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reviewer2004255 - PeerSpot reviewer
Infrastructure and Operations Manager at a manufacturing company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Oct 31, 2022
Its reliability has made a big impact on our business, and it is very easy to install and manage
Pros and Cons
  • "The ease of installation is valuable. The physical side of installation is quite intuitive and has got better by leaps and bounds. The hardware has always been fantastic, and it has always been reliable."
  • "Because we've not had any issues, its reliability has made a big impact on our business."
  • "Its pricing could be better."

What is our primary use case?

It's a standard server that we've got. It's a site server, so it'll hold up to a manufacturing server and a normal Active Directory server.

We have Dell PowerEdge servers with pre-installed Microsoft Windows Server OS. For security, we mainly have antivirus. We've got web security monitoring tools. In addition, we've got firewalls. So, we've got a number of technologies that will hopefully protect us from ransomware.

How has it helped my organization?

Reliability is its main benefit. It works. I have not had many servers go down with hardware failure.

Email and ERP systems are critical to our business. We've also got manufacturing applications running on it as well. Those are one of the biggest key areas for our business. For the manufacturing and everything else, it's highly integrated. We need a server that's always on.

It has been good in terms of the impact on our IT infrastructure and the ability to handle the demand. It does what it says on the tin. We haven't had any issues with it. It's a server. It's one of those things that once it's in, it's in. We don't want it to do anything special because it's there for our infrastructure. It looks after our infrastructure, and it has been doing its job, and it has been working. Because we've not had any issues, its reliability has made a big impact on our business.

What is most valuable?

The ease of installation is valuable. The physical side of installation is quite intuitive and has got better by leaps and bounds. The hardware has always been fantastic, and it has always been reliable.

The iDRAC is one of my favorite features of this solution. From an IT or management perspective, we are able to easily control the servers with it. It has been the biggest help.

What needs improvement?

Its pricing could be better. In terms of features, I've got nothing to improve.

Buyer's Guide
Dell PowerEdge R-Series
July 2026
Learn what your peers think about Dell PowerEdge R-Series. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: July 2026.
906,852 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have about 25 years of experience with the product.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Its stability is very good. Its performance has always gone up in leaps and bounds. They've always been ahead of the curve, and we've always got the best technology from Dell.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Its scalability is very good.

How are customer service and support?

Their support is good. I would rate them a 10 out of 10.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I previously used an HP solution. I switched because of my experience with peer reviews for Dell products. Ever since we made the change to Dell servers, we've not gone back. There is the ease of use of racking and the ease of use of remote management. There is reliability and simplification of the server as well. They've not overcomplicated it. Those are the main selling points for Dell servers in comparison to HP.

How was the initial setup?

Its initial setup was very straightforward. It took a day. We have a certain process that we follow. We've had a server setup from a couple of years ago, and we follow that process. It's just making sure that all the relevant information is in.

What was our ROI?

It's very difficult to measure, but it should be good. We've made an initial investment in the capital costs for the server purchase, and if we get good five years of use out of it, then we've got good returns for it.

We could realize its benefits straightaway after the deployment.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

They seem to have become more expensive. I've not done a comparison with other vendors recently. If the price increases more, we would need to do a comparison next year just to make sure that we are benchmarking our server purchases correctly.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did consider public cloud servers before choosing PowerEdge Rack Servers, but it wasn't a choice. We are in a hybrid environment. We do have a number of servers internally, but then we have public cloud servers as well. Overall, the public cloud is cheaper because I don't require internal expertise and internal maintenance for the physical environment, which is cost-saving. The only reason for getting PowerEdge internally was to meet the demand for great speed for our manufacturing services. Therefore, we have to have something internal.

What other advice do I have?

I would definitely recommend it. You just have to install it, and that's it. It works.

I would rate it a 10 out of 10.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Jan Gilevich - PeerSpot reviewer
System Administrator at Sapir College
Real User
Jul 13, 2022
With Intel’s Xeon scalable processors in our PowerEdge Rack Servers, we have been able to reduce the number of servers we need
Pros and Cons
  • "Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers powered by Intel are easy to use, are easy to manage with Dell's OpenManage Console, and have extended support for five years."
  • "Dell's PowerEdge Rack Server is the best solution that I've seen, compared to other vendors."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers powered by Intel for Windows Servers and VMware Servers.

