We use them as cluster nodes for virtualization purposes.
Engineer at a energy/utilities company with 5,001-10,000 employees
We get excellent support and configuration flexibility to do things based on the use case
Pros and Cons
- "I find the flexibility of the build-out in Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers very valuable because we can do different things based on the use case. This flexibility is highlighted by being able to reduce CPU count, RAM count, and the number of drives depending on the site's importance."
- "Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers scale very well with the growing needs of my company."
- "Power consumption is probably on everyone's top of mind regarding Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers; they use a lot of power and create a lot of heat. Also, the noise levels are pretty high, though I'm not sure if there's anything that can be done about it."
- "Power consumption is probably on everyone's top of mind regarding Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers; they use a lot of power and create a lot of heat."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
I find the flexibility of the build-out in Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers very valuable because we can do different things based on the use case. This flexibility is highlighted by being able to reduce CPU count, RAM count, and the number of drives depending on the site's importance. Additionally, using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers exclusively provides a single source for replacements, assistance, and support. We have a good partnership with our distributor. We've got really good support with them.
What needs improvement?
Power consumption is probably on everyone's top of mind regarding Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers; they use a lot of power and create a lot of heat. Also, the noise levels are pretty high, though I'm not sure if there's anything that can be done about it. It'd be nice to get the volume down so that we can use these a little bit more frequently in other use cases where there's maybe a nearby office environment.
One thing that might be a little bit of an improvement is the faceplates. It can't be that expensive to have the LCD screen on all faceplates. We've gotten into this situation where we didn't have the faceplates. We like them. We buy them, but they don't come with the LCD screen. We then have to rebuy those, so it would be nice to have that standardized across the fleet because it can't cost that much more.
For how long have I used the solution?
I personally have been using or working with Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for about two years.
Buyer's Guide
Dell PowerEdge R-Series
February 2026
Learn what your peers think about Dell PowerEdge R-Series. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2026.
881,821 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
They have been rock solid for us; we haven't had power supply failures. The drives seem to be the area of most concern, but if we look at the MTBFs on them, they're above industry standard. We don't have a huge install base, so we're not really that good at evaluating that, but drive improvement is definitely something we could look at for the future. We talked to them about some opportunities to test some of their stuff in our lab environment.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Our organization has more than 6,000 people. Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers scale very well with the growing needs of my company. For our current use case, it's very good, and some of the improvements we've seen in storage density and power efficiency gains will only help us.
How are customer service and support?
It has been good. I'd rate them at least a nine out of ten. There was a little hiccup where they sent one of our drives to a location that doesn’t exist anymore, but we don't know exactly why it went there. We might have to check with our account holders that all of our addresses have been updated and get a bit more contact on some of the things that we don't really review as often as we possibly should.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
Everything worked really smoothly. They're easy to rack, and I love the rack systems as they are very easy to use and to move. We do a lot of moving of equipment, and having that ability is really good. We encourage them to continue to keep their racking systems the same and include them in the purchase. That's really big and helpful.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
It was before my time, but even now, we're always looking because we have to make sure that we are not vendor locked and missing opportunities. HPE is another big example of something that we would look at. I'm not sure if we are looking at anything else, but we have been looking at the ruggedized version of Dell's product line, including both the XR and some new ones we saw at the conference, which we're going to maybe talk to our vendor about having some demos done for us.
In comparisons between HPE and Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers, support really stands out; it's been a little more difficult because our enterprise side of the house is HPE primarily. I don't know if that's a function of HPE or our company's relationship, but Dell, being our sole source through our distributor, has provided us with very good support and response.
What other advice do I have?
The performance metric or benchmark we use to measure success is whether it works. If it's not working, then we have bigger problems. Dell has just been very helpful. We don't have a lot of maintenance that we have to worry about. We have the occasional failure of a drive, but the response time is incredible. We're pretty happy with the product.
My advice for any other company considering Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers is that the proof is in the execution: just buy them. You can either go based on a salesman's word or just buy some and use them, and you're going to be pleasantly surprised.
I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers a nine out of ten. They're on the right track. They're asking the right questions, and we'll keep working with them to try and make everything as good as it can be.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Last updated: May 22, 2025
Flag as inappropriateManager, Global Infrastructure at a recreational facilities/services company with 10,001+ employees
Provides reliability and simplified infrastructure management with OpenManage
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is OpenManage. We get a lot out of OpenManage because we have a sprawling infrastructure with around 100 data centers, and managing all of those separately is challenging."
