HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs IBM Power Systems comparison

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and IBM are both solutions in the Rack Servers category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.6, while IBM is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.8. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 21.2% mindshare in Rack Servers, compared to IBM’s 9.1% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 97% of IBM users who would recommend it.

HPE ProLiant DL Servers

Read 156 HPE ProLiant DL Servers reviews

10,946 Views
8,990 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

IBM Power Systems

Read 69 IBM Power Systems reviews

5,130 Views
3,640 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

HPE ProLiant DL Servers

IBM Power Systems

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 22, 2024

HPE ProLiant DL Servers and IBM Power Systems compete in the server market, each offering distinctive strengths. HPE takes the lead in deployment ease and customer service, while IBM excels in processing power and reliability.

Features: HPE ProLiant DL Servers offer high reliability, scalability, and manageability, appealing to environments leveraging server knowledge across types. IBM Power Systems are noted for powerful processing, virtualization features, and stability, ideal for intensive workloads.

Room for Improvement: HPE ProLiant DL Servers could enhance management capabilities, pricing, and global support. IBM Power Systems need improvements in memory database, graphical dashboards, and integration with modern applications for more competitive pricing.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HPE ProLiant DL Servers are straightforward to deploy and supported by comprehensive customer service despite occasional slow responses. IBM Power Systems offer robust deployment for hybrid environments but have complex setups and slower support responses compared to HPE.

Pricing and ROI: HPE ProLiant DL Servers are cost-effective, offering quick ROI thanks to reliability and lifecycle. IBM Power Systems are expensive but justify costs with long-term performance, posing a pricing challenge for smaller organizations.

To learn more, read our detailed HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs. IBM Power Systems Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs. IBM Power Systems

January 2025

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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

HPE ProLiant DL Servers

Ranking in Rack Servers

2nd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

156

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IBM Power Systems

Ranking in Rack Servers

4th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

8.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Rack Servers category, the mindshare of HPE ProLiant DL Servers is 21.2%, down from 21.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Power Systems is 9.1%, up from 8.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Rack Servers

Featured Reviews

SHIVAKUMAR A P

Country Manager - Emerging Business at Orbit Techsol

With an easy setup phase in place, it is suitable for small and large-sized businesses

When you speak of any enhancements in the product, you need to shift to the tool's commercial mode. You get more features in the solution if you pour in more money. If a customer needs some features in the solution, they will have to buy it since certain features are not loaded by default in the server. With entry-level licenses, servers are shipped to customers free of cost. Customers need to pay if they want more and more features in the solution. Every OEM solution in the market, including HPE ProLiant DL, operates similarly. The overall cost of the product needs to be lower, as it is one of the areas of concern in the product.

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Omobolaji Olaloku

Senior Enterprise System Engineer at Zenith-bank

Extremely stable, good ROI, and scalable

The most valuable feature of our machines is their ability to replace faulty parts without causing any downtime. Our servers are equipped with advanced technology, making it possible to replace defective parts without having to bring down the servers. This is crucial, as any disruption to our services would result in inconvenience to our customers. Therefore, being able to service the machines and replace parts without causing any downtime is highly beneficial.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature of the solution is scalability."

"This solution is very scalable. When we bought the DL580, we bought it with full capacity. It is great for our business."

"The solution is stable."

"The most valuable features are the value and the scalability."

"In regards to the components that you can put into the servers, I feel that HP provides a wider variety of parts in comparison to Dell. For example, there is the ILO which is a network cable that goes into the server and reports back with an abundance of information about the server, even when it is off."

"The most valuable feature is stability."

"HPE ProLiant DL Servers are easy to use and the GUI is rather simple and intuitive. The Americans know how to make things beautiful. Their Japanese counterpart has outdated GUIs. There is a lot of other services and software that HPE provides for the server. The software can connect all the infrastructure to form a unified management or monitoring system."

"It is a stable solution."

More HPE ProLiant DL Servers pros

"I can have what they call multi-tenancy, meaning that I can have multiple tenants within the same server."

"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten...Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten."

"The main feature that I have found most valuable is PowerVM - its virtualization feature which is the most powerful."

"What we like the most is the ability to upgrade the scaling of the system itself. Whenever we need extra storage, we can do that. Whenever we need extra memory, we can do that as well. It's fast and it's available."

"On the security side, we get regular security patch updates and system hardening. There are free tools available to harden the system."

"We have had a good experience with the technical support team at IBM."

"It is a very scalable solution."

"The solution does not require any maintenance."

More IBM Power Systems pros

Cons

"HPE ProLiant DL Servers are not scalable."

"It is too expensive. Its price should be improved. The system admin interface should have better visibility while troubleshooting a problem, even when the problem is coming from the application."

"The documentation for HPE ProLiant DL Servers has room for improvement. For example, it says on the documentation that this specific product or part number is supported. Still, when you ask the HPE team, the reply is that it's not supported, so HPE should update the information on the documentation."

"It's scalable but we are switching to workstation for some software because the CPU speed isn't fast enough anymore."

"It would be great if HP could use a ProLiant Server to run HP-UX, the Unix build from HPE. Right now, HP-UX cannot run on the ProLiant architecture."

"The implementation should be simplified, it is not straightforward."

"The technical support has room for improvement."

"HPE ProLiant DL Servers are customizable, but when you first deploy them, you basically have to rebuild configurations on them. This is true for large orders. But for small orders, you will be tied up with previous configurations of some other brand like Dell."

