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Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers vs Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 22, 2024

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

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers
Ranking in Rack Servers
1st
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
160
Ranking in other categories
Converged Infrastructure (3rd), Data Center Networking (4th), Blade Servers (5th)
Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Ser...
Ranking in Rack Servers
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
27
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Rack Servers category, the mindshare of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers is 27.9%, up from 27.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers is 16.7%, up from 16.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Rack Servers
 

Featured Reviews

Javier Domingo - PeerSpot reviewer
A robust server that integrates well and consumes less energy
Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers have helped us improve in terms of ecology. Energy expenditure is an important part of our company's philosophy. We have changed to a more clean mindset, so now, we have to be eco-friendly, and it was one of the best things we chose to do. Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers have the PowerEdge Cyber Resilient Architecture approach to security. I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers a nine out of ten in terms of security. I never give a ten because there is always room for improvement, but Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers have truly been very effective. They are very good in terms of energy consumption. Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are agile for handling the evolving needs of high-performance workloads. They are perfectly aligned with our sustainability goals. We were looking for the company's line to be all eco-friendly, and therefore, they aligned with our decisions and needs. Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers have helped to reduce everything. We had to make a change when we suffered a cyber attack, and after we changed the solution, it became 100% effective. In other words, we have not had any service outages at any time, and the truth is that we are very happy. We use the OpenManage console. We are happy, and we do feel that our company has improved, but our productivity has always been at a very high level. In terms of the effect of using PowerEdge Rack Servers on the overall flexibility of our operations or business, the thing is that we implemented it while our company was dealing with a change of mentality. It has affected us for the best because it has accompanied us in that change of mentality.
Adalberto Giaretta - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable with an easy setup and good support
These are rack servers. We use them for applications. It stores everything including VM servers, application servers, Windows, et cetera The reliability is great. The solution is like any other commodity like Dell or HPE. These are all very similar.  Setting up the solution is easy. It is stable.…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The ease of installation is valuable. The physical side of installation is quite intuitive and has got better by leaps and bounds. The hardware has always been fantastic, and it has always been reliable."
"The go-to-market implementation was pretty fast."
"We are able to do remote monitoring and installation of hardware and software, and that tends to be very popular with customers."
"The PowerEdge systems management frameworks have enabled us to progress towards full automation when it comes to managing PowerEdge."
"I like the Dell EMC management and we have a great management interface. They are very reliable and we can trust the server. It's very reliable and easy to manage."
"The solution's stability is good...The solution's scalability is good."
"The solution's analytics helped to decrease production downtime by more than 60%. PowerEdge also helped to reduce data processing and has reduced the timing for any workload."
"I find Dell PowerEdge Servers to handle diverse applications and evolving needs effectively, but we have to upgrade the hardware periodically."
"I would say the stability of the system itself would be the biggest advantage."
"It's very power-efficient and allows you to access the rack server directly without accessing the operating system on that server."
"The hardware performance is very valuable."
"Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers are scalable."
"The initial setup is easy."
"The hardware is good."
"The product is designed to make adding RAM and disk space easier for users."
"The solution is very simple to install."
 

