Dell PowerMax Reviews

Name: Dell PowerMax
Brand: Dell Technologies
Rating: 4.4 (84 reviews)

4.4 out of 5

84 reviews
97% willing to recommend

361 followers

What is Dell PowerMax?

Dell PowerMax offers robust performance, reliability, and efficient data handling. It is recognized for its compression, deduplication, and NVMe technology, significantly benefiting data centers with its advanced replication and uptime.

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Dell PowerMax is the #3 ranked solution in best NVMe All-Flash Arrays and #7 ranked solution in best All-Flash Storage Arrays. PeerSpot users give Dell PowerMax an average rating of 8.8 out of 10. Dell PowerMax is most commonly compared to Dell PowerStore: Dell PowerMax vs Dell PowerStore. Dell PowerMax is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 64% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a financial services firm, accounting for 17% of all views.

Helped 852,780 peers since 2012

Featured Dell PowerMax reviews

Moin-Shah

System and Storage Admin at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

The most useful feature of Dell PowerMax NVMe for me right now is its ease of management with the API functionality, which allows for automatic provisioning from anywhere, even without using the storage itself. It can be API integrated to any system. Its performance offers the highest capability. They have very, very, very good performance. Application users can also take snapshots for provisioning, and it can be integrated with any system. Another important aspect is its performance and IOPS capability, which is very good concerning reads, writes, and IOPS. Dell PowerMax NVMe is very supportive of our operational growth since we require daily performance from our core banking systems and need to facilitate data movement efficiently.

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Kazi Amranul Houqe

First Assistant Vice President (FAVP) & Unit Head of Server & Storage Management Unit at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

We are using Dell EMC PowerScale for the data and Dell PowerMax NVMe for the production database and production guardian database. Dell PowerMax NVMe provides enterprise solutions for banks and other companies that have to implement their online database and data transactional database…

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reviewer2706753

Senior System Engineer at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees

When I speak of stability regarding Dell PowerMax, there isn't much downtime. The downtime we experienced was caused when we were doing a simple memory replacement; a support person ran a script to validate, and it shut the whole array down, faulting the array. To fix the downtime issue, they added a line to the actual Dell document and script as we were the first ones to run into that issue and call it out specifically. They made sure to specify what to do and what not to do to prevent future incidents.

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Dell PowerMax mindshare

Product category:

As of May 2025, the mindshare of Dell PowerMax in the NVMe All-Flash Storage Arrays category stands at 8.5%, down from 12.9% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

NVMe All-Flash Storage Arrays

PeerResearch reports based on Dell PowerMax reviews

Type	Title	Date
Category	NVMe All-Flash Storage Arrays	May 25, 2025	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	May 25, 2025	Download
Comparison	Dell PowerMax vs Dell PowerStore	May 25, 2025	Download
Comparison	Dell PowerMax vs NetApp AFF	May 25, 2025	Download
Comparison	Dell PowerMax vs Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS)	May 25, 2025	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
Dell PowerStore	4.4	23.7%	97%	109 interviews Add to research
Pure Storage FlashArray	4.6	N/A	99%	199 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

PowerMax offers exceptional performance, reliability, and scalability. Key features include compression, deduplication, NVMe technology, SRDF replication, and efficient data reduction. Users value its ease of management, automated provisioning through APIs, and seamless integration with various systems. The platform provides high availability, robust security, and comprehensive monitoring via CloudIQ. Organizations benefit from cost savings, space efficiency, and the ability to handle mission-critical workloads with minimal management effort.

"We have worked with customer success support, and the service is very good."
"The benefits of Dell PowerMax are that we can use the older environment."
"My client has seen significant ROI since the install, and when you don't go down, that's an ROI in and of itself."

Room for Improvement

Dell PowerMax requires enhancements in replication, integration with newer technologies, and simplification of its management interface. The platform's cost is high compared to competitors. Usability and user interface need improvement to reduce reliance on command line operations. There is a need for better integration with public clouds and improved training resources. Upgrading and expanding systems is cumbersome, and there are concerns about performance, scalability, and SRDF consistency group handling.

"I remember an episode where we had a performance issue based on one disk or more, which caused a performance drop for all equipment."
"My understanding is that Dell PowerMax is very expensive."
"I'm not a fan of the UI that they've deployed over the recent years; I feel that you can do more with the command line platform than you can with the actual UI."

ROI

Dell PowerMax offers improved performance, reduced costs, and significant time savings. Users experience faster response times and increased efficiency. It consolidates workloads and reduces data center footprints, resulting in less power usage and space requirements. Many achieve a return within two years, with some seeing improvements in latency and data management capabilities. Its reliability leads to decreased downtime, boosting user satisfaction and ensuring businesses get value from their investment.