    How has it helped my organization?

    With Intel’s Xeon scalable processors in our PowerEdge Rack Servers, we have been able to reduce the number of servers we need when we change our workloads to the new generation, once every five years or so. I can feel a big improvement in terms of workload.

    What is most valuable?

    Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers powered by Intel

    • are easy to use 
    • are easy to manage with Dell's OpenManage Console
    • have extended support for five years.

    When it comes to handling the evolving needs of high-performance workloads, they're good. They deliver like they're supposed to.

    And while I haven't had to use the BIOS recovery, it's a nice feature in case there is a problem.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for 15 years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers powered by Intel are reliable, so I can say that they have reduced unplanned production downtime.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    We use PowerEdge in a VM environment, so it is scalable.

    How are customer service and support?

    We haven't used Dell's tech support.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    We are also using HPE and Lenovo servers right now.

    How was the initial setup?

    Deploying PowerEdge is straightforward. To get it up and running takes about an hour.

    What about the implementation team?

    We always implement with in-house team.

    What was our ROI?

    We've been using the Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for a long time and have found them to be very reliable. With the extended support, we can use them for five years, so it's a good investment.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    The pricing could always be better.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    When I compare PowerEdge Rack Servers powered by Intel to the other vendors like HPE or Lenovo, I can say that it's a bit better than them. It delivers good value. Dell provides longer support for operating systems when compared to HPE. We also considered all the public cloud servers, but they were not a cost-effective solution for our college. When we buy the on-prem service, we can use it for five years, and with a physical solution, we see a return on investment after about two years. If we were to use public cloud, we would lose after two years. This solution saves us about 1 million shekels (about $289,000 at the time of the review).

    What other advice do I have?

    Dell's PowerEdge Rack Server is the best solution that I've seen, compared to other vendors.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    On-premises
    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    Dell PowerEdge R-Series
    July 2026
    Learn what your peers think about Dell PowerEdge R-Series. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: July 2026.
    906,852 professionals have used our research since 2012.
    Analytics at Israel InterUniversity Computation Center
    Real User
    Jul 12, 2022
    Good for handling the evolving needs of high-performance workloads
    Pros and Cons
    • "PowerEdge Rack Servers are very good for handling the evolving needs of high-performance workloads."
    • "The specs for the benchmarks are very good, but the firmware and software are lacking. There are some issues with the Linux kernel and the long-term support (LTS) for some of the firmware's dependencies. It is causing the kernel to dump. The support for the Linux brands isn't optimal. We would like them to optimize the kernel drivers for benchmarks."
    • "The specs for the benchmarks are very good, but the firmware and software are lacking."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use PowerEdge Rack Servers for quantitative analytics, data simulations, and machine learning.

    What is most valuable?

    The hardware makes it a good solution.

    PowerEdge Rack Servers are very good for handling the evolving needs of high-performance workloads.

    Its tuning and performance are good.

    What needs improvement?

    The specs for the benchmarks are very good, but the firmware and software are lacking. There are some issues with the Linux kernel and the long-term support (LTS) for some of the firmware's dependencies. It is causing the kernel to dump. The support for the Linux brands isn't optimal. We would like them to optimize the kernel drivers for benchmarks.

    There are some issues that need to be solved with our model in regards to UEFI and firmware. 

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using it for about 10 years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    There haven't been any issues with downtime.

    How are customer service and support?

    Dell's open source support is very good. There are a lot of issues that they need to handle though, like the firmware and UEFI.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    We previously used IBM and Lenovo.

    How was the initial setup?

    It is a cluster, so you just plug and play.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    Lenovo is very good with updates.

    We use AMD Opteron instead of Intel Xeon.

    We chose Dell because of its open source. Our community likes Dell because of its open source delivery.

    What other advice do I have?

    We use GCP Spot and AWS Graviton as our failover solutions.

    I would rate this solution as eight out of 10.

    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    reviewer1909638 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Senior Manager of IT at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
    Real User
    Jul 11, 2022
    We utilize them heavily, 24/7, and they never stop; very reliable
    Pros and Cons
    • "The management portal is essential because it gives you a lot of flexibility. You don't have to be at the location to manage the server. You can power it on and off remotely or start an installation remotely. All you need to do is connect it to the network and you can do things from thousands of miles away."
    • "In terms of handling the evolving needs of high-performance workloads, you get your money's worth."
    • "While I wouldn't call it a problem, physically mounting the servers into the rails that come with the servers can be a challenge. They could be engineered to be a little bit easier to use. It's not that significant, we can manage it, but you need at least two people to do it together because they're a bit heavy."
    • "Dell's support works. Here in Israel, Dell works with a third party that handles the contact with the customer. I don't recall if that third party handles servers, but in general, a lot of improvement is required there."