Cons

"Access to specific card models can be limited, and sometimes we require smaller cards than those offered by Dell."
"The time it takes the machine to boot up, when I turn it off and on, could be quicker."
"I would like more resilience because, for all companies, cybersecurity is important."
"Occasionally, there might be extended wait times between placing an order and receiving the delivery."
"There are issues, of course, but not major issues. On a scale of one to 10, the stability is a nine."
"Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers could improve the bezels in front of it."
"We are leaning away from this particular product because Dell's VxRail solution makes us buy four nodes at a time which is not scalable. Other solutions such as Cisco offer more innovation on this front."
"They need to improve the support, as they are not very responsive, and they don't get back to you right away."
"It was complex to get this started because the Lenovo and VMware are not very compatible. We had to get some updates in order for it to be implemented."
"I would like the solution to be improved by having more advanced utilities."
"Throughout the use of the product, special needs will arise which may require a global need."
"Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers could improve the availability of their solution. The supply chain is severely broken, we've had to wait many months for component parts to a system time after time. The availability of discs and raid controllers has been difficult lately."
"From our side, our budgets are really not there. The availability of cash is a little bit limited. We buy as much as we can, If it was less expensive, we could buy more."
"Its price could be better. Its price is sometimes an issue for our clients. XClarity Controller is a very good feature, and Lenovo should include the XClarity Controller license without any additional cost. It should be integrated within the product."
"It is quite an expensive product. Its price can be improved."
"HP has a riser inside, but Lenovo does not have a riser. It would be good to have a riser with Lenovo. The GUI of the system is really bad. HP has a very good UI for smart memories and everything inside, but in Lenovo, we have a black-and-white UI. HP right now manufactures a server with scalable SP1 and SP2 on a single machine, which is not the case with Lenovo. They are changing the machine. For SP 1, there is one server, and for SP2, there is another server, which is really bad. In HP, we can use two models of processors in a single case. Lenovo should also be improved to have SP1 and SP2 scalable processors simultaneously on a single machine. They should not release another machine. This issue is also there in H3650 severs. They are all inside, but only V3 CPU or only v4 CPU can work, whereas, in HBG9, we can deploy V3 and V4 simultaneously. Lenovo also needs to advertise more because I can't see advertisements anywhere."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product is cheaper than HP servers, but the price could always be better."
"Dell is pretty good. good. I had a conversation with Dell a while ago due to a vendor. We got much better pricing from a competitor. When I looked at another company, Dell called me and asked why am I looking at someone else when they have a distributor. I told them that their pricing was not good, so Dell went back to the distributor, and we got much better pricing"
"The pricing could always be better."
"PowerEdge is not a cheap product. It's a quality product, but there is always competition. If you want to buy a server, you need an operating system, and most of it is Microsoft. A bundled solution costs less than a separate operating system and hardware."
"It's not a very expensive solution."
"At present, the pricing seems a bit high for us."
"I don't see any issues with respect to licensing. It's power-efficient, so it's beneficial to the customers price-wise. There are no costs in addition to the standard licensing fee."
"The tool's pricing is very good."
"Other than the standard licensing fees there are no other additional costs. The price of Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers could be better, and the availability of the solution could improve. We have been waiting two months for one server."
"I don't know the exact amount of money, but when I compared it to Dell or HPE, Lenovo was the best when it comes to price and equipment."
"The price of the solution is very expensive when compared to other solution like HP or Dell."
"As the costs got high, we had to use the virtualization feature to consolidate the server farm.​"
"Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers can be categorized as a product falling under an affordable price range but more expensive than its competitors."
"The cost of the solution depends entirely on the client. There are not any additional costs other than the standard licensing fee."
"It is too expensive. Because we are a university and we have to look for our money, many times we buy some refurbished machines or equipment at reasonable prices from IBM or Lenovo. We are a little bit limited in terms of money, and we buy as much as we can. If they were cheaper, we would buy more."
"It is expensive compared to other vendors."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
21%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
University
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

When shopping for a rack server, would you go with Dell EMC Poweredge or Lenovo Thinksystem?
Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether the Dell EMC Poweredge or Lenovo Thinksystem rack servers were the better fit for us. We ultimately decided to go with Dell EMC Poweredge....
What do you like most about Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers?
It has helped us reduce unplanned downtime by 20% to 30%.
What needs improvement with Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers?
PowerEdge could have more configuration options, such as the ability to combine different CPUs, memory volumes, data storage, and memory. The new Intel-based ones are a bit power-hungry. You want t...
How do Lenovo ThinkSystem rack servers compare with HPE ProLiant DL servers?
Lenovo ThinkSystem rack servers offer flexibility and efficiency in order to meet mission-critical demands. I like that Lenovo blends outstanding performance, reliability, and manageability. The bi...
What do you like most about Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers?
The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is the easiest product to set up and maintain.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers?
Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers are cheaper than HPE, so my company saw it as a product that is available at a bang for one's buck.
 

Also Known As

PowerEdge R
SR Series, Lenovo SR Series, ThinkSystem Rack Servers, IBM Rack Servers, ThinkSystem SR Series, Lenovo Rack Servers,
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

NxtGen Datacenter, Medien-Service Untermain (MSU), Exasol, IndigoVision, Dayco
immixGroup, Komsomolskaya Pravda, SRG Global, Seekr, Infiniti Red Bull Racing, jKool, Tennis Australia, VEKA, Netpoints, Gamma Powersports
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers vs. Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,158 professionals have used our research since 2012.