- "Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers can help with that because it is the platform our whole business runs on - it's the foundation."
- "I recommend not locking the GPU behind a different license for iDRAC."
- "I recommend not locking the GPU behind a different license for iDRAC. We've talked to the product team, and it hasn't changed yet."
What is our primary use case?
All of our server infrastructure is PowerEdge, and it's all HCI PowerEdge.
By having Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers, we wanted density. We wanted to have a small power and cooling footprint. That's why we have PowerEdge and VxRail.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is OpenManage. We get a lot out of OpenManage because we have a sprawling infrastructure with around 100 data centers, and managing all of those separately is challenging. The automation built into OpenManage for firmware upgrades and life cycle management really helps us out.
What needs improvement?
I recommend not locking the GPU behind a different license for iDRAC. We've talked to the product team, and it hasn't changed yet. I don't understand why they do that because you can't get very many metrics out of iDRAC Enterprise, as you have to go to the Data Center for a GPU, which seems pointless.
I wouldn't change anything else since I haven't had any other headaches with the platform. I find the pricing and licensing on par with the market.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers at my current company for six years, and beyond that, probably 20.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability and reliability are extremely high. We rarely have failures even in places that aren't necessarily maintained. It's a workhorse.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is a big factor for us, along with time to deployment and ROI, which are all pretty significant.
We have 26,000 people in our organization, with about 400 people per venue.
How are customer service and support?
I work with customer service and tech support all the time. My impressions from working with them on the PowerEdge side are very high. We've had some challenges around VxRail after the Broadcom stuff, but I have nothing bad to say about PowerEdge.
I would rate their support an eight overall because it's still kind of a challenge for us. We're not tech direct currently, so it's challenging to call in and deal with the script response of 'have you tried turning it off and on again?' rather than getting escalated quickly. Better escalation would be nice, and quicker escalation would be appreciated.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
Deploying the product is super easy. It's going to get easier, but for us, it's simply dropping it in a rack, powering it, networking it, and everything gets provisioned for what we need pretty quickly.
What was our ROI?
We have seen ROI. While I can't share metrics at scale, we have replaced a couple of venues with Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers and replaced our VxRail. We project to save somewhere in the neighborhood of 13 million over the next three years when we get the rest of them done.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's pretty much on par.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Lenovo and Supermicro. Lenovo didn't have their eggs in the basket for any way to manage at scale, and Supermicro is kind of the same, plus there's just a big relationship with Dell that we can't ignore.
What other advice do I have?
In terms of AI initiatives, a lot of our potential use cases revolve around players, as we're trying to figure out how we can leverage AI to better their experience, such as checking into the bay and giving them advice as they're going through their bay journey. Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers can help with that because it is the platform our whole business runs on - it's the foundation.
I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers a nine out of ten, as I never give a ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Last updated: May 20, 2025
Flag as inappropriateBuyer's Guide
Dell PowerEdge R-Series
February 2026
Learn what your peers think about Dell PowerEdge R-Series. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2026.
881,821 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Administrator at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
Reliable servers have supported long-term projects and simplified consistent infrastructure planning
Pros and Cons
- "Dell PowerEdge R-Series products grow with the company's needs; they are scalable for my long-term plans."
- "On the negative side, I must say that the price of Dell PowerEdge R-Series is an issue."
What is our primary use case?
I mainly use Dell PowerEdge R-Series; I used to have a few Ts, but now I use almost exclusively the R-Series.
I am involved in working with Dell PowerEdge R-Series, from project planning, both at my company and at the customer's, to setting up the infrastructure and maintenance, including all the typical admin tasks.
I use Dell PowerEdge R-Series more for the basic functions, having administrative servers, starting with Active Directory and those standard things. In the AI area, that product is not used by us, simply for legal reasons, since it is not allowed at the customer. I also run industry-specific systems on them, specifically for the TV sector, basically across the board.
What is most valuable?
When you ask about functions of Dell PowerEdge R-Series, I will be blunt: it is a server like any other; as long as it runs, I do not really care, in principle. It is of course nice that you can say, if you know one, you know them all, meaning whether I have a 340 or a 750, I know where the power button is and where other components are located. This consistency across the same family is the advantage.