    What is our primary use case?

    We mostly use them for managing our testing environment. They manage a different brand of blade servers, not Dell, but the Rack Servers powered by Intel are monitoring and managing the queues that run the tests. Developers are submitting tests to the system 24 hours a day, and nodes on the blade servers run the tests. Our PowerEdge servers manage the test queues.

    What is most valuable?

    The management portal is essential because it gives you a lot of flexibility. You don't have to be at the location to manage the server. You can power it on and off remotely or start an installation remotely. All you need to do is connect it to the network and you can do things from thousands of miles away. That is essential when working with data centers. You don't want to be there but you want to have full control remotely.

    Another valuable feature is that it's a Dell and that means it's a reliable product.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers powered by Intel for the last 10 years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It has performed the way that we expected it to with no technical problems. I don't recall any problems with the server itself that required us to call support or get replacement parts. It does what we expect it to do.

    It's stable. It's working 24/7, 365. We don't ever stop it. We have two offices in Israel, and each has two PowerEdge Rack Servers. They're monitoring our testing environment and that environment is running 24 hours a day, so the servers are very heavily utilized.

    We usually keep them for four years or stretch them to five years with a warranty extension. We wreck them and have never had to deal with any problems. The PowerEdge servers we have are the third generation that we purchased for this specific role. I'm assuming the integration team that requested these models specifically is satisfied with the outcome.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    We got them in a configuration that hasn't required us to make any changes in terms of scalability.

    How are customer service and support?

    Dell's support works. Here in Israel, Dell works with a third party that handles the contact with the customer. I don't recall if that third party handles servers, but in general, a lot of improvement is required there.

    We are a corporate environment. When I call Dell support and give them my credentials or customer number, I expect the guy on the other side to understand who he is talking with. He should immediately see that I have at least 500 laptops, desktops, and more than 1,000 Dell monitors. I'm not just a private customer calling from home. I expect the service to work accordingly. 

    Don't ask me, "Did you reboot the machine?" or "Did you update?" We only call Dell support when we cannot solve the problems ourselves. By the time we call, we have done all the testing and all the updating. We have done everything on our side and that's when we need professional, technical support. But when we call them here in Israel, we get what seems like very consumer-oriented customer support. There is a lot of room for improvement in this area.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Neutral

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    We had HP ProLiant in the past, but we haven't used them for quite a while. Our entire organization is using Dell for end-user machines, laptops, workstations, and desktops. The PowerEdge Rack Servers powered by Intel deliver what we need. It's easier to work with the same vendor and have a unified environment.

    How was the initial setup?

    While I wouldn't call it a problem, physically mounting the servers into the rails that come with the servers can be a challenge. They could be engineered to be a little bit easier to use. It's not that significant, we can manage it, but you need at least two people to do it together because they're a bit heavy. You have to slide them exactly into the rails. It's a little bit challenging, but not serious.

    From unboxing it to preparing the rack and sliding the server into it, connecting everything, and powering it up, it takes about 30 minutes or so.

    Integrating it into a particular environment is very simple. We set up an IP, connect it, and install a server operating system. It's a very rapid process. Within about an hour, it is up and running in the environment.

    What was our ROI?

    In terms of handling the evolving needs of high-performance workloads, you get your money's worth. When you buy something, you need it to perform and deliver and these servers do that. It's a very good product.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    PowerEdge pricing is equivalent to that of all the others in the market. We always try to get a better price, but I don't see any problem with the pricing and licensing of Dell's servers. It's not the case, when I compare them to other vendors, that they are extremely more expensive or that the licensing is much more complex.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    We looked at HP and Supermicro. We went with Dell, in part, because we are a Dell shop, but price was one of the most critical aspects. We also looked at what we needed to gain from the server. When we connected all these factors, we decided that Dell was the best solution for us.

    What other advice do I have?

