Dell PowerEdge R-Series Reviews

We primarily use Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for 3D rendering and 3D performance work. Our organization uses Dell servers to help with our rendering when they are not in use.

We have tested a few AI workloads on our PowerEdge servers, but we still need work to do in terms of installation, security, data privacy, and user agreements to deploy it in production. When you are in a big enterprise, you need at least two or three months to test something before launching it, or you may need to start over midway through. In some areas, we are at the forefront, but we are very far behind in other areas.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers have allowed us to work with PC over IP, enabling coworkers to work from anywhere. The servers have contributed to the sustainability effort. Our newest purchases are leased, so Dell takes them back when we're done. Otherwise, we can send them to a sustainability company that works with them. We get some money back, and they take care of it and give it another life. We try to use them for at least four years, and they aren't dead. Another company can use them, but we want a warranty on all the stuff in our data centers.

PowerEdge servers have reduced unplanned production downtime. Before we used PowerEdge, we had a lot of workstations on the floor. We could experience anything from a power outage to someone tripping on a wire. That kind of outage is stressful for us because our workstations and servers help with our rendering when they aren't used.

The iDRAC helps us monitor and manage our systems.

PowerEdge could have more configuration options, such as the ability to combine different CPUs, memory volumes, data storage, and memory. The new Intel-based ones are a bit power-hungry. You want to fill the rack but can't because the estimated power consumption could be too high.

I have used Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for eight to ten years.

Dell PowerEdge Rack servers are highly stable. Over four years, we've had less than 1 percent downtime, and we've rarely had to contact support about instability.

We have effortlessly scaled from approximately 20 servers to many more, so scalability isn't an issue.

The extended warranty and next-day support are fantastic. Though we rarely need support, the overall reliability of the support service is highly satisfactory.

We have a central agreement with Dell, and Dell servers were preapproved and ready to be installed. Therefore, no evaluation of other server brands was conducted, and there has been no switch from other server brands.

Deploying PowerEdge support is effortless. Our first-line support handled and managed the deployment. They provided step-by-step guidelines for us to follow, and it worked well.

The return on investment with Dell PowerEdge servers is substantial due to the combination of pricing, extended warranty, and exceptional support.

I rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers 10 out of 10. Nothing we have tested has been better.

On-premises

We have created Hyper-V virtual machines. We have multiple virtual machines running on this system. Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are good for handling diverse applications. We have not faced any issues so far. It is good. It is doing well.

We are using Dell PowerEdge R730 Server, and it meets our needs for handling high-performance workloads. We are extremely satisfied.

They are good at firmware upgrades and other things. So far, we have not faced any issues with them. Earlier, I used some other brands. As compared to those, I am satisfied with Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers.

We did not experience any security incidents with Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers.

The advantages include ease of use. The rack accessibility, BIOS settings, and everything else are easy. Its configuration is straightforward. I do not have any difficulties working with it.

It operates without any downtime. It runs 24 hours and 365 days. The downtime is there for an hour or two only when I do an upgrade, but it is within the SLA.

I do not have any input. My servers are quite old. Newer systems are more sustainable in terms of energy consumption. I need to consider more power-saving and sustainable options.

We have been using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers since 2018. It has been almost five years.

It has been good. I have not faced any issues so far, and it is performing well. For the last five years, I have been using it and am extremely satisfied. I hope it will continue like that.

We have not done any expansion. We are planning but have not implemented any expansion yet.

When I had an incident, the support was good. I would rate it a nine out of ten.

Positive

We have used other brands previously, but we had issues related to firmware and slowness. We are satisfied with Dell PowerEdge servers.

 It was not difficult. Based on my previous experience, it was easy to implement.

I worked with Dell Professional Services to plan, implement, and adopt the solution in the beginning. They supported me with the RAID configuration and other types of setups.

We reduced costs by purchasing one or two servers instead of multiple. We are using a single server for our workload.

I don't remember the model, but we evaluated HPE. 

We have not run any AI workloads on these servers. We have multiple software and platforms. It is not easy to integrate AI. We are planning to do it but so far, nothing has been done when it comes to AI integration.

Overall, I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers a ten out of ten. It has been working well for the last five years. I am satisfied with it.

On-premises

Most of the use cases for our customers are for AI. Nowadays everything is focused on AI, whereas previously it was for virtualization. Currently, everything is virtual regarding Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers improve productivity and ultimately increase business value.

The most valuable feature of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers is management. We can manage it effectively. 