Regarding how Dell PowerEdge R-Series works, I can say that they are very reliable.
Dell PowerEdge R-Series products grow with the company's needs; they are scalable for my long-term plans. For my company internally it is manageable, but with the customer, if a project grows, then I just have to take the next bigger one.
What needs improvement?
On the negative side, I must say that the price of Dell PowerEdge R-Series is an issue. This is partly because the systems often come with components by default that I do not really use. Dell has RAID controllers pre-installed on most systems, which I rarely need because I then go via software RAID or use things differently. I simply have to buy them with the system. In that respect, a competitor on the market would be an advantage, because there you could buy those things as add-ons, meaning I could leave them out. However, I have Dell in my portfolio, which is why I use them consistently.
I think you can configure a lot in the ordering process. However, for my use cases, there are still too many things that are predefined, which I simply have to buy because they are part of the base configuration, and that is a bit of a disadvantage.
I would like to see the iDRAC function of Dell PowerEdge R-Series expanded further because I find it really impressive. I even find it better than with other vendors, and while I have no idea what else you could do with it, it is great.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working in my field for 28 years with interruptions, making it 29 years of professional experience.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Regarding the stability and reliability of Dell PowerEdge R-Series, I have had problems with one or another machine. A technician comes out, repairs it, and then the things run again. I also have devices at a customer that have been running continuously for eight years, and I am waiting for them to finally give up, but they do not.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Dell PowerEdge R-Series products grow with the company's needs; they are scalable for my long-term plans. For my company internally it is manageable, but with the customer, if a project grows, then I just have to take the next bigger one.
Every three to five years, there is a refresh, and in that context, I check whether the capacities are sufficient or whether I need to scale up. For some projects, I simply put in a second server. For other projects, I said no, I will start from scratch and then I put several really big machines there.
How are customer service and support?
I would rate Dell support very highly at a 10. When I call, which is something I paid for, I have a spare part the next day or an appointment with a technician.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I do not know if my company used another solution for servers before Dell PowerEdge; that was before my time, and I have no information about it.
How was the initial setup?
I was involved in the initial deployment and setup of Dell PowerEdge R-Series products.
What was our ROI?
As a pure technician, I am the wrong person to ask about return on investment from the products. I do not have any performance indicators or benchmarks to measure success with Dell PowerEdge R-Series.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Regarding the pricing and licensing of Dell PowerEdge R-Series, I would say it is a bit expensive. For my purposes, there are many components in the base configuration that I could actually save. That is why they are relatively expensive for me. However, if I calculate it in comparison, then with Dell I have a Mercedes and elsewhere just a Hyundai.
What other advice do I have?
I would not say that the devices I have in-house have contributed to growth and business success for a smaller company like mine, but those I have at customers' definitely do. That is something you pay for when you buy these things: you do not have a no-name box, you have a Dell. Dell is a name that, especially with customers—and I am talking here particularly about public sector clients—automatically ticks a few boxes, and then you might get one or another contract more easily.
I do not see specific features of Dell PowerEdge R-Series that address the needs of small and medium-sized businesses, except the iDRAC, which is one feature where I find it very well implemented. With other devices, it is a bit more fiddly. However, it is also like driving any car; with some, it is a bit easier, with others not, but that is definitely an advantage. Apart from that, the server itself is a server like any other. My overall review rating for Dell PowerEdge R-Series is nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Last updated: Dec 23, 2025
Flag as inappropriateDirector, Information Technology at a non-profit with 11-50 employees
Unlock exceptional data management with unmatched resilience and support
Pros and Cons
- "The solution deserves a rating of 10 out of 10."
- "The only challenge we have with the product is keeping it in line with VMware, knowing that VMware has now gone with a different provider."
What is our primary use case?
We use Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers to manage all of our data. We have a lot of data that comes in. We're from the insurance industry, so we've managed data for 30 plus years of claimants who need to file claims for insurance for their property and homes. That needs a system that's robust, reliable, and secure. We looked at high availability servers by getting Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers.
What is most valuable?
