my virtualization needs, especially with Linux. The ease of troubleshooting and managing through remote access, using tools like iDRAC, significantly saves me time.

There are differences in security configurations, particularly in SNMP and SNMP3, between HP ILO and iDRAC. When configuring SNMP or SNMP3, I face challenges that require additional support, although Dell support is generally helpful.

I have been working with Dell for the last 15 to 20 years.

Scalability is excellent and suitable for my virtualization needs.

I am very satisfied with Dell's technical support. They provide excellent help when needed.

Positive

For my large setup, the initial configuration took a couple of days. The Dell part of the installation process is quick, however, it also involves various network parties, which can cause some delays.

I rate Dell PowerEdge a ten out of ten as it is a great tool with perfect support.