We currently have about 70 Dell PowerEdge R-Series servers. In almost every product today there are some AI features. We create a kind of Harbor automated container handling on the harbors, and we run simulations and testing our product. Dell PowerEdge R-Series serves as our virtualization platform.
Senior Dev Ops Engineer at Cargotec Finland Oy
Reliable virtualization has supported long-term testing for automated container workflows
Pros and Cons
- "So far so good with the product itself; Dell PowerEdge R-Series has suitable solutions for small to enterprise because we have also small physical servers and big ones, and they provide what you need for a suitable solution."
- "Another issue is memory price, which makes it quite expensive to scale."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
We are using the iDRAC connection to manage those servers. The biggest benefit that I see from the product is that those are very reliable. Reliability is the most positive impact.
What needs improvement?
There are some small problems with latency. The only reason we have too slow disks for today is that when those were purchased, the situation was okay. Now we are moving to SSDs and faster disks for the new servers.
There are minor hiccups on the servers detecting USB stick, but that is rather easy to resolve using network boot.
Another issue is memory price, which makes it quite expensive to scale. Memory pricing is probably global. This is probably the only thing that could be considered as a negative part of the product.
For how long have I used the solution?
10 years.
Buyer's Guide
Dell PowerEdge R-Series
March 2026
Learn what your peers think about Dell PowerEdge R-Series. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2026.
885,311 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Dell PowerEdge R-Series is a relatively stable product and very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Even though the solution is on-premise, it is scalable. The current most critical reason for not upgrading is because memory price has been increasing a lot currently. Scaling is quite expensive. It is rather easy to buy new servers, but pricing may not be so good. If pricing goes too high, we can always think about using cloud services, but currently it is cheaper on-premise.
How are customer service and support?
I have interacted with technical support from Dell. My experience with support is very positive, and I always get the help I need. I would rate my experience with support somewhere between eight and nine out of ten. I am very pleased.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before Dell PowerEdge R-Series, we were using HP over ten years ago. The reason why we changed HP for Dell is because we changed our companies. In this company they were using HP before, but I have never used that one. I have been working here.
How was the initial setup?
Installation is pretty much straightforward. Sometimes we have minor hiccups on the servers detecting USB stick, but that is rather easy to resolve using network boot.
What about the implementation team?
When we were installing the product, it was done in-house.
What was our ROI?
We have done almost yearly comparison to use cloud on our environment, but it is much more expensive using cloud than servers on our premises.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
For our cases, the pricing is very competitive compared to others. We have stayed on Dell mainly because we have a lot of those, but most comparison we have done. At some point, there was HP, but that was before I worked here, and then there was Pure Storage, which was probably the latest comparison.
What other advice do I have?
I have read reports on PeerSpot about Dell PowerStore and Pure Storage, some comparison that was conducted. We just got Dell PowerStore. It is not yet in use, but it is powered up and we are configuring it. So far I have not much experience with Dell PowerStore.
I have not been working with any other storage before Dell PowerStore. This is our first purchase.
My main responsibility includes those servers. I have been working primarily with Dell servers in the past years.
I am working with rack servers. Those are Dell R-Series.
So far so good with the product itself. That is one part with AI. Dell PowerEdge R-Series has suitable solutions for small to enterprise because we have also small physical servers and big ones, and they provide what you need for a suitable solution.
We buy Dell products directly from Dell currently. We buy servers when there is a need to do more testing based on the demands on or the DevOps team internal customers.
My overall rating for this review is 9 out of 10.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Last updated: Dec 22, 2025
Flag as inappropriateSoftware Architect at INTECH Process Automation
Handles hundreds of concurrent users efficiently while maintaining strong reliability over time
Pros and Cons
- "Dell PowerEdge R-Series is overall a good, stable product that is not giving us any failures, and with 500 users doing CRUD operations, it is serving the purpose well."
- "Dell PowerEdge R-Series is already a very good product, but the cost is a bit on the higher side."
What is our primary use case?
We developed software for a company and deployed it using Dell PowerEdge R-Series servers. The workload is not too much, with concurrent users around 400 or 500, and it is working fine for them. So far, no issues have occurred.
What is most valuable?
Dell PowerEdge R-Series is overall a good, stable product that is not giving us any failures. Based upon the processing power required, it serves our purpose well. With 500 users doing CRUD operations, it is serving the purpose well.
The Intel processor in Dell PowerEdge R-Series handles our workload very well compared to what we expected. We are using a three-server cluster, and the overall computing resource being consumed is less than 5 or 10%. This is a very powerful server for our workload.
