Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers comparison

Cisco and Lenovo are both solutions in the Rack Servers category. Cisco is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.6, while Lenovo is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.5. Cisco holds a 5.2% mindshare in Rack Servers, compared to Lenovo’s 15.2% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Lenovo users who would recommend it.

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Ser...

Read 31 Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers reviews

2,367 Views
2,272 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Ser...

Read 27 Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers reviews

5,836 Views
5,836 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Ser...

Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Ser...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers and Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers are contenders in the tech hardware category. Lenovo has an advantage in pricing and support, whereas Cisco is preferred for its advanced features.

Features: Lenovo's servers are noted for energy efficiency, reliability, and competitive pricing. Cisco's servers stand out for high performance, scalability, and advanced integration options.

Room for Improvement: Lenovo could enhance management software optimization, improve integration with other systems, and update hardware options. Cisco could simplify configuration processes, reduce overall setup times, and streamline software updates.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Lenovo offers smoother deployment processes with strong customer service support. Cisco's complex systems present deployment challenges, but an effective customer service team mitigates difficulties.

Pricing and ROI: Lenovo offers attractive initial costs and steady ROI appealing to budget-focused buyers. Cisco requires a higher upfront investment but delivers significant long-term performance benefits that justify the cost.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs. Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs. Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers

September 2025

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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

Ranking in other categories

Density Optimized Servers (2nd)

Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Ser...

Ranking in Rack Servers

3rd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

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 Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers is 15.2%, down from 17.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Rack Servers Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers	15.2%
Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers	5.2%
Other	79.6%

Rack Servers

Featured Reviews

Berthold Manz

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.

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Adalberto Giaretta

Technology director at Infodive Representações e Serviços ltda

Reliable with an easy setup and good support

These are rack servers. We use them for applications. It stores everything including VM servers, application servers, Windows, et cetera The reliability is great. The solution is like any other commodity like Dell or HPE. These are all very similar. Setting up the solution is easy. It is stable.…

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution is easily scalable."

"Cisco rack servers are very easy to integrate with other products from different vendors."

"The most valuable features of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers are integration and customization."

"We have many people in my organization using Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers in the administration."

"The C-series is the most valuable."

"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 technical support from Cisco is fine."

"Excellent server solution with incredible network throughput."

More Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers pros

"It's very power-efficient and allows you to access the rack server directly without accessing the operating system on that server."

"We appreciate the stability and easy mountings of all the machines. We have some direct connections with IBM, Lenovo, and other companies, and we get close support from them."

"Its performance and the local support of Lenovo in my city are the most valuable features. Its performance is the best, and its user interface is also very easy."

"It has good integration. You have VMware for connecting many machines, and you can support microservices. You can also easily connect the networks. It is also very easy to use and implement, and it comes with good support."

"The IMM tool is great because we can upgrade different views and device versions very quickly. We can upgrade everything from a single point through a single dashboard, which is great for us because we also have Lenovo storage. Lenovo ThinkSystem also has Xclarity built into the system."

"The initial setup of Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers is straightforward. The process of implementation took me approximately two to three days. We only had to install the hardware for the installation."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is the easiest product to set up and maintain."

"The hardware is good."

More Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers pros

Cons

"The pricing is too high and no discounts are available for our country."

"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."

"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."

"The price of the solution is problematic, not the solution itself. It could be less expensive."

"Some customers have complained about delivery time. So, the main weakness is the lead time."

"Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers could improve integration with third-party solutions."

"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."

More Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers cons

"There are other solutions that are less expensive."

"HP has a riser inside, but Lenovo does not have a riser. It would be good to have a riser with Lenovo. The GUI of the system is really bad. HP has a very good UI for smart memories and everything inside, but in Lenovo, we have a black-and-white UI. HP right now manufactures a server with scalable SP1 and SP2 on a single machine, which is not the case with Lenovo. They are changing the machine. For SP 1, there is one server, and for SP2, there is another server, which is really bad. In HP, we can use two models of processors in a single case. Lenovo should also be improved to have SP1 and SP2 scalable processors simultaneously on a single machine. They should not release another machine. This issue is also there in H3650 severs. They are all inside, but only V3 CPU or only v4 CPU can work, whereas, in HBG9, we can deploy V3 and V4 simultaneously. Lenovo also needs to advertise more because I can't see advertisements anywhere."

