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Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs Dell PowerEdge XE Servers 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 (3rd)
Dell PowerEdge XE Servers
Ranking in Rack Servers
10th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.9
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Rack Servers category, the mindshare of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is 4.7%, down from 4.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell PowerEdge XE Servers is 1.1%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Rack Servers
 

Featured Reviews

Kalpesh Savaliya - PeerSpot reviewer
Good support, and this product well-suited to our size of environment
We use these rack servers for terminal operating systems The initial setup could be easier. I have been working with Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers for five years. This is a stable product. For our use case, this product is scalable up to 16 blades, including two sites. I don't know how well…
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

"It is very nice and stable with an easy administration GUI."
"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 solution is easily scalable."
"The server can be configured easily."
"The product's stability is good. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine to ten out of ten."
"The solution is scalable."
"On the Cisco side, there is a benefit in terms of server management. Cisco provides UCS Manager, which is a multi-tenant site manager. We can manage multiple sites while maintaining disaster recovery, a feature not available on other platforms."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the expansion and replacement of parts."
"The most valuable feature is the trusted platform module."
"In general, it works well. We haven't had issues."
"The solution is flexible in my experience."
"Its reliability and consistency are most valuable."
"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 strong point of this solution is its compatibility with VMware and its resilience."
"The most valuable feature of these servers is the ability to store a lot—the capacity and the number of hard disk drives."
"The most valuable feature is that it can support up to 32 drives of internal storage."
 

Cons

"The solution can be improved by adjusting the cost."
"The initial setup could be easier."
"The product must add customer-friendly monitoring features."
"The C-Series is not designed to be as scalable. They are designed to have enough RAM and enough CPU on their own side. If you want scalability, it's better to choose the B-Series— the Blade Servers — because those are much more scalable with Fabric Interconnect."
"I think the pricing is high. Cisco has to look for bundling this solutions with other applications."
"The improvement should be done as per customer requirements."
"Its accessibility and manageability can be improved. Currently, we have to visit the office to manage it. It should be manageable outside our network. I would like it to be on the cloud."
"Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers could improve integration with third-party solutions."
"Upgrading can be a bit difficult."
"It is mostly stable, but the usual problem would be, for example, upgrading to a newer version of VMware or dealing with compatibility issues during the process."
"We use OpenManager a lot, and that can be a bit clunky at times. They can make that better."
"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."
"The support team must improve the speed of response."
"I would like to have support for performing a detailed analysis of the server from a mobile device."
"In future releases, there should be more support options for the latest processor."
"Dell PowerEdge XE Servers can improve by adapting HCI technology."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"This product is quite expensive and it would be better if it were cheaper."
"The price of the solution could be better when compared to other solutions. However, when we purchased the solution we received Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers in a bundle with other hardware, such as IP phones and networking switches."
"The solution is moderately priced."
"Cisco is expensive, but we didn't look at the cost of the product. We were looking at reliability and support."
"This product is slightly more expensive when compared to others."
"The price of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is high."
"​Best to buy all the blades configured for the same purposes of load balancing and failover or load shifting.​"
"The pricing is expensive."
"If you want an SLA for parts and equipment then you need to purchase a support agreement."
"There are different types of licensing available, that works well for customers. The product is not very much to purchase."
"You always want slightly cheaper, but overall, they are quite comparable and quite neutral."
"Dell has competitive pricing."
"The pricing model is quite competitive."
"This solution is priced very reasonably."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
19%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Healthcare Company
6%
Computer Software Company
19%
Financial Services Firm
12%
University
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

 

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 Servers and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.