Dell PowerEdge R-Series is very stable and reliable, provided you do IT management such as performing regular service on the hardware every few months. It is quite stable and good, and it is recommended for the workload that is basically required within the bounds of the computing power that it offers.
The iDRAC feature is really good, especially the alarms. If any hardware failure occurs, we get an alarm and then we take the correct actions. It is a good feature.
What needs improvement?
I do not see any technical areas of improvement. Dell PowerEdge R-Series is already a very good product, but the cost is a bit on the higher side. The pricing is the only thing that concerns me today and is a bit overpriced.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been working with the product for four-plus years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have never experienced any downtime, crashes, or performance issues with Dell PowerEdge R-Series. Overall, we are satisfied. We do some routine service of the hardware every few months, which is the crucial part.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Dell PowerEdge R-Series scales very well with the needs of our organization. For 500 users, only 5 to 10% of the computing power is being utilized, and most of it is sitting idle. It is handling it very well.
How are customer service and support?
Regarding technical support from Dell, we did not have to contact them. We are not able to comment on that at this moment.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before Dell PowerEdge R-Series, we have worked with other similar products, but we always try to use Dell as the main provider because of the reliability. We have used 410s and 610s as well, and these 710s were really good.
How was the initial setup?
Our experience with deployment of Dell PowerEdge R-Series is that it is not very complex. All we had to do was install it in racks as it was pre-built. We had to configure the system and connect the cables. That is all it required.
What was our ROI?
Regarding ROI for Dell PowerEdge R-Series, we are satisfied with the ROI.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Our experience with pricing for Dell PowerEdge R-Series is that it is a little on the expensive side. That comes with the Intel side of things, but overall, we think it justifies the price because it is durable and it is working well. We have no issues.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We have a practice of using hardware from reliable sources and reliable vendors, which is the reason we prefer Dell. They do provide good customer support, which is what we have heard. That is the reason behind using Dell.
What other advice do I have?
Dell PowerEdge R-Series is mostly deployed on-premise.
Our company is a medium-size one with about 500 to 800 users, and the client's company was roughly 500 users.
Dell PowerEdge has features for SMB customers. For small and medium businesses, it is a good fit.
We did not have to use any specific features, just some computing power with the network and the IO from the IoT devices. It serves the purpose, and Dell PowerEdge already has good features. This review has been given a rating of 9.
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: Nov 12, 2025
Flag as inappropriateBuyer's Guide
Dell PowerEdge R-Series
March 2026
Learn what your peers think about Dell PowerEdge R-Series. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2026.
885,311 professionals have used our research since 2012.
CEO at Egoline IT
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 inappropriateHead of Technology at a non-tech company with 11-50 employees
Reliable virtualization platform has supported long-term growth and simplified clustered deployments
Pros and Cons
- "There is very good stability and reliability of Dell PowerEdge R-Series with no complaints."
- "Support could be escalated upwards a bit faster for Dell PowerEdge R-Series. It stays too long at the lower support levels before it is passed on to real specialists."
What is our primary use case?
We often use Dell PowerEdge R-Series in virtualization, which means we install Hyper-V clusters on them. Sometimes we also use them standalone if it's just a small domain controller or SQL server, so there is a wide variety of areas where Dell PowerEdge R-Series are used, but virtualization is the most common application.
When customers want to set up fail-safe infrastructures with Dell PowerEdge R-Series, we usually use two or three at once, which may also be located in different parts of the building and protected in terms of fire protection. However, any other server would do the same.
What is most valuable?
I see reliability as the most valuable function with Dell PowerEdge R-Series because they are truly durable. Our virtualization projects run for at least five years before they are replaced. There are very few defects and the support from Dell is excellent, which is one of the most important things about Dell since the support works great.
Dell PowerEdge R-Series has improved our company through its reliability and scalability. These servers can be easily expanded upwards after two or three years and can grow with the company.
Generally, the scalability of Dell PowerEdge R-Series is outstanding. There is everything from very small to very large models, so we can select the model that our company needs. We can size exactly the right model based on our customer's budget and requirements.
What needs improvement?
Not much distinguishes Dell PowerEdge R-Series from other servers.
Something can always go wrong somewhere with Dell PowerEdge R-Series, so there will never be a 100% perfect product; product defects are completely normal.
