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Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs HPE Synergy comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

Rack Servers Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers5.2%
Dell PowerEdge R-Series21.8%
HPE ProLiant DL Servers17.2%
Other55.8%
Rack Servers
Rack Servers Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
HPE ProLiant DL Servers17.2%
Dell PowerEdge R-Series21.8%
Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers7.7%
Other53.3%
Rack Servers
Blade Servers Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
HPE Synergy8.8%
Dell PowerEdge MX- Series8.6%
HPE BladeSystem8.1%
Other74.5%
Blade Servers
 

Featured Reviews

Berthold Manz - PeerSpot reviewer
CTO at ExperTeach GmbH
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.
ArifSheikh - PeerSpot reviewer
Director / Chief Business Artchitect at SMARIF
High availability servers have boosted hosted payment services but still need better local support
We are not using PowerVM because of certain limitations; it is on a back-end engine. However, we are using other components such as vSphere for some small interfaces, and those are the main components we are utilizing. Since these servers are fully dedicated to various high-end solutions, they have some embedded features that their kernel and applications are using, which are bound to that functionality. We may not provide an exact assessment on its usage, but we are considering those products for some AI solutions; however, we are currently in the review stage and have not concluded our evaluation on how those are utilized yet. We are aware of the pricing of HPE ProLiant DL servers, but not off the cuff. We have obviously acquired those solutions ex-Pakistan, so they are on the rise, and while we do not remember those prices offhand, they are generally better than the IBM series, although they are becoming slightly pricey in Pakistan due to processor shortages and demand. Improvements could be made in database engine hosting services because, as it stands, the pricing of Oracle is too high from both the service and software solution perspectives. If pricing can be reduced, especially for DB servers, that could have a direct positive impact on the overall solution. Regarding reliability, it has been satisfactory so far, but since the distributors are not physically present in Pakistan, that creates a risk for long-term large customers. They provide import-based services, necessitating us to over-invest in backup stock and offline servers. If there was a market presence from those players in Pakistan, it could benefit both clients and distributors by reducing the need for investment in backup inventory.
MS
Works at Saudi Telecom Company
Manage servers efficiently with an integrated view while reducing downtime
My use case is to serve the complete IT environment of the telecom, including all cloud applications. I use HPE Synergy servers for my private cloud and for network management systems. 70% of my workload is running on HPE servers The integrated view, such as managing complete servers and…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."
"We've been quite happy with its capabilities so far."
"I can't think of any features which need to be added to the solution, all of them are good."
"The most valuable features of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers are integration and customization."
"The C-series is the most valuable."
"The solution is reliable and easy to use."
"Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers have plenty of features and computing and memory power."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is performance."
"It's very easy to set up."
"HP provides the best quality for the price."
"The technical support is very good, especially for onsite support for hardware problems, and they are always reliable."
"Its reliability and after-sales support are very good."
"The solution is stable and reliable."
"Support is the most valuable feature of the solution."
"The solution has very good performance and has been reliable."
"Stability and a lower failure rate are the most valuable features."
"OneView, as a single point, a single management tool, it makes me delirious. It's really nice."
"For temporal use, when you throw on the fact that you're essentially doubling your capacity, right there you could claim a 50 percent TCO reduction."
"The insert RAM feature is the most valuable, and it is a simple software to integrate with others like service desk applications and engine management."
"We have been able to give the deployment team what they request more quickly. We are able to quickly deploy what is being asked of us. If the development team needs a platform of 20 servers to run a particular platform, we can give that to them within a day or two."
"Improved storage, scalability, and ease-of-use."
"HPE Synergy is a stable solution."
"Our maintenance and production times have been cut in half over our previous solutions."
"The most valuable feature is its composable infrastructure. Everything I need is in the box. Manageability is through OneView, so I can get all the information about the box itself at any time I want."
 

