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

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 26, 2025

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
4.3
Number of Reviews
31
Ranking in other categories
Density Optimized Servers (2nd)
Dell PowerEdge XE-Series
Ranking in Rack Servers
9th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.0
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Rack Servers category, the mindshare of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is 5.2%, up from 4.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell PowerEdge XE-Series is 1.3%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Rack Servers Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers5.2%
Dell PowerEdge XE-Series1.3%
Other93.5%
Rack Servers
 

Featured Reviews

Berthold Manz - PeerSpot reviewer
Seamless server transitions enhance IT infrastructure for AI projects and improve management capabilities
If you are integrated into the Cisco management solution, it is very easy to handle. The performance aspects of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers are very strong. The ability to move from one server to another without changing anything is excellent. We can transfer all the identity of the servers between the servers.
Muzammil Nasim - PeerSpot reviewer
We're hardly using 15 percent of their computing power, so there's a lot left over that we could utilize
It should be easier to extend PowerEdge XE servers. We haven't architected them with an eye toward scalability. They have a fixed number of slots for hard drives, which is enough for our present use case, However, we would have more options if we could extend that. We could deploy the servers in a broader range of use cases with different requirements. It's fine for our current deployment with only a few thousand users. We're exploring other solutions like such as VxRail or PowerFlex for larger public-facing use cases.

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 C-series is the most valuable."
"The solution is stable."
"The technical support from Cisco is fine."
"The solution is scalable."
"In terms of the features that I have found most valuable, that is basically the hardware, which is more dynamic."
"We have many people in my organization using Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers in the administration."
"The most valuable feature of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack is the use of databases, such as MySQL."
"The solution is flexible in my experience."
"In general, it works well. We haven't had issues."
"The strong point of this solution is its compatibility with VMware and its resilience."
"The most valuable feature is that it can support up to 32 drives of internal storage."
"One of the most valuable features of Dell PowerEdge XE Servers is the ease of fixing issues if there are any."
"The most valuable feature of these servers is the ability to store a lot—the capacity and the number of hard disk drives."
"PowerEdge XE servers are high-performing. We're hardly using 15 percent of their computing power, so there's a lot left over that we could utilize."
"The most valuable feature is the trusted platform module."
 

Cons

"The scalability of the product is an area of concern where Cisco needs to focus on making some improvements."
"In the version we need to use, the manager is still reliant on a full Java install on a Windows OS. This is inconvenient and problematic if you have multiple management tools on different versions of Java or if you move to a machine without the appropriate Java environment."
"The solution needs more capacity and more scalability."
"The warranty and support periods should be extended."
"The only thing I would change is to provide more proactive support."
"I would like to see a little more integration with VMware."
"Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers can improve by providing customization features to allow us to deploy them on the cloud. For example, we need VMware to allow us to accomplish a cloud deployment."
"Some customers have complained about delivery time. So, the main weakness is the lead time."
"The quality and reliability could be improved."
"Upgrading can be a bit difficult."
"Dell PowerEdge XE Servers can improve by adapting HCI technology."
"The support team must improve the speed of response."
"In future releases, there should be more support options for the latest processor."
"I would like to have support for performing a detailed analysis of the server from a mobile device."
"It should be easier to extend PowerEdge XE servers. We haven't architected them with an eye toward scalability. They have a fixed number of slots for hard drives, which is enough for our present use case, However, we would have more options if we could extend that. We could deploy the servers in a broader range of use cases with different requirements. It's fine for our current deployment with only a few thousand users. We're exploring other solutions like such as VxRail or PowerFlex for larger public-facing use cases."
"We use OpenManager a lot, and that can be a bit clunky at times. They can make that better."
 

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."
"The pricing is expensive."
"We have to pay for the VMware and Cisco licenses."
"The price for Cisco is a bit higher than its competitors. We paid 40k for one server."
"This product is quite expensive and it would be better if it were cheaper."
"This product is slightly more expensive when compared to others."
"The solution requires an annual licensing fee."
"Dell has competitive pricing."
"You always want slightly cheaper, but overall, they are quite comparable and quite neutral."
"The pricing model is quite competitive."
"If you want an SLA for parts and equipment then you need to purchase a support agreement."
"This solution is priced very reasonably."
"There are different types of licensing available, that works well for customers. The product is not very much to purchase."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Energy/Utilities Company
7%
Computer Software Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Retailer
8%
University
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise13
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers?
I may not be the right person to comment on advanced improvements because we are just using basic functionalities. We are getting all the functionalities which we used to get in other OEM rack serv...
What do you like most about Dell PowerEdge XE Servers?
The resource management features are valuable.
What needs improvement with Dell PowerEdge XE Servers?
For Dell PowerEdge XE Servers, particularly for standalone servers, extendability would be a great improvement. This feature is currently available only with virtualization environment. Adding exte...
 

Also Known As

Unified Computing System C-Series, Cisco UCS C-Series
PowerEdge XE Servers
 

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
Epsilon, ROZETTA CORP, JIGUANG, RACKSPACE, NEW BELGIUM BREWING
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs. Dell PowerEdge XE-Series and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
869,760 professionals have used our research since 2012.