    Before you approach procurement, you should know exactly what you are looking to get out of the product. If you're looking for a reliable vendor and performance, have all your information ready first. Then check the pricing and make sure that you have the budget. It's not like buying a PC for your home. It's a professional server and it costs. You'd better have all the information beforehand, and then you can evaluate whether the purchase of a PowerEdge is suitable for your requirements.

    We don't use Dell's OpenManage console. When we need to make changes that don't directly apply to the operating system but to the server itself, we only go into the iDRAC management interface and do it from there on.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    On-premises
    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    reviewer1907217 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Professional Services Architect at Matrix
    Reseller
    Jul 10, 2022
    Our customers can run the systems in their organization 24/7 without any downtime
    Pros and Cons
    • "The Xeon CPU makes the system work very well and fast. I like this type of CPU. It has helped to improve the performance of targeted workloads by 70%."
    • "I would like to change the physical rails to be more like how HPE rails are formatted and organized."

    What is our primary use case?

    I integrate PowerEdge for customers who buy the servers and storage, doing the integration between them. I have helped integrate 20 to 30 customers.

    How has it helped my organization?

    Dell PowerEdge powered by Intel helps improve organizations that we work with a lot.

    What is most valuable?

    I like the integration between iDRAC and the system. It is very easy to update the framework and install the operating systems. 

    Intel's Xeon CPU makes the system work very well and fast. I like this type of CPU. It has helped to improve the performance of targeted workloads by 70%.

    What needs improvement?

    Some customers took the machine to the extreme, which makes it a bit slower and delays the system. Since the customer can put a lot of VMs with a lot of data, it can use up the CPU memory to 20% to 25%, which slows down the system. However, if we reduce the CPU memory or split it to another, then it works very well.

    I would like to change the physical rails to be more like how HPE rails are formatted and organized.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using PowerEdge Rack Servers powered by Intel for almost three years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    PowerEdge Rack Servers have helped to reduce unplanned production downtime. The organization will not have downtime at all if you can migrate VMs between servers, but you need at least two. With two or three clusters, you can convert the machines.

    The stability is very good, if you have at least two servers. Then, you have full redundancy of all the VMs and the system. If one server has downtime, then all the data in the VMs on the server convert automatically to the other. Therefore, you need at least two or three servers to have full redundancy.

    Our customers can run the systems in their organization 24/7 without any downtime.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    PowerEdge offers a lot of types, which is very good for customer scalability, from small businesses to large businesses. 

    How are customer service and support?

    I have not used their technical support.

    How was the initial setup?

    It is very quick to deploy. It takes something like 30 minutes to an hour for us to deploy.

    I recommend reading the documentation before you deploy the product.

    What was our ROI?

    It makes the integration with a lot of storage systems cheaper. 

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    The pricing is very good because there are a lot of types of PowerEdge Rack Servers. You have the R540, R640, and R740. The prices are very scalable through the specific server, e.g., small businesses can take the R640 while large businesses can take the R740 or R840. Thus, Dell technologies touch on every organization.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    I like Dell Technologies' products, such as PowerEdge and PowerStore, more than their competitors. It is very easy to work with Dell because of all their documentation for deployments. It is much easier than their competitors.

    What other advice do I have?

    There are no issues with security in my experience.

    I am hoping that some customers will use Dell’s OpenManage console in the future.

    I would rate the product as nine out of 10.

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
    PeerSpot user
    Yaroslav Shehtman - PeerSpot reviewer
    Integration Engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
    Reseller
    Jul 10, 2022
    Good when it comes to handling high-performance workloads, and security features work great
    Pros and Cons
    • "I love the updates from the iDRAC, they are very nice. The installation is easy. Replacement, if something fails, is so easy and so good."
    • "All the customers that I have implemented PowerEdge for are very happy and like the performance."
    • "There are issues, of course, but not major issues. On a scale of one to 10, the stability is a nine."

    What is our primary use case?

    We install a lot of VMware and vSAN on the Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers powered by Intel.

    How has it helped my organization?

    All the customers that I have implemented PowerEdge for are very happy and like the performance. I think PowerEdge has improved the entire system where I have implemented it. 

    Intel's Xeon scalable processors used in PowerEdge Rack Servers have helped to improve the performance of the targeted workloads by about 20 percent, according to feedback from our customers.

    What is most valuable?

