Dell PowerEdge R-Series Reviews

Dell PowerEdge R-Series is primarily used for storage in my organization, mostly for web application data and databases.

Dell PowerEdge R-Series has positively impacted my organization by helping us solve the business cases for our business requirements. It has addressed our complex business requirements that arose because applications were distributed amongst different data centers.

This solution has helped us centralize and manage everything properly and effectively.

The best features that Dell PowerEdge R-Series offers are that it provides a very stable environment and requires a much smaller number of people to support it.

Dell PowerEdge R-Series meets all our requirements, so I don't have a wish list for improvement. I chose a rating of nine instead of ten because there is always room for improvements in technology.

I have been using Dell PowerEdge R-Series for three years.

Dell PowerEdge R-Series is stable in my experience.

Dell PowerEdge R-Series meets our growth requirements in terms of scalability.

The customer support for Dell PowerEdge R-Series is excellent, and we have no problems with it. On a scale of one to ten, I would rate the customer support a ten.

Positive

We did not use any other solution before Dell PowerEdge R-Series.

Dell PowerEdge R-Series has definitely simplified the deployment process and has been a great implementation, making a noticeable impact on my business operations.

I oversee the deployment of Dell PowerEdge R-Series and also design the monitoring solutions for Dell products.

We have not calculated a return on investment for this solution.

The experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Dell PowerEdge R-Series was very positive and great, and it worked out very well.

We did not evaluate any other option before choosing Dell PowerEdge R-Series.

Dell PowerEdge R-Series does not play a role in my organization's AI initiatives. We don't have any specific metrics to measure success with Dell PowerEdge R-Series. I am using standard R-Series rack servers.

I would highly recommend Dell PowerEdge R-Series as it is a basic but an excellent solution for anyone looking into this product. I provided this review a rating of nine out of ten.

On-premises

We are primarily using it for test development environments. We have VMs hosted on them, and we use them to run our internal applications, customer environments, dev setup, common projects, the development environment, and the UAT environment in the service.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are pretty good at handling diverse applications. We get good performance from it. 

We have a lot of VMs on Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers. On a single server, we have probably hosted 14 or 15 VMs. Out of these, 8 to 10 are continuously running, and four of them are backup VMs, so it can handle a good workload.

For cybersecurity, it is only accessible on the intranet; it is not accessible through the web. We use it for local development purposes, and it is behind our firewall. Its security is strong. We handle a lot of test data for government and confidential customers. It is safe and strong locally. We have not experienced any security issues.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers have helped to reduce unplanned production downtime if we need to replace a hard disk, instead of completely shutting a server, there is a hot swap feature. It is quite good in that aspect. Usually, for any activity, there is a downtime of about 30 minutes. It has saved a lot of time.

We have tried AI workloads for a development environment for a government customer in Singapore. The servers are hosted in Singapore. It is an ML-based engine with AI. It is a government project where data is processed, and we run it on Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers. The benefit of running AI workloads on PowerEdge Servers is that it is easy to allocate memory. The application we are running is memory intensive. It is pretty easy to scale memory and storage.

We have been using these servers for eight years. We have experienced good performance with them. 

Dell PowerEdge's strength is that they have a lot of NIC cards, so we can set up web apps and everything else for development on a single server. We can easily replace hard disks which is quite good.

I have used these servers in a government project along with Nutanix, and there is a security restriction. I do not know if it is from Dell's side or Nutanix's side. From the host, you cannot read the external hard drive data inside a VM. They have a security restriction on it. I understand the security restriction, but there should be a policy where you can do it during the development stages and copy data. After it goes to production, the policy should be implemented, and the port should be closed.

I have been using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for seven to eight years.

I have not experienced any stability issues. The number of years we have been using these servers shows their reliability. 

For a government project, I went from five nodes to eight nodes, and it was pretty easy to scale up.

We did not directly go to Dell support because we were going through Nutanix. From what I have heard, I would rate Dell support an eight out of ten.

Positive

The setup is easy. Management-wise also, it is pretty easy. We normally remote in from our lab. It is convenient and easy.

We partnered with Nutanix for this government project. They set up the base hardware infrastructure configurations. We built our VM applications on top of that. We had a couple of challenges. Data migration was a big challenge because of the sensitivity of the data. I had to sit inside the data center for twelve hours continuously because we had to take a different approach to transferring data. We could not directly transfer that data from the physical port into a VM. They told us that it was a security restriction that could not be relaxed at all. There should be an option when you migrate large data sets.