Pricing

Dell PowerMax pricing is regarded as expensive, varying by project size and features. Users note that costs are determined by capacity, integration, and licensing agreements. Although considered a high-end solution, it is often seen as competitive and cost-effective for large enterprises. Discounts are available, with support and licensing often influencing total costs. While support costs can be high, PowerMax's performance and reliability justify the price for many users.

"Dell offers various pricing models, including a pay-as-you-go option where storage is provided without upfront charges, billing only for used capacity. As a 360° partner, significant discounts are available."
"The price is starting from $500,000."
"The tool is very expensive."

Popular Use Cases

Dell PowerMax is mainly used for block storage in high-performance, mission-critical environments. Users leverage it for databases such as SQL and Oracle, virtualization, analytics, and cloud applications. It supports various sectors like healthcare, finance, and telecommunications, providing data reliability and performance. Its capacity, speed, and NVMe technology accommodate enterprise-scale storage needs, ensuring efficient data management and high availability, crucial for applications requiring uninterrupted operation and swift response times.

Service and Support

Dell PowerMax customer service and support are praised for being excellent, responsive, and knowledgeable. Users appreciate the proactive approach and quick resolution of issues, often rating their experience very high. There are some concerns about language barriers, response time delays after mergers, and room for improvement in remote support. Despite occasional challenges, Dell's support is considered a strong asset, with most users expressing satisfaction with the assistance provided and their collaborative relationship with Dell.

Deployment

Many users found Dell PowerMax's setup straightforward, especially those with experience or Dell assistance. Migrating from VMAX was often smooth due to enhanced features and support. For some, the setup was complex, requiring specialized knowledge and assistance from engineers. Deployment times varied, often influenced by integration tasks. Despite complexities, efficient processes and expert assistance ensured most transitions were completed effectively. Users appreciated Dell's support and the system's advanced capabilities.

Scalability

Dell PowerMax exhibits remarkable scalability, accommodating various configurations and scaling needs. Users note its capability for significant growth, with easy expansion of engines and storage, though some mention delays. Its ability to adapt to changing demands is valued, even if some competitors offer greater options. Performance remains consistent during expansions, making it a preferred choice for enterprises. Some find it expensive to scale, yet its NVMe capabilities enhance its flexibility and potential.

Stability

Dell PowerMax is highly regarded for its reliability, offering superior stability with minimal downtime. Many users report consistent uptime, emphasizing its robustness for mission-critical applications. They appreciate its high availability, ease of management, and effectiveness in maintaining operations without interruptions. Despite occasional hardware bugs or updates, the engineering support quickly resolves any issues. Users rate its stability between eight and ten out of ten, affirming its dependable performance across various environments.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our Dell PowerMax Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers

By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Retailer

Healthcare Company

University

Comms Service Provider

Energy/Utilities Company

Educational Organization

Real Estate/Law Firm

Wholesaler/Distributor

Non Profit

Hospitality Company

Media Company

Outsourcing Company

Consumer Goods Company

Construction Company

Legal Firm

Performing Arts

Insurance Company

Transportation Company

Recreational Facilities/Services Company

Logistics Company

Aerospace/Defense Firm

Engineering Company

Pharma/Biotech Company

Compare Dell PowerMax with alternative products

Learn more about Dell PowerMax

PowerMax is equipped to handle mission-critical applications, providing impressive performance metrics with low latency and high IOPS capacity. Its CloudIQ and Unisphere interfaces enhance manageability, while REST API support simplifies storage management. Users in sectors like healthcare, finance, and telecommunications leverage its capabilities for database management, high-transaction block storage, and disaster recovery. However, opportunities for improving deduplication efficiency, interface complexity, and automation remain.

What are the key features of Dell PowerMax?

Data Reduction: Combines compression and deduplication for efficient storage use.
NVMe Technology: Enables swift data handling with high throughput.
CloudIQ and Unisphere: Streamlines manageability and control.
REST API Support: Simplifies integration with management tools.
High Availability: Ensures consistent uptime across platforms.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Performance Metrics: Look for low latency and high IOPS as indicators.
Reliability: Consistent operations with minimal interruptions.
Manageability: Efficient control over storage environments.
Cost Efficiency: Note any potential savings in data processing and storage.

Industries utilize Dell PowerMax to support diverse environments like VMware, Oracle, and PostgreSQL. It serves multiple sectors such as healthcare, finance, and government, aiding in data storage consolidation, disaster recovery, and high-availability hosting for critical systems and applications.

Dell PowerMax was previously known as Dell PowerMax NVMe, Dell EMC PowerMax, PowerMax.