Support could be escalated upwards a bit faster for Dell PowerEdge R-Series. It stays too long at the lower support levels before it is passed on to real specialists. If our partner opens a call for Dell PowerEdge R-Series, they have already checked a lot, and we could actually start at a higher support level more quickly.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Dell PowerEdge R-Series for four to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would have to think about it longer to see if there were any real breakdowns, but the servers just run. Either they have an issue right from the start that has to be fixed in the firmware, but once they are running, a Dell PowerEdge R-Series server that runs for a year usually runs for five years as well.
This has happened with Dell PowerEdge R-Series where we experienced some hardware issues right from the start, where something did not fit or firmware versions were incompatible, but then that is a delivery error that gets corrected and after that the machine runs.
Crashes and outages always happen, but whether the hardware of Dell PowerEdge R-Series is responsible or Windows running on it needs to be determined. In case of defects, we have very good support that quickly ensures the machine runs again.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We do not have to buy a new server just because our company has grown. Usually in the existing chassis of Dell PowerEdge R-Series, there is still room to retrofit things.
Even if it is just new disk space or more RAM for Dell PowerEdge R-Series, the CPUs are usually oversized anyway and have more performance than the company needs, so we can get along very well, even with fast-growing companies.
How are customer service and support?
I would rate Dell support for Dell PowerEdge R-Series around nine. There is always room for improvement.
The support for Dell PowerEdge R-Series is excellent. We always have the comparison with other manufacturers. There is no longer the classic German support you might prefer, but most of the time it is just a hard drive that is broken or a firmware that needs to be updated. These are quite simple support cases in 99% of all cases. Very rarely do we have really difficult support where it really goes into the details and real expertise is required on the other side.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
They all just cook with water, whether we have Dell or HP. We used to be an HP partner, but in the storage area Dell made the big difference, and that is why the servers are now also from Dell.
We used HP earlier, which was our standard in-house supplier, but through the storage track we switched completely to Dell. Gradually, the HP logo has disappeared everywhere in our customers' racks and now they all have Dell logos on the servers.
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 involved in working with Dell PowerEdge R-Series, so we select them and we also install them for customers.
What was our ROI?
We do not do a big evaluation, but I think Dell PowerEdge R-Series contributes to customer retention and customer growth, so it helps us in our general business. If our customer is using Dell and is satisfied with the servers, then they automatically take other products from us as well.
I think there is a return on investment with Dell PowerEdge R-Series; we just cannot really measure it very well, but we definitely perceive it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It can always be cheaper, but at some point we have to keep our feet on the ground. Customers always want to pay less, but at some point it just costs a certain amount and Dell also has to pay its employees, so those are fair prices for Dell PowerEdge R-Series.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did not compare any other servers before adding Dell PowerEdge R-Series.
What other advice do I have?
Dell PowerEdge R-Series are rack servers that are part of the R-Series of Dell PowerEdge R-Series product line.
I just heard that from February on some automation from Dell is coming for Dell PowerEdge R-Series so that the servers install everything automatically via a Dell tool. Something is coming, something is in the pipeline for Dell PowerEdge R-Series.
Everything is great about Dell PowerEdge R-Series in terms of price-performance ratio. We can talk to Dell about anything and can submit project requests, and basically with Dell as a partner we can get a project through the door. Unless our customer has very difficult expectations regarding the price, then at some point we have to end the negotiation if they are not willing to pay what they want to have, and then they should go elsewhere.
We are not that far yet with metrics for Dell PowerEdge R-Series. The Dell servers just came along with the storage; we and our customers were very satisfied with the storage, so we also added the servers. In servers the manufacturers are all quite interchangeable. No one stands out from the other, but in the storage and backup area, that is where we make the difference and where we can really score and just take the servers along with it.
I have expanded Dell PowerEdge R-Series in the past, and it worked well. I have bought new servers or just expanded. Everything is good with Dell PowerEdge R-Series. There is very good stability and reliability of Dell PowerEdge R-Series with no complaints.
I would rate Dell PowerEdge R-Series as a nine for overall product rating. I think that is good. There is always room for improvement, so we will leave one point open for Dell PowerEdge R-Series. We are satisfied with Dell PowerEdge R-Series and definitely happy to be surprised by Dell in the future. Our overall review rating for this product is 9.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
Last updated: Dec 14, 2025
Flag as inappropriateChief Of Technology at CITY OF JERSEY CITY
Relied on consistent performance and trusted support to manage decades of critical data
Pros and Cons
- "Dell PowerEdge R-Series has improved our company overall by providing the ability to maintain uptime, and we store data for decades because of the industry we're in, so being able to expand and know that the product will last and retrieve things that we need from 25 to 30 years ago is still available."