Improvement is always necessary for Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers so that people don't take it for granted. It keeps everyone on their toes to continue improving. There is always scope for improvement.

We have been selling Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers to our customers for quite some time, and performance-wise, it has been doing great.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are 100% stable and reliable.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers scale with our customers' needs. We can implement horizontal scale-out by adding additional Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers.

The customer service and tech support for Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are the best. 

I would rate the customer service and tech support for Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers nine, keeping one point for improvement.

Positive

From a sales perspective regarding Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers, my team handles the hands-on implementation. According to my team, it is very easy to deploy Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers.

Some companies have seen return on investment within a year.

The price is competitive with Dell offering the best products.

From a management perspective, OpenManage is one of the best software solutions. Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers have been selling great.

I would rate this solution nine out of ten.

My current use case for Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers is as a node in a five-node VMware cluster.

We receive Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers vSAN-ready, making it quite easy to install the ESXi software and get a VMware cluster up and running.

When trying to piece out a server for our builds, there are so many different SKUs—probably 30 to 40 SKUs—that it can be difficult to read. If that could be condensed a little bit, that would help.

I have been using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for at least five years.

I have not had any issues with stability. Considering some of the environments aren't great, I think they are remarkably stable.

We have more than 5,000 people in our organization. Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers scale for my company's needs. For the way that we are using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers, we have more than enough resources to run the VMs that we have running on our clusters. We currently have about ten clusters, with plans to bring on another ten or so in the next four to five years.

It's been great. We haven't had to call much, but I did have to call a couple of weeks ago, and the responsiveness was great. They sent out a replacement hard drive very quickly.

Positive

It was before my time. I am not sure what we were using before Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers.

I have not evaluated any other solutions during my time using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers; however, Broadcom's purchase of VMware has us on edge, so we might be looking at competitors in the near future.

In terms of our partnership, I feel Dell is partnering with us effectively, although there is a concern regarding the new owner of VMware. I am more concerned about the new licensing model and cost of VMware going forward, not the interoperability with Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers.

For AI purposes, I see it being used for troubleshooting, where we gather all kinds of logs and monitor servers, software, and related items. I'd want to get it to a point where the AI could pinpoint where the issue is and maybe even resolve it.

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

On-premises

My company's use case for Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers is that we use it internally for our office purpose and also we resell it to our customers.

The features of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers have benefited our organization as they simplify the IT manager's job. It gives them entire visibility of the device which enables them to keep growing their applications or data, and it basically simplifies the IT manager's jobs. 

The feature of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers that I value the best is the iDRAC, as it is extremely good and simplifies tasks. It is very rigid and very durable, which is why most people continue buying these servers on a regular basis.

Dell has supported growth and operational success within those companies we resell to through the backend support, which is extremely good. Dell is the only organization now that has products from clients to storage, networking, and all data center devices. There is no other organization in the market which has all these products.

Dell makes it extremely easy for customers to buy. They get one-on-one support for all products. The support has been extremely good compared to other brands. AI is something very new, and Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are currently coming up with integrated GPUs for AI, which are getting implemented now. There is a lot of demand in the market, and customers keep asking for it.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are already the best, and there is nothing new that I would suggest to improve. The only aspect that could be improved is the price. The product is extremely good, so it is always priced high. To improve product sales, reducing the price would help.

I have been using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for the past 10 years. I have been a Dell employee, so I have been using it for more than 15 years.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers scale with the growing needs of organizations as the solution is built with scalability options. As long as your data or application requires scalability, the PowerEdge already has the feature which helps to scale.

The customer service and technical support from Dell is extremely good. That has been the biggest plus point of Dell and one of the biggest reasons for it to have a good market share.

Positive

It's extremely easy to deploy Dell. The products have been made in such a way that it's user-friendly, and it's extremely easy to implement.

In terms of pricing and licensing for Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers, what can be done is stocking the servers with distributors as much as possible to bring down the price, similar to what other OEMs do. 

Dell is more expensive since it has more B2B orders compared to HP or Lenovo who focus on stock and sell business. This helps them to bring down the price. 

Additionally, the sourcing of spare parts could be streamlined better to reduce the price.

I do sell other solutions, such as HP and Lenovo, and Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers have been far better compared to the others in durability and support, except for the price.

Overall, I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers eight out of ten. It is a bit expensive compared to others.

Dell PowerEdge R-Series serves as the main solution for compute and storage servers.

I appreciate many features of Dell PowerEdge R-Series, and the drag feature is mentioned most frequently as a favorite among users.