I cannot put a number to ROI because it is more of a development environment set up for us, not a production environment. The production environment using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers is managed by the government entity itself. We are an application service provider and system integrator. We integrate our custom-built applications or COTS applications into the government infrastructure. Cost-wise, for the physical hardware, we cannot give an estimate because the data we use for development is small in the test environment.

From the fulfillment aspect, the government has a big set of data centers. Most of them have Dell EMC servers. We use the similar, if not the same, hardware to do our development tasks.

We evaluated a Lenovo IBM server seven or eight years ago. We chose Dell PowerEdge because of the storage aspect. We got a better storage and RAM option here, so we moved to Dell.

In terms of our AI journey, we are an IT system integrator. We have built our own IoT platform. We have integrated AI into our IoT platform, and we also have partnered with another PC manufacturer for whom we have been testing hardware devices for the past 20 years or so. We have qualified their AI solutions on their devices.

Everything has a cost, but we have to see the benefits over a longer period of time and its effect on our operations and ultimately customer satisfaction. I do not look at the cost only from a financial perspective; I have to look at it from different angles. This helps ensure that it does not create problems for our customers and that the customer is satisfied. 

I would recommend focusing on performance and reliability rather than just cost.

I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers very high because we have been able to set up different environments in different VLANs and connect to all of them at the same time. Overall, I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers an eight out of ten.

On-premises

We primarily use Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for VMware and Hyper-V environments. We deploy them in financial and manufacturing industries, focusing more on small businesses. While most of our servers are diskless, we do employ disked options for small businesses, mainly in a tower configuration.

Cooling has decreased because we have fewer servers. Everything's been a plus. We don't have to attend to them as much. We have iDRAC Enterprise on them, so we can have quick access if needed.

The quality of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers is excellent; they never experience downtime. They are highly effective as VMware and Hyper-V servers. They have helped reduce unplanned production downtime considerably. There is a model for anything we need, and we have the flexibility to match servers to client needs, which can vary from diskless servers to setups involving disks. Another advantage is that they are not made in China, unlike some HP servers.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers have pretty much progressed a lot if we look at what features are on them now. I don't know what more could be asked for, perhaps just faster performance. Every product release seems to be an improvement over the previous one, so it's hard to point out specific areas for improvement.

We have been using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for twenty years.

The Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are very stable. They run like a truck, with hardly any issues.

Customer service and support are excellent. Although we are self-sufficient and rarely need assistance, when we do use Dell's support, they have never ignored an issue. They address problems promptly.

Positive

We previously used Lenovo servers and switched because Lenovo's support was inadequate. The Lenovo SANs were not as robust as Dell's offerings.

We are totally self-sufficient and generally don't need external implementation support.

We find the server pricing fair and reasonable.

Buy Dell. Dell is an American company, and their headquarters are here, which makes them a reliable choice over companies with products made in China. Tariffs on Chinese products could make Dell more advantageous. I would rate the overall solution a 9 out of 10.

As part of my role at BSG, I deploy or sell Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers to customers who need anything from just a single server to hundreds of servers. Our customers run all kinds of workloads such as virtual SQL, AI, and more on these servers. Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers support a wide range of solutions, helping to ensure flexibility to cater to various customer needs.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are valuable because many users utilize iDRAC for management, and appreciate the consistency offered by Dell's server line. They offer a variety of features such as the availability of AMD and Intel options, and Dell is starting to get into direct and indirect water-cooled servers for larger customers. This suits those who need specific power consumption capabilities for their GPUs, CPUs, and RAM. Dell servers are supported by many partners when it comes to different software packages and solutions like OpenShift. Additionally, they offer a range of models to fit different customer needs.

The price of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers is competitive. There's always room for support improvements, and the AI features could continue to be enhanced as the relationship with Nvidia grows.

Most of the time, deploying Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers is straightforward. It’s crucial to have everything organized upfront, such as defining workloads and management responsibilities. Once these aspects are clear, the solution can be priced and installed efficiently, sometimes with Dell or Connection handling the installation.

Customers looking for higher densities are starting to lean towards AMD to achieve more cores, higher density, lower wattage, and ultimately a smaller footprint with fewer servers. The flexibility provided by Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers in terms of model variations supports scalability.

While I do not work directly with Dell for support, customer feedback suggests Dell’s technical support is rated between eight and nine. It is decent, though there is always room for improvement.

Positive

Clients may switch to Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for several reasons, such as better support, new IT leadership preferences, cost considerations, or successful engagement by sales and engineering teams.

The initial setup of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers requires having all the necessary information organized beforehand. Factors to consider include workload management, customer responsibilities, and pricing details. Smooth installation is achievable when these considerations are adequately addressed.