    • I love the updates from the iDRAC, they are very nice. 
    • The installation is easy.
    • Replacement, if something fails, is so easy and so good.

    PowerEdge Rack Servers powered by Intel are also good at handling high-performance workloads. It depends on the CPU, of course, and the type of server, but the performance is great.

    In addition, all the security features work great. That is a very important part.

    Dell's OpenManage console is user-friendly. You can connect to everything from Dell. It's simple. In the companies where I have implemented it, I have shown the IT staff how to use it and they are happy with it. I don't know if they use it every day, but during the implementation, it seems like it's good for them.

    What needs improvement?

    I don't really know where PowerEdge could be improved. I really like these servers. Even VxRail works great with them. Maybe they could change the logo to something more beautiful.

    For how long have I used the solution?

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

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    PowerEdge is very stable. 

    There are issues, of course, but not major issues. On a scale of one to 10, the stability is a nine.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The scalability of all brands is great, and that includes Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers powered by Intel.

    How are customer service and support?

    I like Dell's tech support very much. Not just for PowerEdge Rack servers but for all of Dell's products, if I have issues, the online support answers and gives solutions very quickly.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Positive

    How was the initial setup?

    It normally takes one day to integrate PowerEdge.

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
    PeerSpot user
    Danno Johnson - PeerSpot reviewer
    Senior Network System Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
    Real User
    May 12, 2022
    Good performance, small footprint, flexible, and has a quick support team
    Pros and Cons
    • "The MX7000 gives us the most concentrated amount of compute in the smallest area possible."
    • "Overall, I've seen an improvement in the network bandwidth, as well as an improvement in the speed of the blades and the processors."
    • "On the MX7000 platform, they should continue to release better and faster blades."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use PowerEdge for the virtualization of servers, and it gives us the ability to move server images on and off of the platform very quickly.

    How has it helped my organization?

    The PowerEdge Rack Servers are a go-to for handling high-performance workloads. I've had positive experiences with the amount of computing that it can provide per blade. Currently, the blade that I'm familiar with is the MX740c, which has dual processors and a total of 24 core processors. There are eight of these blades in the MX7000.

    It also provides the ability for networking on the backside, which connects to the mezzanine. I currently use the MX5108, which provides four 25 gigabits-per-second connections to each blade. Each 5108 can provide you with a 100 gig uplink to your core. I currently have the MX5108 connected in two fabrics, A fabric, and B fabric. Both A fabric and B fabric are peered using a VLTI.

    Then, I have the VLTI from the two blades connecting and uplinking to our distribution core. The distribution core is using a leaf spine. With that, it gives me 400 gigabits of uplink and downlink onto the chassis.

    You can't have computed performance without using more power. That said, when I consider the power consumption and performance of the MX740c, depending on how much memory I install on each blade, I get the best bang for my buck. I'm not going to say that it's inexpensive or that it's sufficient. It depends on how hard I am processing, what I am running, how much memory I use, and again, what blades I purchase with the chassis. Overall, it's very flexible, and it depends on what I want to make of it.

    With respect to its performance when it comes to running the latest high-demand applications, depending on my selection of hardware, it should be able to run nearly anything I would want. If I want to run Oracle servers on the PowerEdge blades, for example, then I can do that. They'll run it.

    Recently, I've seen my use case migrate from the M1000 chassis to the MX7000 chassis. The improvement that I saw was increasing the uplink bandwidth from the M1000, which I was able to get a maximum of 160 gigabits a second, and now my maximum is 400 gigabits a second. I could have selected different switches, but the MX5108 is adequate to provide the uplink bandwidth that I need from the chassis.

    Overall, I've seen an improvement in the network bandwidth, as well as an improvement in the speed of the blades and the processors.

    The PowerEdge has also helped to reduce data processing time in the company, which makes things run better because it's faster to move data onto the blades. It is also faster when it comes to the deployment of computed images. It's hard to pinpoint how much time we have saved because it also depends on the network infrastructure that's in place. In my experience over the last couple of years, migrating from the M1000 to the MX7000 has moved the deployment of images from a few minutes to several seconds.

    What is most valuable?

    The MX7000 gives us the most concentrated amount of computing in the smallest area possible. It also has the ability to provide a large amount of bandwidth to the blades. This is important because it gives the user the ability to move as much data on and off of the blade platforms as quickly as possible.