The benefits of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are its resilience, cost-effectiveness, and easy manageability. Our IT professionals are quite familiar with the technology, and we receive great customer support as well. We appreciate the resiliency because we can spread out our load of service between three hosts. That gives us redundancy if we need to do maintenance, or if we have an issue with any of the memory or hard drives in any of the servers. The storage itself is built with plenty of RAID, which means that data corruption and data loss are reduced significantly.
It has benefited us by eliminating downtime. Our servers have been resilient, and we've been able to do maintenance without any issues. We have truly not had any downtime on the infrastructure at all, whereas before we implemented this resilience, there were occasional downtimes that the organization needed to deal with.
What needs improvement?
The only challenge we have with the product is keeping it in line with VMware, knowing that VMware has now gone with a different provider. We're in this race with the software versus hardware compatibility. With Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers, we knew where we stood with some of the parts.
Licensing is also an issue, as we don't know what the costs are, what licenses we have, and whether the pricing will change. There's no transparency in what's happening or how our support works with VMware. They could improve by coming back and managing, maintaining it with a periodic check. For instance, after installation, they could return a year later to verify we're still applying best practices.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this particular solution for about four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have been able to do maintenance without any issues. We have truly not had any downtime on the infrastructure at all, whereas before we implemented this resilience, there were occasional downtimes that the organization needed to deal with.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The system has provided operational success by eliminating downtime. The resilience is really the key part that we focused on. If we want to enhance our services, the support has been great. We bought our product with scaling involved, and we've been scaling it up anytime we've needed more storage. The price point for Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers is easily configurable. You can have a small business to an enterprise level, depending on what you want to build it with. This makes it easy because we can buy something and scale it up to a larger business if we grow.
How are customer service and support?
With Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers, there is no one better in the industry for tech support service. I can vouch for having experiences working with other companies that have had different technologies and different support, and working with them is a completely different experience than working with Dell. That's what separates Dell from the other competitors. The Dell support is far better than anyone I've experienced.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were required by our organization to have three reviews of competitors, and Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers came out ahead. HPE was one of them, and the third may have been Cisco UCS options. It was all standard, standalone servers per solution. That led us to go into the virtual environment.
How was the initial setup?
It's easy to manage Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers because Dell makes it straightforward. The interfaces from the different storage and servers that we've used haven't changed too much. The deployment services we get in the beginning mean that we are onboarded quite effectively to the point that we can self-serve.
What other advice do I have?
The solution deserves a rating of 10 out of 10. It's really that good. The Dell support is far better than anyone I've experienced.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Last updated: May 20, 2025
Flag as inappropriateCOO with 11-50 employees
Delivers reliable performance across diverse data and file system needs
Pros and Cons
- "Dell PowerEdge R-Series usually does not have much downtime."
- "I consider the most valuable aspect of Dell PowerEdge R-Series to be its reliability, which is the key feature; it is a good machine."
- "Dell PowerEdge R-Series can improve on its flexibility; having more flexible options would be beneficial."
- "Dell is trying to find their identity, and in recent years, they seem to be searching for their company identity with their core brands, struggling to be more flexible and adapt to the changing world."
What is our primary use case?
My company's use case involves being a distributor and a reseller.
I used to manage an IT company where we integrated servers and created multidisciplinary projects using servers, storage, networking solutions. I was mostly distributing and reselling Dell PowerEdge R-Series servers to both SMBs and enterprises.
The specific use cases for Dell PowerEdge R-Series included everything from data storage to file systems.
For AI initiatives, I sold Dell PowerEdge R-Series, yet we needed more complex solutions for AI with graphics cards.
What is most valuable?
I consider the most valuable aspect of Dell PowerEdge R-Series to be its reliability, which is the key feature; it is a good machine.
The rack servers are beneficial for small businesses and can grow with them, depending on the physical solution they need, specifically regarding the footprint they have in their offices. If they have a server room and can put a cabinet, it works perfectly. If they have a very small office, they would probably require a tower solution.
What needs improvement?
Dell PowerEdge R-Series can improve on its flexibility; having more flexible options would be beneficial. Their strength and weakness simultaneously is having built solutions, and the lack of customization in the more affordable models can be somewhat limiting.
Dell PowerEdge R-Series needs to improve its flexibility with more options. Dell is trying to find their identity, and in recent years, they seem to be searching for their company identity with their core brands, struggling to be more flexible and adapt to the changing world.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Dell PowerEdge R-Series servers for about ten or 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Dell PowerEdge R-Series usually does not have much downtime. We did experience downtime with them, as every electronic product has downtime. However, Dell PowerEdge R-Series is typically the better solution.