More HPE ProLiant DL Servers cons

"It would be ideal if the solution was more simple to work with."

"Its price can be improved. It is too high."

"One of the features that we would like, and I think they are also adapting to the latest trends in the market, is to make it more open, more flexible... With VMware, anybody can create a virtual machine without any knowledge of the server side. But with AIX it's a bit difficult."

"Software testing and the compatibility of software products that are available in the market should be addressed."

"If you asked me what I'd like added, I'd say that it'd be nice if they ran GPUs, however, I know that's not the direction they're going. That said, I would appreciate it if they offered GPU support."

"I would like to see IBM Power Systems integrate with all cloud types."

"I think IBM needs a little more work on managing the overall environment with eliminating Systems Director."

"IBM Power Systems could improve by having a cloud feature."

More IBM Power Systems cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is reasonable."

"There are less expensive solutions than HPE ProLiant DL Servers. However, there is a lot of value in this solution."

"The pricing of these servers is fair. It is in the mid-range."

"It is not expensive. Its price is similar to other solutions."

"It is just too expensive."

"The iLO (integrated lights out) license is very expensive, but the functionality you receive is worth it."

"I like the price of this product and the add-on components. It is cheaper than Dell and is a one-time hardware purchase with minimal ongoing costs."

"We have to pay for an annual license which is expensive."

More HPE ProLiant DL Servers pricing and cost advice

"Power Systems is very cheap and provides good value for money."

"There is a yearly licensing cost, and it's an expensive solution."

"When there is an error in the SAS drive of 10,000 RPM, my company buys support for 1,500 USD."

"The licensing costs are okay. With IBM Power Systems, it's inclusive, so you can differentiate the price of the hardware from the software itself."

"It's more about the value you get for the price. Considering its stability and performance, the pricing is good."

"The solution's pricing is very, very high compared to other platforms."

"The price of the solution depends upon the configuration part of it. Based on what configuration you want to go for it, there is a range like IBM Power Systems POWER9 and IBM Power Systems Power10."

"The price of the solution could be somewhat better and this is what lowers my rating of it to a seven or eight out of ten."

More IBM Power Systems pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

18%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

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...

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What do you like most about HPE ProLiant DL Servers?

The most valuable feature of the solution is HPE Integrated Lights-Out (iLO)...Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HPE ProLiant DL Servers?

The product is expensive. I rate the product price an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price. On the needs of the customers, the product offers a lot of suppor...

See all answers

What do you like most about IBM Power Systems?

IBM Power Systems provides very good performance and stability compared to other brands or processors.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Power Systems?

IBM should provide a platform where users can learn about the storage and security of IBM Power Systems.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for IBM Power Systems?

In my company, we use the system for the data center and our IBM Cloud Pak System.

See all answers

Comparisons

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers vs HPE ProLiant DL Servers

Compared 47% of the time

Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers vs HPE ProLiant DL Servers

Compared 23% of the time

HPE Synergy vs HPE ProLiant DL Servers

Compared 9% of the time

HPE Apollo Systems vs HPE ProLiant DL Servers

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs HPE ProLiant DL Servers

Compared 5% of the time

More HPE ProLiant DL Servers Competitors

Intel Server System vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 46% of the time

Oracle SPARC Servers vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 17% of the time

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 17% of the time

Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 5% of the time

HPE Apollo Systems vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 2% of the time

More IBM Power Systems Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HPE ProLiant DL Servers

February 2025

Download HPE ProLiant DL Servers product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Power Systems

February 2025

Download IBM Power Systems product report

Also Known As

HP ProLiant DL series, HP ProLiant DL

IBM OpenPOWER LC

Overview

HPE ProLiant DL Servers are utilized by organizations for tasks like virtualization, database hosting, and application hosting, deployed both on-premises and in private clouds for diverse needs.

Organizations depend on HPE ProLiant DL Servers for stability, performance, and reliability. They are essential for running active directories, enterprise applications, and handling high-performance computing. These servers are known for their easy setup, scalability, and extensive management capabilities like iLO. Offering compatibility with many components and energy efficiency, they provide reliable hardware and good performance under demanding conditions. However, there is a need for improved price, stability, scalability, airflow, and power consumption. Enhancements in controller cache, port sizes, SAN connectivity, support availability, and management interface are also required. Faster technical support, better documentation, simplified configurations, and enhanced monitoring features and security integration would benefit users.

What are the key features?

Easy Setup: Quick and straightforward deployment.
Scalability: Adaptable to growing business needs.
Extensive Management: Features like iLO for advanced control.
Energy Efficiency: Optimized for lower power consumption.
Compatibility: Works well with various components.
Reliable Hardware: Robust and dependable technology.
Redundancy: Ensures high availability and minimal downtime.

What are the benefits and ROI?

High Performance: Excellent for demanding computing tasks.
User-Friendly: Easy to maintain and operate.
Flexibility: Versatile for different applications.
Good Technical Support: Access to professional assistance.

HPE ProLiant DL Servers are implemented across industries like finance for active directories and payment solutions, education for virtual desktops, healthcare for database synchronization, and IT firms for high-performance computing and application hosting.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

IBM Power Systems are built to crush the most advanced data applications - from the mission-critical workloads you run today to the next generation of AI.

IBM

Sample Customers

AmeriPride Services, iSource, Bolagsverket, BlueShore Financial, British Columbia Assessment Authority, National Stock Exchange, Cardlytics

Cipher

Buyer's Guide

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs. IBM Power Systems

January 2025

Free Report: HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs. IBM Power Systems

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