Using the service has improved our storage capabilities, as storage expansions are easier to implement, making it user-friendly and simpler to onboard new team members.

Before transitioning to Dell, we were using ScaleIO before Dell PowerFlex, which was a Dell product that originated from EMC, so we migrated from ScaleIO to PowerFlex.

I have been with the company for four years, and we have been using Dell PowerEdge R-Series for the same duration.

Using servers has helped reduce unplanned production downtime, though I cannot specify the exact reduction amount.

Using the servers has not significantly affected the overall flexibility of our operations.

I would rate the customer service and tech support as great.

My experience with pricing, setup costs, and licensing is not positive, especially with recent AI developments. Hardware prices have increased substantially, and a forty thousand dollar server now costs one hundred thousand dollars, which is a significant pain point for many organizations.

I have realized ROI through accelerated development, accelerated troubleshooting, and our customer success teams using the environment.

Regarding reducing total cost of ownership, it is probably not a significant reduction. The product is somewhat more expensive than alternatives like Super Micro, but the integration of the product base makes it worthwhile in the end. We are fully invested as we use PowerFlex Manager, PowerFlex for storage, and PowerFlex for compute.

There is no impact on our organizational sustainability goals. I have not observed any benefits from using AI workloads yet. I would advise organizations considering Dell PowerEdge R-Series to pursue it with confidence. I give this product a rating of 9.

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

I am an IT infrastructure guy, and I use Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for a variety of workloads, including data imported from machines, file shares, and many other applications.

Using Dell PowerEdge Servers has helped us reduce planned production downtime by approximately 15 percent. PowerEdge has improved the overall flexibility of our business operations. 

I'm still working on reducing power consumption. I'm working with one of Dell's partners to get some power consumption certificates. I need to submit some certificates of sustainability showing how we are working on that. I'm still working on it. That is something entirely new for me. I don't know how to drive that, but I'm getting help from the Dell coordinator on how to do that.

We have only begun our AI journey. We want to use AI to analyze our data, and we're also trying to coordinate. We don't have any AI workloads on our servers yet. We're only capturing data. Currently, our data is being washed, and our data scientists are enriching it to prepare it for the next level. After that, we'll bring AI in to build reports and things like that. It's a work in progress.

I find Dell PowerEdge Servers to handle diverse applications and evolving needs effectively, but we have to upgrade the hardware periodically. PowerEdge's cyber resilience architecture approach to security is good. I don't have any concerns on that part.

Dell has already started working with NPUs and AI, which is a good thing. Right now, data is everyone's primary concern. Every company wants to evaluate data to advance technology and improve its business. The server should work better on the data side. Data is a priority around the world. 

There are a lot of data platforms around, but it would be helpful if we could perform some basic data operations on the server so we don't need an extra vendor. Azure is their Microsoft Cloud solution, and they collaborate with data companies like Databricks. We are also on the cloud and work with Databricks, but they could add some basic features so an enterprise doesn't need to go for extra Databricks to do their data things. 

If data could be handled within the Dell server, we can achieve a milestone on all the low-level sites. Our company is global, with many sites in Sweden and small sites in other countries. We don't need a complete Databricks solution for them. We need Dell servers to handle basic data and talk to our application. We have to configure a bridge between Dell servers and use Databricks for analysis. We could save a lot of money if the fundamental data functions can be done within the server.

I have been using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for five years.

The stability is excellent. Our only problems are software issues that our technical team can manage. 

I rate PowerEdge six out of 10 for scalability. As our needs have grown, we've faced some challenges. 

I rate Dell's support five out of 10. Sometimes, the technical skills are lacking. I'm not an expert, but I have worked with Dell solutions for 10 years.  Not everyone is an expert, so sometimes I have to help them with the troubleshooting part. Sometimes, someone is having a bad day, or you get the wrong person. 

They improved communications by adding a point person in Sweden. That person is more of a salesperson but has helped in many ways. That was missing for a long time, but they implemented it in the last few years.

They needed someone who could connect with the customer. Dell is a massive global company, but we are a big customer, and sometimes I feel they forget about us. They should treat every customer as if they're your biggest. Biggest. I felt a few times like we weren't prioritized.

Neutral

Dell has been our traditional server, and we have not evaluated other brands because we've worked with Dell for a long time. It's significantly better than other server brands on the market based on key metrics, so we haven't looked at other ones. 

The initial setup has always been smooth because we take our time and have never rushed the deployment.

We did the implementation in-house. We used autopilot integration, but nothing beyond that.

I rate PowerEdge Rack Servers eight out of 10.

On-premises

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