Deployment might require different resources depending on the solution. For example, VDI, virtualization, and SQL databases would need different expertise. Additionally, tasks such as rack and stack, power management, and water cooling could require specialized personnel, sometimes involving up to seven or eight people on deployment calls.

Customers are exploring models like Apex, similar to GreenLake, for consumption-based models that feel like cloud services but keep hardware on-premises, making them feel safer and potentially reducing costs. Some customers find familiarity with Dell servers aids in the process.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are often compared against other solutions like UCS, Lenovo, and Cisco. Customers may switch to Dell for its solid R&D, broad support, and solution flexibility though performance between similar CPUs across different brands tends to be consistent.

PowerEdge is a solid product, continuing to evolve with Intel and AMD changes and partnerships like Nvidia for AI. Overall, I rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers nine to ten as the product has maintained a strong reputation over time.

On-premises

We are working with both on-premises and cloud-based versions of Dell PowerEdge R-Series. We are also using it for HCI and VDI, as different customers have their own scenario-based solutions.

Both public and private cloud options are optimized for Dell PowerEdge R-Series. We have different scenarios for the government sector and the private sector and from our SMB clients.

We have different scenario-based clients and scenario-based solutions for Dell PowerEdge R-Series, such as HPC and small-medium business solutions for their business continuity, for the application purpose, and for the HCI. For different workloads, they have different products. Once we receive the requirements through emails, we are designing the solutions according to the client requirements.

We have many clients and different types of workloads we are using in different clients on Dell PowerEdge servers. One of our clients is using a database, one of our clients is HPC, and one of our clients is using a virtualization workload. They have a different virtualization environment in their data center.

The best feature of Dell PowerEdge R-Series is not just one aspect. The entire product is very robust. We have been using it for many years and we are receiving lots of positive feedback from our customers. Dell has their own architecture and they have the latest generation. If the server is 15th generation, they have the latest type of iDRAC, Enterprise Plus, and Pro Plus. They have different and great features in their built-in servers.

We are the largest partner of Dell, so we are using Dell PowerEdge R-Series for many years. It has been almost 10 to 15 years we have been using it and we have been pitching it to our clients.

For future updates of Dell PowerEdge R-Series, we are expecting more AI technologies built-in. Dell already has their AI servers, so we are expecting something similar to this. This is the trending technology in the world.

We are expecting that the price of Dell PowerEdge R-Series is quite higher than others. We are expecting that Dell should have some price reliability.

We are the largest partner of Dell, so we are using Dell PowerEdge R-Series for many years. It has been almost 10 to 15 years we have been using it and we have been pitching it to our clients.

We have not faced any issues right now for Dell PowerEdge R-Series. All products have some weak points, but we do not have any right now.

We are giving the support and technical support for Dell PowerEdge R-Series a 10 because the Dell support team is very intellectual and very robust. They are responding on time. Their call logging system is very unique and very good. Once you are logging the case in their portal, at the same time they are generating the case number and they will send you the email with all the details.

Positive

It takes some time to install or deploy Dell PowerEdge R-Series, but not more than enough time. Once we procure the equipment, it is almost taking 30 minutes to 40 minutes for the configuration and for the deployment if the rack is ready. It is very easy.

We are using Dell products, Dell PowerEdge, HPE, and maybe Lenovo, as well as some other solutions. We officially rate Dell PowerEdge R-Series a 10.

I use the solution primarily for software-defined networking, and there are some AI workloads present as well. We started last year, but previously, it was mostly about software-defined networking and private clouds. We mainly used OpenStack. These are the main use cases I run with PowerEdge.

It's quite good at handling diverse applications. I don't have any complaints about that. It's very smooth.

We have not experienced any security incidents or vulnerabilities with PowerEdge Servers.

Dell PowerEdge has reduced operational overheads in terms of support and operations build.

I am a fan of its ability to handle the evolving needs of high-performance workloads. It's very demanding. I mostly use it with a CPU load of nearly eighty to ninety percent, with workloads where we take the maximum output from the servers on the cloud. It has been sustainable and reliable in terms of compute.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers have helped reduce our downtime by a lot. The production downtimes are mostly planned. My system is designed in a resilient way, but with PowerEdge Servers, I don't need a one-to-one ratio redundancy, which leads to about eighty percent downtime reduction. It has also reduced operational overheads related to support and operations.

I like that it is stable. Things become very difficult over time when you increase the security. In Dell's case, it is very stable, and I like that it's very process-oriented.

The security is on par to the global standard. We always get market standard security. Upgrades run smoothly and seemlessly.

Their biggest strength is their stability under heavy workloads and their long term reliability. I don't think they have any weaknesses. 

