IBM Power Systems vs Intel Server System comparison

IBM and Intel are both solutions in the Rack Servers category. IBM is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.7, while Intel is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.0. IBM holds a 9.1% mindshare in Rack Servers, compared to Intel’s 5.4% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 66% of Intel users who would recommend it.

IBM Power Systems

Read 69 IBM Power Systems reviews

4,877 Views
3,452 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Intel Server System

Read 3 Intel Server System reviews

2,248 Views
2,054 Comparison Views

66% willing to recommend

IBM Power Systems

Intel Server System

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 23, 2025

Intel Server System and IBM Power Systems compete in the server solutions market. IBM Power Systems dominates in feature offerings, providing expansive benefits for complex enterprise environments.

Features: Intel Server System offers high processing power, versatile configurations, and cost efficiency. IBM Power Systems provides advanced virtualization, improved reliability, and extensive integration capabilities, making it ideal for enterprises.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Intel Server System is known for straightforward deployment and dependable customer service. IBM Power Systems features a streamlined deployment model coupled with robust support, enhancing service delivery.

Pricing and ROI: Intel Server System offers competitive pricing with quick ROI, ideal for budget-conscious businesses. IBM Power Systems, though with a higher initial investment, promises a strong long-term ROI with its comprehensive feature set, catering to businesses needing advanced functionality.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Power Systems vs. Intel Server System Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Power Systems vs. Intel Server System

March 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

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

Intel Server System

Ranking in Rack Servers

7th

Average Rating

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Rack Servers category, the mindshare of IBM Power Systems is 9.1%, up from 8.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Intel Server System is 5.4%, up from 5.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Rack Servers

Featured Reviews

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

Sami Abughosh

Servers Senior Network Administrator at Dukat d.d.

A stable product that constantly enhances its functionalities like multithreading and caching

The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it is more stable than AMD for VMware. Intel Server System has a good track record for the last 20 years. Multithreading and caching are areas where improvements keep increasing. If you look at the last four years, you will see a big difference when it comes to the area concerning processors.

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 SMT that they've improved has really helped open up boundaries for other applications that can use it."

"The availability of a solution depends on the requirement of the customer. The most valuable feature is the virtualization. You can have this one system or you can use it for many. They were using almost 120 servers within that specific service."

"From a software developer standpoint, virtualization is really the key, as we can more easily spin up a new partition, virtual instance of IBM i."

"It is a very scalable solution."

"We value the stability and technology capability of this solution the most. It is very stable, and the processor technology of IBM is very good. When you have a CIO and you are dealing with C-level every day, you can, without any doubt, support the core banking or critical applications with this solution."

"When it comes to reliability, availability and profitability, nothing can beat IBM Power Systems."

"From a reliability standpoint it has provided us with excellent performance."

"IBM Power Systems are secure and have fast processing."

More IBM Power Systems pros

"The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it is more stable than AMD for VMware."

"It is stable and easy to manage."

"It uses well known architecture and it's easy to develop for."

Cons

"The number of times IBM refreshes its operating system appears to be very slow."

"In the next release, I would like to see additional graphical dashboards to help the administrators access information more easily."

"I would like to see firmware available to all of the systems."

"If you take advantage of some of these real advanced features, for oversubscribing as an example, it's not supported on Linux on Power. So that stops us, in particular, from going that way."

"There are improvements that can be made on the technical side."

"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."

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

"The pricing is high."

More IBM Power Systems cons

"When you have an Intel Server System, the prices may be much higher since it is a different processor, making the solution's pricing part one of its shortcomings where improvements are required."

"The shipment time can be improved. When we order Intel products, we have to wait for a long time. They can increase the local services and engineers in China. Local engineers will be able to know and understand customer problems much better."

"We have to scale it ourselves but it scales. It depends on the software because it's mostly the hardware platform that Intel is managing."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Power Systems is a bit more costly than other products in the market, but in terms of ROI and the longevity, performance, and reliability that Power Systems provides, it's worth it in the long run."

"IBM Power Systems is a really expensive product."

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

"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."

"IBM Power Systems is very expensive."

"Price-wise, I rate the solution a five out of ten."

"The machine is good and has a comparatively good price."

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

More IBM Power Systems pricing and cost advice

"I rate the pricing a ten on a scale from one to ten, where one is inexpensive, and ten is very expensive."

"The price is competitive."

"It is not expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

18%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

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

What do you like most about Intel Server System?

The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it is more stable than AMD for VMware.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Intel Server System?

I rate the pricing a ten on a scale from one to ten, where one is inexpensive, and ten is very expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Intel Server System?

When you have an Intel Server System, the prices may be much higher since it is a different processor, making the solution's pricing part one of its shortcomings where improvements are required.

See all answers

Comparisons

Oracle SPARC Servers vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 17% of the time

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 16% of the time

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 14% 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

Oracle SPARC Servers vs Intel Server System

Compared 19% of the time

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers vs Intel Server System

Compared 4% of the time

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs Intel Server System

Compared 2% of the time

More Intel Server System Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Power Systems

March 2025

Download IBM Power Systems product report

Buyer's Guide

Rack Servers

March 2025

Download Intel Server System product report

Also Known As

IBM OpenPOWER LC

No data available

Overview

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

Storage is simple with the Intel Storage System JBOD2000 family, a 2U form factor system with support for twelve 3.5" LFF or twenty-four 2.5" SFF drives with a single or multi-cable connectivity. The JBOD2000 family includes redundant, hot-swap fans and the option for redundant, hot-swap power supplies. The JBOD2000S2 products support 6Gb/s SAS/SATA connectivity via industry-standard SFF-8088 connectors with the latest JBOD2000S3 version supports up to 12 Gb/s SAS connectivity via industry standard SFF-8644 connectors. All these JBOD offerings are designed to provide highly available and easily expandable storage for Intel servers at an affordable price point.

Intel

Sample Customers

Cipher

Emerson, Baosight, Pentamaster

Buyer's Guide

IBM Power Systems vs. Intel Server System

March 2025

Free Report: IBM Power Systems vs. Intel Server System

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