What is our primary use case?
Functionality-wise, all of our servers, all of our data storage, and SANs are all Dell products, PowerEdge R-Series. Our whole data center is built with Dell products, and it has been for as long as I can remember.
Dell PowerEdge R-Series is basically our data center. All of our data rests within it, everything from domain controllers down to how we store data. That's what we use it for.
What is most valuable?
From what I've heard from our network engineer, he points out that reliability is key about Dell PowerEdge R-Series servers. I think it's the comfort that he knows them. He knows them inside out. Great support from Dell, never an issue there. The support and reliability are the number one reasons that we keep coming back to the product.
Reliability is number one for Dell PowerEdge R-Series. I think the level of support that we get is also crucial. Those are the two reasons that we come back to it. At the end of the day, it goes back to relationships. A lot of it is knowing that if there's an issue, you can reach out and have a team that's going to back you up, which is very important. When things go wrong, people are calling and expressing frustration. To have that support to guide you through situations is the most important part for us.
Dell PowerEdge R-Series has improved our company overall by providing the ability to maintain uptime. We have reliable products that we can manage easily. We store data for decades because of the industry we're in, so being able to expand and know that the product will last and retrieve things that we need from 25 to 30 years ago is still available.
What needs improvement?
I don't have recommendations for how Dell PowerEdge R-Series can be improved specifically. A lot of it goes back to our network engineer, who plays with it day-to-day.
Our network engineer doesn't say that there should be improvements for Dell PowerEdge R-Series. He always says to stick with Dell products.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have had Dell PowerEdge R-Series products for at least 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Regarding the stability and reliability of Dell PowerEdge R-Series, I have not experienced any downtime or crashes. We've had some hard drive issues, but nothing unusual.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Dell PowerEdge R-Series is very scalable with the growing needs of our company. We just finished a big expansion, and it proved to be very scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Dell PowerEdge R-Series customer service and technical support is excellent. We had a very good project management team that laid out the scope before implementation. Getting the preliminary data through our third party was excellent. They really ran our network numbers, equipment, and needs assessments and developed a good plan to understand what we were about to purchase to get our installation completed. They got our plot set up, scheduled the installation, and everything was excellent.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We had other brands before Dell PowerEdge R-Series, but we've gone completely Dell-based.
The reason we switched to Dell PowerEdge R-Series is reliability. It comes down to that and support. Those are the two things that matter the most to us. With technology, there are always going to be things that go wrong, and it's never going to be 100%, but it's more important to be able to handle the issues in a timely manner than anything else. An issue is going to happen, but as long as issues are not happening on a regular basis, the reliability is there. When something does go wrong, being able to address it quickly, get a product shipped to you and installed, and have the technical expertise that is needed are vital.
How was the initial setup?
Dell PowerEdge R-Series has handled our workloads very well compared to what I expected. We've had no issues and have been very happy customers. It met expectations.
The deployment of the expansion went very good with Dell PowerEdge R-Series. We went through a third-party vendor to buy the product. We had a Dell specialist with us that helped us with the launch, and it went smoothly.
The deployment of Dell PowerEdge R-Series has been pretty smooth. Our latest expansion went so smoothly that I have no complaints.
What about the implementation team?
We evaluate other system providers as our procurement process requires us to go out to get bids. We assess other companies, get pricing, and go through demos, and we've always come back to Dell.
What was our ROI?
The biggest return on investment when using Dell PowerEdge R-Series in my company is the longevity. You can't beat it because the products are very solid. The return on investment is the uptime and longevity, which is a cost savings in itself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We were very happy with the pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Dell PowerEdge R-Series. Our third-party reseller was excellent. We got great pricing.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We have considered other solutions while on our Dell PowerEdge R-Series journey. We've looked at HP because we have a competitive bid process, and we always have to scope everybody. We've always come back to Dell.
What other advice do I have?
The advice that I would give to other companies that are considering Dell PowerEdge R-Series is to understand what your true needs are and what you're going to use it for, scale correctly, and you'll have a great product team to support you. I would rate this product an 8 out of 10.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Last updated: Nov 13, 2025
Flag as inappropriateSenior System Administrator at a recreational facilities/services company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Managing multiple servers through a single interface has streamlined operations and improved efficiency
Pros and Cons
- "The iDRAC interface of Dell PowerEdge R-Series is very convenient and easy to use."