How are customer service and support?
I have worked with Dell PowerEdge R-Series technical support extensively.
My experience with them depends on the times; sometimes it was good, sometimes it was bad. Dell PowerEdge R-Series could improve by paying more to their technicians and hiring better professionals.
I would rate the customer support from Dell PowerEdge R-Series as seven out of ten. There was a time when I would rate Dell PowerEdge R-Series support as ten; however, in the past few years, it has been around seven.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
What was our ROI?
I used performance metrics to measure success based on improved performance, scalability, downtime reduction, and financial costs. Some companies saw ROI with Dell PowerEdge R-Series, while others did not, though most did. It needs to be examined in a broader spectrum, not just one to three years. After five to seven years, the ROI becomes apparent.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
From my experience with pricing and licensing, Dell PowerEdge R-Series is typically more expensive than the competition, sometimes for valid reasons and sometimes without justification.
What other advice do I have?
Currently, I am looking for my next role and am not actively distributing and reselling Dell PowerEdge R-Series.
I rate Dell PowerEdge R-Series nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Distributor & Reseller
Last updated: Oct 1, 2025
Flag as inappropriateManager, Regions Information Technology Security at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Robust and secure servers with excellent service
Pros and Cons
- "We are very satisfied with Dell in terms of servers and service. We are happy with Dell servers. They are aligned with our services. They are robust."
- "I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers a ten out of ten."
- "When interacting with customer support, it defaults to Arabic because of our region. However, most of the experts here are not familiar with Arabic. We would like English as an alternative language for easy interaction."
- "After the expiration of support, it is sometimes challenging to find parts like hard drives, especially for obsolete models."
What is our primary use case?
We have a production setup in a factory for some of our services. The server can be a database server, file server, or even the Active Directory. We have multiple applications running on these servers, and we are very satisfied with these servers.
We are mostly using the 600 series.
How has it helped my organization?
Dell is certainly innovating. With the latest servers and technologies, I believe they are well aligned with the current need for AI solutions and the market demand.
We receive regular firmware updates ensuring security. We are quite satisfied with the updates and security. Dell also offers the Dell Assist feature which automatically keeps updating to the latest version available on the Dell website.
We have not experienced any security incidents or vulnerabilities with these servers.
These servers have been robust throughout their lifespan of five years, but I have observed that they work well even beyond that. Some companies continue using models that are expired because they have no reason to replace them based on the expiry date of the hardware.
Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers have had a positive impact on our organization's sustainability goals. We are very satisfied with these servers as well as with their service. Good service has a big impact on the product as well. If you have a good product but do not get good service, it creates a negative experience. Both need to be there.
Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers have helped to reduce unplanned production downtime by about 25%.
OpenManage console has an excellent user interface to configure and use servers effectively. It is a nice tool, but we are not utilizing it much. My understanding is that it is going to be discontinued.
What is most valuable?
We are very satisfied with Dell in terms of servers and service. We are happy with Dell servers. They are aligned with our services. They are robust. So far, we have found Dell to be the best vendor. Everything works fine and upgrades are also timely. They are also always innovating.
What needs improvement?
When interacting with customer support, it defaults to Arabic because of our region. However, most of the experts here are not familiar with Arabic. We would like English as an alternative language for easy interaction.
Additionally, after the expiration of support, it is sometimes challenging to find parts like hard drives, especially for obsolete models.
They are moving from OMSA to iDRAC, but iDRAC is complex, requiring additional plugin tools. These requirements make it a bit complicated. Other vendors are better in this aspect. They should provide a better way of access.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been with my company for nine years, and we have been using Dell PowerEdge Servers since then.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is robust and flexible. It continues to work with the same performance even after the end of support.
It works well and does not need much downtime for maintenance. There is a feature to update the server while it is running, so there is no need to restart. It improves production performance.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is quite easy to scale. It has impacted the flexibility of our operations in a good way.
How are customer service and support?
We are very satisfied with the professional support. The language support can be better. Other than that, it is good. I would rate them a nine out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have been using Dell for more than 15 years. We initially used IBM and then HP for a short period. HP had some service issues, which led us to move back to Dell. We chose Dell because of the service and robustness of the server.