    The iDRAC telemetry is very useful for monitoring the system and providing analytics. You can use commands from the CLI, you can use scripting, you can use the REST interface, or you can use the point-and-click GUI. It's very flexible. I prefer using scripts because I monitor many blades and many chassis. I can script a lot of my monitoring requirements. 

    The accelerated GPU feature helps to support demanding workloads that we run. For instance, they provide better performance for remote desktop sessions.

    The blades are hot-swappable and in a virtual environment, being able to upgrade your hardware platform easily to better and faster hardware is a benefit.

    What needs improvement?

    On the MX7000 platform, they should continue to release better and faster blades.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been working with Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for the past couple of years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Stability-wise, this product is solid. We have very little downtime.

    I need to make sure that the images that are running on the blades are reliable, and it provides that. Beyond that, I'm happy with the performance.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Scalability is up to the engineer. It is easily scalable depending on what native architecture you use to connect it all together.

    How are customer service and support?

    I have been in contact with technical support a lot. Sometimes I run into little anomalies that I need an explanation or workaround or fix for, and by bringing it to their attention, they usually get their developers on it and come back with a solution rather quickly.

    I would rate the technical support a ten out of ten. We have really good Dell support.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Positive

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    I have worked with other solutions from other vendors, and I like Dell Power Solutions. I worked with them years ago and then went to a different vendor, on a different job course, and in this particular job I've come back to Dell.

    I've got to say that Dell hardware and support are very good, and I'm happy with it.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is straightforward. For somebody with experience with Dell products, to begin with, it's simple. It's no more complicated than deploying the M1000, which was the predecessor chassis to the MX7000.

    I can deploy and network an MX7000 chassis and have all the blades loaded with ESXi within a day. I make use of a lot of my own scripts and usually, I employ a script to mount the ISO images that'll be installed on all the blades through a shell script, and then the script also reboots the blades, and the blades mount the ISO image and install VMware. All of that happens quickly.

    After that, I simply put in the network parameters for the ESXi hosts, add the host to the V-center, and then they're ready to go. I already have some predetermined configurations that I use for the network blades, the MX5108s. I use those as a template for all four blades on the back of the MX7000, and simply paste them in. I can usually have all four blades configured within 30 minutes to an hour.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    The pricing is very competitive.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    When you compare against public cloud solutions, having the compute onsite is always going to be faster. However, that really depends on how big of a pipe your institution or your data center has to the cloud. If you have more bandwidth to the cloud and back, perhaps latency will be less but I don't see how it can be faster than having the compute on site.

    What other advice do I have?

    This product has built-in security features, although that's up to the system engineers and network engineers to properly upgrade their firmware. They need to follow Dell's baseline release for the chassis to ensure that the firmware and software for the baseline of the blades and the network cards meet the baseline requirements. If you can match those requirements then the security will follow. It's easier to manage when you're baseline is all matched.

    Overall, this is a good product but there is always room for improvement.

    I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    reviewer2380581 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Teamleitung Technical Sales at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
    Real User
    Apr 4, 2024
    Efficient and adaptable server solution that offers robust performance, scalability and reliability
    Pros and Cons
    • "The standout feature is the remote control accessibility, which allows our team to access and manage the servers locally or remotely."
    • "There might be room for improvement in terms of efficiency, particularly with PowerEdge servers."

    What is our primary use case?

    We continuously expand our data center infrastructure with Dell PowerEdge Servers, deploying virtualization platforms across multiple data centers. As our computing needs grow, we consistently require additional compute resources, leading to ongoing expansion efforts. Each month sees the addition of new PowerEdge Servers to accommodate our evolving requirements.

    How has it helped my organization?

    The most significant benefit we've experienced is the simplicity of working with a single vendor. This streamlined approach has greatly improved our service level experience. Whenever there's an issue, we can quickly reach out to them and receive prompt replacements or support. With ProSupport, the reliability and responsiveness of Dell's support services are truly impressive. We have peace of mind knowing that our technical needs will be addressed swiftly, often with next-day solutions.

    Efficiency and power consumption have seen improvements in the last generation of servers. However, it's important to note that these aspects are largely comparable across vendors when utilizing the same hardware components.

    The cyber-resilient architecture is a crucial feature, particularly for security purposes. Its inclusion provides reassurance for us as hosts, allowing us to confidently communicate to our customers that we employ this advanced technology in our data centers. This enhances our credibility and serves as a point of trust when engaging with our clients.