Cons

"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."
"I think the pricing is high. Cisco has to look for bundling this solutions with other applications."
"Some customers have complained about delivery time. So, the main weakness is the lead time."
"This product is quite expensive and it would be better if it were cheaper."
"The pricing is too high and no discounts are available for our country."
"The product's stability and delivery time could be better."
"The hard drive of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is not very good. I have already replaced three of them."
"There are issues with the startup that make it a little cumbersome. It takes us more time."
"The biggest thing I don't like about ProLiant, and this will be very trivial, is the rails."
"One of the negative things that we find is that the configuration tools are sometimes not easy to use."
"I cannot give high marks for scalability since servers are designed to be standalone."
"DL3 is not scalable. You cannot scale them versus replace scalable hardware, like going to Itanium servers."
"It's scalable but we are switching to workstation for some software because the CPU speed isn't fast enough anymore."
"The technical support leaves a lot to be desired."
"I would like to see more standardized management."
"Technical support was time consuming and unsatisfactory. The initial product setup was complex, lasing around three weeks to a month."
"You can always improve some things."
"One of the things that I would like to see, and could be in their road map, is getting virtual connect to 100 Gig throughput."
"There is always room for improvement. Based on our use cases, I don't believe there are any additional features required."
"I rate this solution a seven out of 10 because I think we were promised a little more than we were given."
"The possibility of using storage directly in the frame in order to have bigger storage directly there, and not having an attached storage like SAN or NAS. That would be helpful."
"It has affected the productivity of our development team in a bad way."
"The only issue that we had was our rack was too small. The product is heavy, so it took a lot to get it in there."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We have to pay for the VMware and Cisco licenses."
"My company has an agreement with Cisco to get discounted rates. It is one of the reasons why we chose the product."
"The solution is moderately priced."
"If they plan to expand their infrastructure in periods, then simply Cisco is not a good choice."
"This solution is a little expensive."
"​Best to buy all the blades configured for the same purposes of load balancing and failover or load shifting.​"
"Cisco is expensive, but we didn't look at the cost of the product. We were looking at reliability and support."
"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"
"I give the cost a ten out of ten."
"We have ILO licenses. We use this feature."
"The price of HPE ProLiant DL Servers is reasonable, but because of covid and other factors, the price could be reduced. The license is paid annually."
"The price of HPE ProLiant DL Servers is reasonable compared to other solutions."
"The solution comes with a one time perpetual license which is included with the server."
"We have to pay for an annual license which is expensive."
"The solution's pricing is high. It needs to be more flexible. The flexibility would be beneficial for our clients, especially in a competitive market. Adding additional features and addressing complex requirements on top of the price can be challenging for us as a reseller."
"They need to work with Microsoft to make the licensing costs better and more efficient."
"The licensing is more around the software for RGS, because we are deploying bare metal installs. It is mainly the operating system and any lights-out management. So, licensing is minimum. We are licensing it annually."
"The solution can be expensive because it requires both hardware and software purchases."
"In our whole environment, the cost is in the millions. On this particular chassis, the annual cost is 12 blades times approximately $40,000."
"We have already paid once. It is just the price for the permit and its use. It seems you don't have to keep paying for it, but I am not sure."
"We don't have to pay for Synergy because it's part of our plan."
"The biggest cost is the VMware licensing."
"We do CAPEX."
"For temporal use, when you throw on the fact that you're essentially doubling your capacity, right there you could claim a 50 percent TCO reduction."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Construction Company
7%
Outsourcing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Outsourcing Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Construction Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise14
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business56
Midsize Enterprise28
Large Enterprise98
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business31
Midsize Enterprise15
Large Enterprise56
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers?
My experience with pricing, setup costs, and licensing for Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is not troublesome, but it...
What needs improvement with Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers?
I think Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers could be improved, but I'm not really a forward thinker; everything works pre...
What is your primary use case for Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers?
My main use case for Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is hypervisors, using them as a hypervisor.
How do Lenovo ThinkSystem rack servers compare with HPE ProLiant DL servers?
Lenovo ThinkSystem rack servers offer flexibility and efficiency in order to meet mission-critical demands. I like th...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HPE ProLiant DL Servers?
The pricing of HPE ProLiant DL Servers depends purely on the configuration, and it is not affordable. However, if you...
What needs improvement with HPE ProLiant DL Servers?
If I had to choose between HP and Dell, I would choose Dell's iDRAC over iLO. iLO is adequate, but Dell is much bette...
How would you choose between HPE's Bladesystem and Synergy?
For me, choosing between HPE’s Bladesystem and Synergy came down to which solution was more powerful, reliable, and s...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HPE Synergy?
As far as the prices are concerned, rack mount solutions are less expensive than HPE Synergy prices; however, HPE Syn...
What needs improvement with HPE Synergy?
In my opinion, for future improvements in HPE Synergy, there should be better management of power consumption complex...
 

Also Known As

Unified Computing System C-Series, Cisco UCS C-Series
HP ProLiant DL series, HP ProLiant DL
No data available
 

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
AmeriPride Services, iSource, Bolagsverket, BlueShore Financial, British Columbia Assessment Authority, National Stock Exchange, Cardlytics
HudsonAlpha, Virgin Media, EMIS, United
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM and others in Rack Servers. Updated: July 2026.
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