- "I appreciate all these other features of Dell PowerEdge R-Series as they are intuitive and ready to go—I don't need to configure for hours; I just plug it in, configure two or three things, power cycle it, and that's it."
- "Dell PowerEdge R-Series could improve by focusing the servers to optimize their performance for Kubernetes clusters or something similar might be beneficial."
- "Dell PowerEdge R-Series could improve by focusing the servers to optimize their performance for Kubernetes clusters or something similar might be beneficial."
What is our primary use case?
My primary use case for Dell PowerEdge R-Series rack servers in my company is as a hypervisor.
What is most valuable?
The iDRAC interface of Dell PowerEdge R-Series is very convenient and easy to use. It provides a GUI to manage the server, check the status of health, make RAID, etc.
Besides ease of use, I appreciate all these other features of Dell PowerEdge R-Series as they are intuitive and ready to go. I don't need to configure for hours; I just plug it in, configure two or three things, power cycle it, and that's it. I'm good to go. It's fast. I don't spend a lot of time configuring the product. I'm using my time to evolve the business.
With many Dell PowerEdge R-Series servers, my company realizes the benefit of seeing all of them in one interface, and they integrate greatly with Dell storage, so everything works harmoniously. It's one panel for managing all of them, so I don't need to log into every one of them.
What needs improvement?
Dell PowerEdge R-Series could improve by focusing the servers to optimize their performance for Kubernetes clusters or something similar might be beneficial.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Dell PowerEdge R-Series rack servers for around five to six years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We will be expanding usage.
How are customer service and support?
I would assess the customer service for Dell PowerEdge R-Series as excellent. In Israel, it's with the Yael group, and they're all great. I had laptops when I started as a help desk engineer, and I had many laptops that needed replacements, and their service was pretty easy; they came on-site and switched the parts. I once needed a RAID card for a server, and it was pretty straightforward and fast. Great service overall.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before switching to Dell PowerEdge R-Series, I used HP.
How was the initial setup?
I didn't have a lot of challenges at all with the deployment. I worked with Dell and iDrac for six years already. It's retty straightforward. It's pretty easy.
What was our ROI?
I approximate that our performance has improved by between 20 to 30%.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I don't have experience with pricing.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I didn't consider other vendors before selecting Dell PowerEdge R-Series.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to someone considering Dell PowerEdge R-Series depends on their needs first of all. If it's going to be a web server or something general-purpose, then they can go for the low tiers such as R400, or possibly now R500, or R340 and 50 and 60 it's fine.
If they want to leverage for more AI usage, they should go for the more robust servers that integrate; they do have two or four card GPUs of Nvidia Tesla, which work really well, for example, for rendering live cameras for intrusion detection and things similar to this.
On a scale of one to ten, I rate Dell PowerEdge R-Series a 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: Sep 19, 2025
Flag as inappropriateArchitecture and Planning at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Provides long-term reliability and efficient installation for virtualized environments
Pros and Cons
- "The rapid rail system is valuable. We have staff working at night to perform installations, and the nature of our business involves real-time transactions with changes made outside of regular hours."
- "One of the great things about Dell PowerEdge R-Series is the racking system, specifically the actual rapid rails for easy installation."
- "The only aspect that might raise it to a ten is the response time for quote turnaround; it used to be one day, however, it now seems to take longer since the merger of Dell and EMC."
- "The only aspect that might raise it to a ten is the response time for quote turnaround; it used to be one day, however, it now seems to take longer since the merger of Dell and EMC."
What is our primary use case?
Our main use case right now for Dell PowerEdge R-Series is hypervisor usage for virtualization.
What is most valuable?
One of the great things about Dell PowerEdge R-Series is the racking system, specifically the actual rapid rails for easy installation. After that, it's the reliability and support that stand out.
The rapid rail system is valuable. We have staff working at night to perform installations, and the nature of our business involves real-time transactions with changes made outside of regular hours.
Having the rapid rail system is invaluable. Good support is also crucial due to the nature of our business, which requires timely assistance to maintain system uptime and redundancy.
What needs improvement?
The only aspect that might raise it to a ten is the response time for quote turnaround; it used to be one day, however, it now seems to take longer since the merger of Dell and EMC.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Dell PowerEdge R-Series for 25 years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Dell PowerEdge R-Series scales with my company's growing needs, and we have definitely expanded usage over the years. While our server environment has grown, there has also been some consolidation, which has been due to the success of the technology allowing for vertical scaling.