    PowerEdge Servers have significantly reduced unplanned production data shutdowns, particularly compared to our previous experience with Dell, when we encountered frequent shutdowns due to hardware malfunctions, but with PowerEdge, downtime has been consistently minimal for the past five years. This improvement has greatly benefited both us and our customers, as it allows us to provide services with much better SLAs.

    The adoption of the OpenManage Console has impacted our productivity positively as we are currently in the process of rolling it out for our servers.

    What is most valuable?

    The standout feature is the remote control accessibility, which allows our team to access and manage the servers locally or remotely. We primarily utilize these servers for virtualization, running VMware to consolidate them into a large data center. This setup perfectly aligns with our specific requirements, and our technical team thoroughly enjoys working with it. We've experienced fewer issues compared to previous hardware solutions from other providers. With PowerEdge servers, our stability has significantly improved.

    What needs improvement?

    There might be room for improvement in terms of efficiency, particularly with PowerEdge servers. However, it's worth noting that this issue isn't unique to Dell but rather a general concern across the industry.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We have been using it for almost twenty years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Stability is paramount, and it's the feedback we consistently receive from our technicians. When we seek their advice on hardware selection for various solutions, they consistently recommend Dell without hesitation.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Scalability is a strong suit, particularly for our high-demand usage scenarios. We leverage storage virtualization with VMware installation, initially setting up nodes with lower capacity. As our needs grow, we can easily expand storage by adding more nodes or increasing capacity. This scalability extends to our infrastructure, allowing for flexible expansion and adaptation as required.

    How are customer service and support?

    In general, it's common to encounter issues, especially during late hours when support might not be readily available. However, we haven't faced significant problems with our PowerEdge servers. Any challenges we've encountered are more often related to client devices, such as laptops from Dell. When it comes to server support, our experience has been excellent, almost rating it a perfect ten out of ten.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Positive

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    When comparing Dell PowerEdge servers and services to other options on the market, it's challenging for us to provide a comprehensive evaluation because the majority of our servers in the data center are Dell. Therefore, our main frame of reference is Dell versus alternative solutions. According to feedback from our technicians, Dell is typically preferred over other brands like Dell due to its perceived stability. This comparison is primarily focused on hardware solutions rather than support services.

    How was the initial setup?

    Deploying Dell PowerEdge servers is straightforward and efficient. It saves us a significant amount of time since it's mostly plug-and-play, with minimal setup required. Our technicians have become accustomed to the process, with approximately fifty percent of the time previously spent on setup now being saved. As we continue to set up numerous Dell servers, we find the process consistently easy and reliable, with no major changes in the setup procedure.

    What about the implementation team?

    Our primary deployment model for PowerEdge servers revolves around virtualization. While we do have some servers deployed on-premises, the majority are situated in the data center, serving as the backbone for our virtualization solution.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    We have a strong agreement in place with our parent company, that typically ensures favorable pricing terms for us, although occasionally we may need to negotiate with Dell representatives for further discounts to provide competitive pricing to our customers.

    What other advice do I have?

    In our business, we prioritize scalability over a plethora of features. Having identical servers across our infrastructure simplifies support and enhances technician familiarity. This uniformity streamlines processes, making it easier for our team to understand and manage the systems efficiently. Additionally, in our design and digital systems development, we lean towards utilizing Dell for its robust support and scalability, ensuring our solutions can easily scale as needed. Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
    PeerSpot user
    reviewer2380644 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Chief Executive Officer at a cloud solution provider with 1-10 employees
    Real User
    Apr 4, 2024
    Enables exceptional stability, scalability, and ease of deployment, supported by reliable tech support and energy-efficient design
    Pros and Cons
    • "The enduring stability and longevity offered by Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers stand out as their most invaluable features."
    • "The pricing structure could be improved."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use it in the media industry.

    How has it helped my organization?

    Our customers have numerous benefits, including an array of features such as RAM quantity, CPU power, and storage capacity.

    Our energy consumption was quite high five years ago when we were a service provider. Today, over the last two generations, our power consumption has decreased significantly. This reduction is highly beneficial for our operations.

    The flexibility is commendable. Whenever we need to perform any task on our records or servers, the process is smooth and swift. In the twenty years of using Dell, we haven't encountered any troubles, problems, or issues, which speaks volumes about the reliability of their products.

