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Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs Dell PowerEdge FX comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 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

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Ser...
Ranking in Rack Servers
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
5.8
Number of Reviews
29
Ranking in other categories
Density Optimized Servers (5th)
Dell PowerEdge FX
Ranking in Rack Servers
9th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
8.1
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Rack Servers category, the mindshare of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is 4.6%, down from 4.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell PowerEdge FX is 1.4%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Rack 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.
MarcGaethofs - PeerSpot reviewer
A highly stable product that seamlessly integrates with the storage portfolio and provides excellent technical support
We have a lot of questions during the order process. They get answered well. The machines are ready to go when we switch on the power. It will depend on our configuration. If we don't make an order with all the configuration specs in it, we’ll get nothing. We will have to do it all by ourselves. Which isn't a problem, but it will take longer. The solution is deployed on-premise, but we're transitioning to more hybrid solutions. We have a team for storage and connectivity. We also have a team for switching and networking. We need three to five enterprise system engineers to build a normal-sized cluster with 500 users. We also need a project manager.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product's stability is good. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine to ten out of ten."
"The solution is stable."
"The VIC card is the most important feature."
"The solution is easily scalable."
"Cisco rack servers are very easy to integrate with other products from different vendors."
"We have many people in my organization using Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers in the administration."
"The initial setup is straightforward and easy to do."
"It is very stable and easy to use. It integrates easily with Cisco's cloud-based UC solutions. There are tools for management that make the management a bit easier, but we don't use them. We don't use what you would term as power users."
"The best feature is PowerEdge's ability to stack up eight blade servers in one 2U chassis."
"The power efficiency is very good and nice."
"The product seamlessly integrates with the storage portfolio."
"The remote management is great."
"It is a scalable solution. My company hasn't faced any difficulties related to the product's performance and scalability since Dell ensures to provide a high-performance service."
"We like PowerEdge for its high-performance computing architecture."
"The features that I have found most valuable are that it has very robust servers and a very heavy load. We've been working on servers now for 10 years and those servers are still up and running. Those servers are still very powerful until today."
"The setup is straightforward. It can take anywhere from an hour to half a day."
 

Cons

"The scalability of the product is an area of concern where Cisco needs to focus on making some improvements."
"Some customers have complained about delivery time. So, the main weakness is the lead time."
"Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers could improve by adding a wider portfolio because they only have two main categories, the C-220 and 240. There is no wide range of options as other solutions have, such as Dell. Additionally, if it was more flexible with the configuration it would be good."
"The initial setup could be easier."
"Definitely the support area needs improving. Especially the time response in case of hardware failure."
"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 warranty and support periods should be extended."
"The improvement should be done as per customer requirements."
"I would prefer the next releases of Dell PowerEdge FX to be easier to use and flexible to upgrade. Sometimes, we have to do the tasks manually, but automation would be very helpful."
"The system is good, but compared to open-source and assembled servers, it is somewhat costly."
"There are times when a part might break down and we need to have Dell replace it."
"It should have more simplified management. It is a common problem where vendors think that they have simplified a solution, but the users don't look at it in the same way. A vendor thinks that there are only ten steps for a task, but we consider them as many steps. It should also have more support for NVMe. For high performance and speed, there should also be more network cards for the fiber channel and ethernet."
"When it comes to Dell PowerEdge FX, the area of concern revolves around the delivery time where improvements are required."
"I don't have any technical issues, but I would like to see the commercial side improve as compared to all other OEMs."
"In terms of the cost, it is a little bit high, meaning, there is some difference in the cost compared to the equivalent product with HP servers."
"There are certain shortcomings with Dell PowerEdge FX's integration capabilities with different operating systems, where improvements are needed."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"My company has an agreement with Cisco to get discounted rates. It is one of the reasons why we chose the product."
"The server itself isn't costly at all, but the CPU and the RAM can be pretty expensive. You can buy a UCS for $2,000, but the RAM and CPU can cost up to $80,000. The most expensive asset is the intel processor, but it depends on how many cores you want and the technology you want to use on your CPU, like Hyper-V, etc."
"​Best to buy all the blades configured for the same purposes of load balancing and failover or load shifting.​"
"The solution is moderately priced."
"We have to pay for the VMware and Cisco licenses."
"The price of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is high."
"The pricing is expensive."
"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"
"Payments are generally made towards the perpetual-based licensing costs attached to the solution, but people can also opt for subscription-based licenses."
"I rate the product price a four on a scale of one to ten, where one is a high price, and ten is a low price."
"The price of the license is expensive."
"The cost of Dell PowerEdge FX depends on the configuration we are using. We usually pay $5,000 to $10,000 based on the configuration, including RAM and storage."
"The price of Dell PowerEdge FX is affordable, and when compared to other solutions, such as Lenovo and HPE it is less expensive. There are any extra costs other than the standard solution."
"Compared to other brands, this solution is the cheapest. I would rate the pricing as a five out of five."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
20%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
University
7%
Manufacturing Company
18%
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Legal Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Dell PowerEdge FX?
The product's initial setup phase was simple and easy.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerEdge FX?
The cost of Dell PowerEdge FX depends on the configuration we are using. We usually pay $5,000 to $10,000 based on the configuration, including RAM and storage.
What needs improvement with Dell PowerEdge FX?
The system is good, but compared to open-source and assembled servers, it is somewhat costly. If it were cheaper, it would be even better. I would prefer the next releases of Dell PowerEdge FX to b...
 

Also Known As

Unified Computing System C-Series, Cisco UCS C-Series
PowerEdge FX
 

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
Tracewell, Govers, AXA ASSISTANCE ITALIA
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs. Dell PowerEdge FX and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.