Key considerations include the impact on our data center, so we focus on increasing compute power and supporting more applications with reduced density.
How are customer service and support?
The support from Dell has always been very good, and the performance and reliability of the systems have been excellent over the 25 years I've been working with all the different generations of PowerEdge.
I would rate Dell support an average of eight to nine out of ten. My assessment extends beyond just PowerEdge, yet particularly for PowerEdge, the support has always been excellent.
As a long-standing customer, we have established a relationship that allows us primarily to skip level one and go straight to level two support, which makes a significant difference.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have evaluated other server vendors during large technology refreshes, yet we've consistently returned to Dell. The primary reasons we stick with Dell include cost—both upfront and over five years—and comprehensive support that covers both hardware and hypervisor needs, offering a valuable one-stop shop, especially since we have a smaller team.
What was our ROI?
I have definitely seen a return on my investment in Dell PowerEdge R-Series. Typically, we run most systems on a five-year life cycle; however, we often run our Dell PowerEdge R-Series into years six and seven, which suggests strong financial returns beyond five years.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing has been positive. In the early days, we would have had our own local agreements at discount levels. And now with our parent US bank, we're accessing global discounts. So it's been pretty good in that space. They have been transparent and have been working with us to make sure we're getting good value.
What other advice do I have?
My advice for others considering Dell PowerEdge R-Series would be to look beyond just the hardware and system reliability or support to its manageability, as Dell OpenManage has seen various enhancements and is typically provided for free, which adds great value.
I would rate Dell PowerEdge R-Series a nine out of ten.
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: Sep 24, 2025
Flag as inappropriateDirector Of IT at Shift4
Provides reliable virtualization and database support while reducing overall operational costs
Pros and Cons
- "Dell PowerEdge R-Series scales with the growing needs of my company as we add more servers and expand the clusters, making the process straightforward."
- "The features of Dell PowerEdge R-Series that I appreciate the most are the central management and the surrounding software as they're integrated and easy to use."
- "Reduced cabling and improved power consumption management would be beneficial improvements."
- "Reduced cabling and improved power consumption management would be beneficial improvements."
What is our primary use case?
We specifically outline our use cases of Dell PowerEdge R-Series as using it for VMware virtualization and databases running bare metal.
How has it helped my organization?
Dell PowerEdge R-Series benefits my company. It provides superior price performance compared to other vendors.
What is most valuable?
The features of Dell PowerEdge R-Series that I appreciate the most are the central management and the surrounding software as they're integrated and easy to use.
It's supporting growth and operational success. We're buying more and more PowerEdge R-Series instead of other vendors like Cisco and HP, and we're growing with additional hardware.
Dell PowerEdge has features that specifically cater to the needs of small or medium companies. It's the cost-effectiveness and good quality of the product that make the difference.
What needs improvement?
I would recommend Dell PowerEdge R-Series enhance more features such as AI. We're not there yet.
Additionally, reduced cabling and improved power consumption management would be beneficial improvements.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working in my current field for 25 years and I have been using Dell PowerEdge R-Series for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Regarding stability and reliability, the software performs excellently and the hardware has proven robust. We haven't needed to replace any hardware components in four years of operation.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Dell PowerEdge R-Series scales with the growing needs of my company as we add more servers and expand the clusters, making the process straightforward.
Our company has 7,000 people.
How are customer service and support?
The customer service and technical support are exceptional, with fast response times and prompt solution delivery.
I would rate the customer service and technical support 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?
Before choosing Dell PowerEdge R-Series, I used Cisco UCS and HP servers, however, we have now moved exclusively to Dell.
How was the initial setup?
The deployment is very easy.
What was our ROI?
The biggest return on investment when using Dell PowerEdge R-Series is the relatively low initial investment and maintenance contract renewal costs compared to other vendors, making it more economical overall.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing, setup cost, and licensing have been very competitive compared to other vendors, which influenced our decision to choose Dell PowerEdge R-Series.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
The main difference between Dell PowerEdge R-Series and Cisco is that Cisco offers better management perspective due to its concentrated nature.
We use Dell PowerEdge R-Series, where we can utilize standalone servers rather than blades or a managed solution.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to other companies considering Dell PowerEdge R-Series is to try the proof of concept and experience its excellent performance.
I rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Last updated: Sep 17, 2025
Flag as inappropriateBuyer's Guide
Download our free Dell PowerEdge R-Series Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: March 2026
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Buyer's Guide
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