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Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs PowerEdge C comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Ser...
Ranking in Density Optimized Servers
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
5.8
Number of Reviews
29
Ranking in other categories
Rack Servers (5th)
PowerEdge C
Ranking in Density Optimized Servers
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
28
Ranking in other categories
Blade Servers (7th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Density Optimized Servers category, the mindshare of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is 8.8%, down from 14.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of PowerEdge C is 24.2%, up from 18.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Density Optimized Servers
 

Featured Reviews

Ehsan Emad - PeerSpot reviewer
The VIC card is the most important feature.
I rate Cisco USC C-Series Rack Servers 10 out 10. If you plan to buy a C-Series, you should be clear about why you want to use it because the uses vary. different. Whether you're using Cisco, HPE, Dell or any other brand, it's essential to define your use case. For example, are you using it for a simulation graphics, calculations, etc.? Depending on the use case, you might want to go with a small server with more CPU. Sometimes you need a light CPU with a powerful GPU. For example, if we have a C-Series with four CPUs at the same time, or we have a server that's handled two CPUs at the same time—the purpose is crucial. C-Series is good enough compared to other competitors like HPE and the other ones. The HPE C20 is one unit and has a lot of RAM support, but the C-series is number one, in my opinion.
Niraj  Shah - PeerSpot reviewer
Good return on investment, round the clock technical support, and easy to install
PowerEdge C is used in both corporate and industrial settings One of the main features that attract customers to buy their products is the great management tool and almost zero failure rate, making it easy to use. As far as I'm concerned, the current product works perfectly fine and I don't see…

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The solution is easily scalable."
"The server can be configured easily."
"The solution is reliable and easy to use."
"The technical support from Cisco is fine."
"The product doesn't take up too much space on the rack and I like that."
"The most valuable features of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers are integration and customization."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the expansion and replacement of parts."
"The most valuable features of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers are agileness, ease of operation, and manageability."
"Technical support has been helpful."
"The security of the product is very good."
"The product stability has been excellent."
"The scalability of the product is good since it offers high performance and capacity."
"I like the feature that allows for a backup and that is suitable for me."
"The management platform is great."
"The product's initial setup phase was easy."
"Every new version is better than the previous one."
 

Cons

"Cisco UCS C-Series Rack could improve by selling storage. Cisco doesn't sell storage, which is a problem because some customers ask for storage. There are several brands in the market, such as HPE, and Dell EMC. However, Cisco doesn't have any storage. This is where the tension comes from buying this solution."
"The initial setup could be easier."
"The only thing I would change is to provide more proactive support."
"The product must add customer-friendly monitoring features."
"I would like to see a little more integration with VMware."
"Some customers have complained about delivery time. So, the main weakness is the lead time."
"The improvement should be done as per customer requirements."
"Technical support could be more responsive."
"The product’s pricing could be a little cheaper."
"We had a few minor issues with compatibility on the latest version during the installation process."
"A feature that needs to be added is the ability for full container storage."
"It would be better if it worked with SMTP servers on the cloud. Right now, it only allows notifications via the SMTP server. In the next release, I would like to have a better processor."
"The current memory could be improved."
"The need to update the firmware and check if there is any bug in the product is one of the areas where Dell PowerEdge C falls short and needs to make improvements."
"The price must be improved."
"The VxRail should be opened to allow other virtualization platforms to be used."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis, which is only $2,000 or $3,000."
"The prices of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers are higher compared to the competition. When we try and sell against the competition, then it becomes quite difficult to sell"
"The price for Cisco is a bit higher than its competitors. We paid 40k for one server."
"Cisco is expensive, but we didn't look at the cost of the product. We were looking at reliability and support."
"This product is slightly more expensive when compared to others."
"The solution is moderately priced."
"The solution is expensive and I give the price a four out of ten."
"If they plan to expand their infrastructure in periods, then simply Cisco is not a good choice."
"The price of the solution is reasonable."
"The licensing cost of PowerEdge C is very high."
"Despite the slightly higher price, we prefer Dell due to the high quality of their products."
"The cost depends on the configuration."
"We buy licenses for the solution's advanced features."
"The product costs can be high, especially for disks and other components."
"PowerEdge C is a product that is priced at a medium range, so it is not too expensive."
"There is a need to pay towards the annual subscription-based licensing model offered by the solution. The product is moderately priced. Price is a critical issue, and it is always good to have moderately priced solutions."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
20%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
University
6%
Financial Services Firm
19%
Computer Software Company
14%
Venture Capital & Private Equity Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about PowerEdge C?
The solution provides good support and service.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for PowerEdge C?
PowerEdge is quite a costly solution, and I would rate the pricing around seven or eight on a scale from one to ten with ten being the most expensive.
What needs improvement with PowerEdge C?
With reference architectures like VX rack, the update process is quite painful. They could automate or simplify it more. There are prerequisites to go through, and that's usually the only time-cons...
 

Also Known As

Unified Computing System C-Series, Cisco UCS C-Series
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Advanced Medical Transport, Aegean Motorway, Anilana Hotels and Resorts, Artoni Transporti, BH Telecom, Bowling Green State University, City of Mississauga, Dualtec Cloud Builders, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS), Kind en Gezin, Kuwait Petroleum Italia, Nationwide, Quest, Talbots, University of St. Gallen
NxtGen Datacenter, Medien-Service Untermain (MSU), Exasol, IndigoVision, Dayco
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs. PowerEdge C and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
845,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.