How was the initial setup?
Deployment is quite easy with Dell because it has a life cycle feature. This single module helps in configuration from the initial phase. That is one of the best features.
What about the implementation team?
We have an in-house team for deployment. We mainly rely on partners for purchases, but we have technical experts within our organization.
What was our ROI?
The ROI of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers is quite good. If rated out of five, I would say four.
It is hard to measure the total cost of ownership because we have a distributed environment. We have multiple offices and the budget is split.
What other advice do I have?
We are at an entry level in terms of using AI. We are looking into automating things and making our process more efficient. We have not run any AI workloads on Dell PowerEdge servers. Data security is our main concern when it comes to AI. For implementing AI, we need to consider the security and auditing aspects.
I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers a 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.
Teamlead IT at a manufacturing company with 51-200 employees
Remote management has improved reliability and support while keeping virtual hosts running smoothly
Pros and Cons
- "We actually have not had any failures in the last 7 years regarding availability."
What is our primary use case?
We are not using Dell PowerEdge R-Series yet, but we do use the PowerEdge. Our use cases for Dell PowerEdge R-Series are actually our virtualization hosts.
What is most valuable?
I actually love iDRAC as a feature of Dell PowerEdge R-Series for its value. I love iDRAC because with it we can simply access the server remotely without being on site. It is always convenient when I can just stay sitting in the office.
What distinguishes Dell PowerEdge R-Series from other servers is that I only used to have HP, which were simply not as reliable. When I joined the new company, Dell was already there, and I love the ProSupport and the reliability. Those are the main characteristics where I can say that is the difference.
I cannot say how Dell PowerEdge R-Series has improved my company because this company has always worked with Dell.
What needs improvement?
For our company, I do not see any areas where Dell PowerEdge R-Series could be improved. We are super happy with the products and we certainly have not fully exploited their potential yet. Accordingly, we already have room to grow anyway.
Last year we reinstalled the old servers and found they run great and also found we can still do updates over the internet, which I did not even remember the devices were capable of back then. Accordingly, I have no pain points.
We always have the issue that the company watches the money regarding pricing. Of course, when prices go down, I am happy, but that is no longer a purchase criterion for me because we are just so convinced by the product.
If anything, then it would be the price that could most easily be improved. I really do not have any pain points where I would say there has to be something. There is also nothing where I would say it is only mediocre.
We actually just have a problem with communication concerning improvements, as when new updates come out, we find out about them relatively late, which could be improved. But in this case, that actually only concerns the firewalls.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the PowerEdge since 2011.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Dell PowerEdge R-Series servers are very reliable. We have had hardly any failures so far. I am just convinced because we have been using them for ages. Our current servers, which we are using now, will be 7 years old this year. The others that we still have in reserve are still running as well. They have just been moved to a second tier. I have absolutely no problems with that. We usually use them beyond the official support period. When the support expires, that is how it is, but I still get spare parts through Dell partners.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Five years ago, we expanded the memory of Dell PowerEdge R-Series and were able to do that together with Dell. We simply called, we need more memory, we bought it, and accordingly, that worked. Otherwise, the devices themselves are completely oversized for our company, and we have just been living with these devices for 7 years now. So I can say it is working.
How are customer service and support?
I would rate Dell's support as A+. With HP, I always ended up in a foreign call center, and we always had a language barrier. That is just how it is. My English is not the best, but I somehow manage with hands and feet. But if I am then on the phone with someone whose native language is also not English, then it does not work. With Dell, when I call within business hours in ProSupport, I always get a German hotline, and they have always been able to help me so far. I would rate Dell's support 10 on a scale from 1 to 10.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I used to work with HP in another company. The differences between HP and Dell PowerEdge R-Series—for me, the biggest difference is simply how I get drivers and updates for the systems. With Dell, I paid for ProSupport, and even if the devices run out of ProSupport, I can access newer drivers at any time. That is only possible with HP if I purchase additional support, and for a lot of money. If the devices no longer get support, I also do not get new drivers. That is a reason for me not to buy HP, even if the devices were sometimes better hardware-wise. HP is usually very expensive because I always have to buy support at a high price compared to Dell PowerEdge R-Series.
How was the initial setup?
I was involved in the deployment and initial setup of Dell PowerEdge R-Series.