    What is most valuable?

    The enduring stability and longevity offered by Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers stand out as their most invaluable feature. These qualities enable organizations to deploy and utilize the same server model for extended periods, bolstered by Dell's steadfast guarantee.

    What needs improvement?

    The pricing structure could be improved.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using it for over ten years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Stability is excellent overall. We've encountered only one issue, which pertained to a SAN rather than a server. This occurred due to a peak in energy, affecting the controller within the rack. Nonetheless, stability remains consistent for our servers.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Scalability is truly excellent, as we can start with a certain number of memory units, and when a customer requests additional memory or space, we can easily upgrade. This process is fast and straightforward, making it highly beneficial.

    How are customer service and support?

    We've relied on tech support for at least twenty years, and every time we've reached out, we've received swift and effective solutions. I would rate it nine out of ten.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Positive

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    The advantage of Dell over other vendors lies in the fact that over the course of twenty years, we've consistently opted for solutions that include mission-critical assistance. However, we've only needed to utilize this assistance twice in two decades. This demonstrates the exceptional quality of Dell's hardware, which has been thoroughly tested and proven reliable—an essential feature and service for us.

    What about the implementation team?

    Deploying was simple. We were assigned directly to the data center. As consultants, we began by working directly in the rack. We initiated the installation process, starting with the hypervisor, and everything proceeded smoothly.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    Twenty years ago, we used to purchase directly from Dell. However, they later decided to sell only through partners in Italy. Consequently, when we transitioned to buying from partners, we also became partners ourselves. At present, the pricing seems a bit high for us. While we manage to procure products through competitive bidding, the list pricing remains challenging for us. This difficulty primarily arises when selling to customers, especially medium-sized ones requiring only two or three servers.

    What other advice do I have?

    Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
    PeerSpot user
    reviewer2380614 - PeerSpot reviewer
    SRE at a government with 51-200 employees
    Real User
    Mar 26, 2024
    Ensures unparalleled reliability, energy efficiency and ease of deployment
    Pros and Cons
    • "Primarily, what we value most is the stability of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers."
    • "There might be room for improvement, especially in the software aspect, such as firmware updates."

    What is our primary use case?

    We've never had any issues with using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for everything we need. Essentially, they're our go-to brand for servers.

    How has it helped my organization?

    From what I've gathered, it seems that they're heading in the right direction by implementing silicon-based hardware updates, enhancing user access security, and optimizing the supply chain. These developments are sensible, especially for environments like data centers and research facilities, as they prioritize both security and efficiency.

    I'm highly impressed by the energy efficiency of Dell PowerEdge Servers. Having worked with servers for a long time, I remember their high power consumption. However, the new Dell products have drastically reduced energy usage, which is not only remarkable but also makes them much quieter.

    What is most valuable?

    Primarily, what we value most is the stability of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers. We appreciate the confidence of deploying them in production, knowing they'll perform reliably without any issues.

    What needs improvement?

    There might be room for improvement, especially in the software aspect, such as firmware updates. While it's relatively straightforward now, it would be beneficial to have a solution that allows updating the server firmware without taking it offline.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been working with it for approximately fifteen years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It provides excellent stability capabilities.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Scalability isn't particularly relevant to our use case.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    Before switching to Dell, we used to rely on HPE servers. Unfortunately, we experienced increasing instability with their hardware over time, particularly noticeable in critical components like storage controllers, which are crucial in my line of work. 

    We also encountered numerous issues with the mainboards. As a result, we had to explore alternatives from different vendors. Although we also tried Supermicro servers, which showcased some innovative features at the time, we found Dell to offer better stability overall. While Supermicro was aiming for rapid innovation, they struggled with stability issues in their servers.

    What about the implementation team?

    We managed the deployment in-house, and it was remarkably straightforward. Setting up the racks and mounting the hardware, including the components inside the servers, was hassle-free. Overall, it was a seamless process.

    What was our ROI?

    I believe the return on investment with Dell servers is positive. While I may not have a precise answer, a strong indication for me is the ongoing satisfaction in receiving the necessary components and support from Dell.

    What other advice do I have?

    Overall, I would rate it ten out of ten.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    On-premises
    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Dell PowerEdge R-Series Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
    Updated: July 2026
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Dell PowerEdge R-Series Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.