The solution can be improved in terms of firmware backward supportability. With the sixteenth generation servers I am using, slightly older kernels and drivers are not supported. I have to use the latest OS because the drivers and particular support are not there. 

The rack port supportability for the latest PowerEdge servers is not great. Until the fourteenth generation, I never faced this issue. From the fifteenth and sixteenth generations, this issue has started occurring. 

These servers are not very adaptive to the multiple GPU model. I can insert at most two GPUs. While the Dell server in terms of compute is capable of handling multiples, the physical design does not allow more in terms of placement space.

I have used the solution for the last six years.

The stability is quite good. I have no complaints about it as it is very smooth.

The scalability of the solution is very easy. The process is seamless.

The customer service was good in certain aspects, but I mostly had services where things became complex because of the software-defined networking applications. They use things differently, so I have to consult first and make arrangements. Designing and all those parts take time, so customer service can be improved in terms of timing.

Positive

I have used Cisco, HP, and Supermicro in the past. PowerEdge was not originally selected for stability and hardware compatibility,

We use Dell deployment services for the storage solutions, not for PowerEdge.

There is a return on investment because I have been using them for the last four or five years. ROI is there, but it's a complex assessment when considering the return on investment from the hardware. It's part of a complete solution where I would assess this aspect.

The total cost of ownership for support and operations has reduced significantly. In terms of stability, I seldom encounter support cases or operational costs. They have been stable and running for years without performance downtime or significant disc failures, providing me an edge in operational and support costs.

My advice to anybody considering Dell PowerEdge is to check the new ranges which are more adaptive towards AI. The R750 and R760 are general-purpose servers, so they need to look into AI-specific servers where more GPUs can be incorporated. On PowerEdge Servers specifically, the benefits are clear. I would rate them nine out of ten.

Private Cloud

Other

Our primary use case for Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers is to deliver robust, scalable infrastructure solutions tailored for virtualization, private cloud and AI-driven workloads.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers have been a cornerstone of our infrastructure portfolio, allowing us to enhance service quality, increase business agility and expand our enterprise client base with confidence.

The most valuable features of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers, from our perspective as an enterprise solution provider, include:

iDRAC (Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller)

Scalability & Modular Design

OpenManage Enterprise Suite

Security Features

High Efficiency Power & Thermal Design

ProSupport & Deployment Services

These features collectively enable us to deliver high-availability, cost-efficient and secure solutions that meet diverse customer demands, from SMBs to large enterprises.

While Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are among the most reliable and versatile in the market, there are a few areas where improvements and feature additions could further enhance their value:

Areas for Improvement
Firmware Update Coordination
Enhanced GPU & AI Workload Support in Mid-range Models
Noise Levels in Smaller Environments
Greater Native Support for Open-Source Tools

Suggested Features for Future Releases
AI-Powered Predictive Maintenance
Edge-Optimized Models with Compact Form Factor
Improved Integration with Multi-Cloud Platforms

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are enterprise-grade and trusted, but continued focus on edge workloads, open-source compatibility and smarter automation features will help Dell stay ahead in a rapidly evolving infrastructure landscape.

As a Dell Technologies Partner and Enterprise Solution Provider, we have been working with Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for over a decade. Throughout this period, we’ve deployed, configured and supported PowerEdge solutions across a wide range of industry verticals including government, finance, healthcare, education, and manufacturing.

On-premises

We are running VMware vSphere and regular Windows servers. We use Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for server implementation, virtualization, storage, so basically virtualization and server support.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers have helped to reduce unplanned production downtime. They have also helped to reduce the consumption of energy. We have seen decreased consumption levels through our monitoring systems. The cooling system has been significantly improved in the newer versions and models of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers.

The optimization of hardware and the ability to extend the hardware are valued features.

Pricing might be an area for improvement. There is competition, and lowering prices could be beneficial.

We have been using it for at least ten years.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers have managed to reduce the consumption of energy. We have seen that in the levels of our monitoring systems, which definitely show a decrease in consumption.

I've contacted them many times. The overall support is very good with first-class service.

Positive

We are using Pure Storage—the flash drives from Pure Storage.

It was easy. 

At the end, the cost benefit will be greater than the original investments. We just implemented the solution in our Mexico City offices. This is the first month for the actual payment. The benefit in the long run financially is structured so the company does not decapitalize. In the three or five years, we will have the newer equipment once the leasing is over or is renewed.

We are at the initial stage in our AI journey as a multinational level company. We are still working on testing, but it hasn't been totally implemented yet. We have done some automation with Python and are trying to use CoPilot for small tasks, but it hasn't been developed to a large scale. We are still in progress at this point.

I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers a ten out of ten.