What about the implementation team?
I am mainly involved in working with Dell PowerEdge R-Series as I plan the rollout and implementation together with our partners. We plan and implement them together with our partner.
What was our ROI?
Regarding no downtime, we actually have not had any downtimes. Regarding return on investment through the Dell product, because our IT landscape is not directly tied to the success of the company, the return on investment is something we cannot calculate. We only switch to new hardware when we reach performance limits somewhere, but then the device has probably paid for itself a thousand times over. That is difficult.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Dell PowerEdge R-Series pricing and licensing are actually nicely in the middle range. We are not anywhere where we would say they are overpriced. Again, if the price were cheaper, that would be great, but it is actually not a purchase criterion.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I did not consider other solutions before deciding on Dell PowerEdge R-Series. We actually also here go through our partner, and I need a partner I can call and say: "Listen, you sold me a solution here." If he tells me: "I can sell you the solution, but you have to somehow take care of the servers yourself," then that is no use to me. That is why we have always used the servers that our partner also offered, that he also knows himself. Accordingly, we did not consider any others.
What other advice do I have?
I think it is great how the interfaces, especially in iDRAC, have changed again and again in recent years. They keep getting more modern, and I am super happy with that too. We actually have not had any failures in the last 7 years regarding availability. Regarding return on investment through the Dell product, because our IT landscape is not directly tied to the success of the company, the return on investment is something we cannot calculate. We only switch to new hardware when we reach performance limits somewhere, but then the device has probably paid for itself a thousand times over. I would rate this review a 10 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Last updated: Dec 16, 2025
Flag as inappropriateCEO at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Improves infrastructure visibility and centralizes management for on-premise deployments
Pros and Cons
- "In Dell PowerEdge R-Series, the most valuable feature is the management."
- "Dell PowerEdge R-Series product is overall very stable, very mature, and support is excellent."
- "More integration to third-party services would be a great upgrade."
- "More integration to third-party services would be a great upgrade."
What is our primary use case?
My company is a reseller and integrator. We function as a system integrator.
We resell services to SMB mostly, covering different use cases from financial to IT, and we have several clients in the crypto markets as well.
The SMBs that I'm installing this for a range from 50 employees to 200. They need the server specifically for an on-premise setup of infrastructure.
What is most valuable?
In Dell PowerEdge R-Series, the most valuable feature is the management. It began with Dell OpenManage, and today it's the cloud-managed service. This is the most value of Dell PowerEdge R-Series servers.
Mostly, organizations get Dell PowerEdge R-Series for the very strong maintenance and support contracts Dell has in Israel. And of course, the OpenManage platform.
The benefits of the OpenManage platform include integration to SIEM, to RMM tools that our clients are using.
It provides a very visible point of view on the whole infrastructure, not only for servers but also for storage, servers, and all the add-ons.
What needs improvement?
If I could improve Dell PowerEdge R-Series servers, I would definitely focus on integration to third-party products such as HP and others. Many of our clients not only rely on both Dell and on other services as well, including cloud services such as AWS and Azure. More integration to third-party services would be a great upgrade. I don't have something specific that I remember regarding the interoperability that isn't working right now, but I believe more integration equals more value.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Dell PowerEdge R-Series for about 20 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Dell PowerEdge R-Series product is overall very stable, very mature, and support is excellent. This is the main reason we continually choose Dell over the competition.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We find that the product can scale with their workloads. Scalability with Dell PowerEdge R-Series is very easy because Dell has a wide range of services, both hardware and software. We can easily scale with hardware by adding more racks or more capacity to a single platform. With software, it's also very scalable with OpenManage. We can add more servers to one platform.
How are customer service and support?
I have worked with customer support. In my opinion, customer support is very good. On a scale of one to ten, I would rate it a nine. I rate it a nine as, from time to time, there are downs. Mostly they are okay.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing and licensing of Dell PowerEdge R-Series servers are market competitive. They're okay. There are ups and downs when it comes to comparing them to the competition. Overall, they're okay. I've been in the business for a long time.
What other advice do I have?
There's always room to improve. On a scale of one to 10, I would rate Dell PowerEdge R-Series a nine, which is very good.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller & System Integratotor
Last updated: Sep 19, 2025
Flag as inappropriateBuyer's Guide
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Updated: February 2026
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