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 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 using the Dell PowerEdge Rack Server for core banking applications. It is working fine and we are happy with it.

Dell PowerEdge Servers have had an impact on our organization’s sustainability goals. Their power consumption seems to be fine. We have not seen any issues.

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

We do not have much workload right now. We are happy with whatever we have tested.

Currently, we are facing issues with updates, particularly on the driver side. We did not receive proper communication about upcoming driver upgrades and other aspects. We are lagging in that area. We need to know about any upcoming updates so that we can plan accordingly. It could be that our emails are not registered properly.

It is a new company, and we started using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers only six months ago.

Until now, it has been working fine. It is stable.

Dell PowerEdge Servers have not helped to reduce unplanned production downtime. We are a start-up company, so we do not have much downtime. We have a downtime of five minutes or ten minutes over here and there.

I have not had the need to scale yet. Currently, we have only 50 users. We are planning to grow next year and have about 25 more users.

When it comes to hardware replacement and other issues I faced previously, the response has been good. I would rate them a nine out of ten.

Positive

I used HPE in my previous organization. We are an entity within a group, and we were asked to go for Dell servers.

All the backend work is supported by a company in India.

We started only six months ago, so I cannot measure the ROI.

We are a new company, and we are at the initial stage of our AI journey. We need proper engineers for our AI journey.

I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers an eight out of ten. We do not have much load at the moment. We are at the beginning stage, but so far, we are happy with it.

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

In my work environment, I deploy Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for servers. We are currently running database and file sharing workloads on our Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers.

The best features of the Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers include the fact that I haven't had any problems, and the Dell support at the ProSupport level is very good. The impact of the Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers on my organization has been positive, as I haven't had any outages. This is due to the equipment. Using the Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers has helped us reduce unplanned production downtime. We've reduced unplanned production downtime significantly, as I haven't had any hardware failures. The flexibility of my operations has been positively affected by the Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers, as they're good for space savings.

I don't have any issues or complaints with the Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers, but they could make the service tags larger as I get older. It's not that they aren't customizable; you can actually use your phone to scan the barcode, and everything's pretty good.

I have probably 15 years of experience with the Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers.

The issue was with the hardware, not on my side or Dell's side.

I would rate Dell support for their rack servers as a 10.

I've been using Dell throughout my entire career, so I've not experienced other solutions that don't measure up to Dell.

We used Computacenter as our third party reseller. My experience with the third party we used was very good.

I haven't seen ROI in terms of operational impacts; the reliability of the Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers is what stands out as the main thing.

I have only been using PowerEdge throughout my career without evaluating other options.

We recycle the devices as part of our sustainability efforts. We have not been using or running any AI workloads on the Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers. To someone considering running AI workloads on these servers but concerned about costs, that's a valid concern. We don't have a current need or workload for AI. It ensures we have the right technology, and what we're paying for that technology is good fair value. Our AI journey, while we're not using it right now, we probably plan to implement it within the next nine months.

Overall, I would rate the Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers a solid 10.

On-premises

We are an MSP and we use Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for our customers.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers work with other products, such as different kinds of storage. We use the racks and the servers more in the server room, so we have to apply servers, other types of storage, and different types of firewalls, and it all works together smoothly.

It helps reduce our footprint by 20 to 30 percent.

Regarding reliability, we feel it's a one-time installation. We don't have problems operating it. If we have to shut down, we have to restart and it all goes right back. Our customers are satisfied with the system, so we don't hear any specific problems and it is quiet. That's the most important thing because if we're providing services to our clients, it's important for us that they work fluently and then the client doesn't complain. 

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers reduce downtime. They go right back up, reducing downtime by 20 to 30 percent compared to HP Servers.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers do a good job of reducing our energy consumption.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are good at handling the evolving needs of high-performance workloads. They are comfortable to use and provide good results for our needs. I have not encountered any installation or maintenance issues.

The overall flexibility is good. As long as we plan and know what is needed, it is easy. There are a lot of specialists and Dell Professional Services that can help.

The most valuable features are resiliency, reliability, easy installation, maintenance, and compatibility with other systems or servers.

The price distance increases with the higher-end, more complex servers, and there is room for improvement.

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

The scalability of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers is good. They are able to meet all of our needs. We have not seen any limitations.

The deployment is straightforward.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers provide a return on investment through the time saved for our technicians during complex projects, installation, mounting, and onboarding.

The more complex the server requirements, the more expensive it gets.

We evaluated HP Servers but found them to have more downtime.

I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers eight out of ten. The price and response time from the test specialists keep it from being a ten out of ten.

We used Dell Professional Services to plan, implement, and adopt our solution a long time ago. The service was great. I would rate Dell Professional Services eight out of ten. If they responded quicker to our emails, they would be ten out of ten.

We use Dell PowerEdge for databases, file servers, and virtualization.

PowerEdge reduces energy consumption by achieving the same results with fewer servers and more virtualization. We're starting our AI journey with some AI workloads running on R750 servers. I don't have much insight into the applications, but I recommend Dell servers to colleagues who want to run AI workloads. In the end, the benefit outweighs the cost. 

We constantly upgrade to newer hardware, and everything stays the same but with updated architecture. This consistency is good for our technicians on the data center side. We also appreciate the integration with VMware. It keeps things simple for us. 

We use PowerEdge servers in conjunction with VMware, a VCF Rack, and VxRail. That has worked out well. We are using it for firmware upgrades and other similar tasks. It's a one-stop shop, but it could be better when the servers aren't on a VCF stack. Profile handling and upgrading standalone servers could improve, but they have gotten better over the years.

I have used Dell servers for 20 years. I've used Dell PowerEdge servers at my current company for six years, but I used them at other jobs. 

We don't have issues with PowerEdge except for occasional hardware problems. 

We can easily scale PowerEdge. We have a good platform on the software side, so we just scale out with more servers. We have had some issues scaling up more ports, but that's hardware. Nothing scales to infinity. We've had no problem handling high-performance workloads. We upgrade every few years to the latest and fastest hardware when necessary. 

I rate Dell support nine out of 10. They've helped us get the platform running and perform remote upgrades. They've been a good intermediary contact point for discussions with VMware and Broadcom. I talk with the support engineer, who talks with the networking team or someone else.

Positive

We have used HP and IBM Servers. Initially, we decided to adopt Dell because they offered a better price point. We are satisfied with the solution and will continue to use it. 

I rate PowerEdge eight out of 10 for ease of deployment. 

We deployed the servers using consultants this time, but we've used Dell professional services before. Our experience with consultants was good. 

I rate PowerEdge Rack Servers eight out of 10. 

On-premises