"To be frank, the technical support from Lenovo's team needs improvement. There seems to be a lack of support, and it is important for Lenovo to address this issue."

"It should have tools for integration with the cloud. We should be able to transmit data from our on-premises server to the servers in the cloud."

"For the price my company pays for Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers, we can have more from other vendors offering the same functionalities that are present in Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers at a lower price."

"The RAID Management and the RAID Configuration tools need to be improved."

"Throughout the use of the product, special needs will arise which may require a global need."

"I do not have any notes for improvements."

More Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is high."

"The solution is expensive and I give the price a four out of ten."

"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis, which is only $2,000 or $3,000."

"This product is slightly more expensive when compared to others."

"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"

"The solution could be more cost-effective."

"The solution requires an annual licensing fee."

"This product is quite expensive and it would be better if it were cheaper."

More Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers pricing and cost advice

"In India, the solution is cheap compared to its competitors."

"Its pricing is very competitive."

"The price of the solution is very expensive when compared to other solution like HP or Dell."

"It costs around $8,000. There is an additional cost for the support for a year."

"Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers can be categorized as a product falling under an affordable price range but more expensive than its competitors."

"Other than the standard licensing fees there are no other additional costs. The price of Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers could be better, and the availability of the solution could improve. We have been waiting two months for one server."

"The price of Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers is competitive."

"The licensing cost is the same as HP. It doesn't have any additional cost. However, the price, for example, for the memory option, does not match other vendors such as HP or Dell. They should work on the pricing of Lenovo. It is a great competitor, and it should compete with the price."

More Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

12%

University

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	13

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	18
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	9

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers?

The C-series is the most valuable.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers?

The solution is moderately priced.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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 that Lenovo blends outstanding performance, reliability, and manageability. The bi...

See all answers

When shopping for a rack server, would you go with Dell EMC Poweredge or Lenovo Thinksystem?

Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether the Dell EMC Poweredge or Lenovo Thinksystem rack servers were the better fit for us. We ultimately decided to go with Dell EMC Poweredge....

See all answers

What do you like most about Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers?

The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is the easiest product to set up and maintain.

See all answers

Comparisons

Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers

Compared 52% of the time

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

Compared 20% of the time

IBM Power Systems vs Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers

Compared 3% of the time

HPE Synergy vs Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers

Compared 3% of the time

HPE Apollo Systems vs Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers

Compared 3% of the time

More Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers Competitors

Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers

Compared 52% of the time

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers

Compared 37% of the time

IBM Power Systems vs Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers

Compared 3% of the time

Oracle SPARC Servers vs Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers

Compared 2% of the time

Dell PowerEdge XE-Series vs Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers

Compared 2% of the time

More Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers

October 2025

Download Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers product report

Buyer's Guide

Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers

October 2025

Download Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers product report

Also Known As

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

SR Series, Lenovo SR Series, ThinkSystem Rack Servers, IBM Rack Servers, ThinkSystem SR Series, Lenovo Rack Servers,

Overview

UCS C-Series Rack Servers deliver unified computing in an industry-standard form factor to reduce TCO and increase agility. Each server addresses varying workload challenges through a balance of processing, memory, I/O, and internal storage resources.

Cisco

From growing small businesses to enterprise workloads, Lenovo rack servers offer the unmatched value, flexibility and industry-leading efficiency to meet mission-critical demands with legendary quality and reliability.

Lenovo

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

immixGroup, Komsomolskaya Pravda, SRG Global, Seekr, Infiniti Red Bull Racing, jKool, Tennis Australia, VEKA, Netpoints, Gamma Powersports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs. Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers

September 2025

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