Dell PowerEdge FX vs HPE Apollo Systems comparison

Dell Technologies and Hewlett Packard Enterprise are both solutions in the Rack Servers category. Dell Technologies is ranked #9 with an average rating of 9.0, while Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.5. Dell Technologies holds a 1.4% mindshare in Rack Servers, compared to Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s 4.1% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Dell Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users who would recommend it.

Dell PowerEdge FX

Read 13 Dell PowerEdge FX reviews

757 Views
452 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

HPE Apollo Systems

Read 22 HPE Apollo Systems reviews

2,213 Views
1,681 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Dell PowerEdge FX

HPE Apollo Systems

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

HPE Apollo Systems and Dell PowerEdge FX both compete in the high-performance computing market. Dell PowerEdge FX seems to have the upper hand due to its superior features, versatility, and long-term ROI benefits.

Features: HPE Apollo Systems offer powerful processing capabilities, scalability options, and are valued for pricing and support. Dell PowerEdge FX has modular designs, flexible configurations, and is noted for adaptability to diverse workload requirements, which provides versatility.

Room for Improvement: HPE Apollo Systems can improve energy efficiency, management interface simplicity, and documentation clarity. Dell PowerEdge FX could enhance integration with existing infrastructures, offer simpler setup processes, and provide more comprehensive documentation.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HPE Apollo Systems allow straightforward deployment and have responsive customer service. Dell PowerEdge FX deployment is generally smooth but may require more technical expertise, while customer service is rated as reliable.

Pricing and ROI: HPE Apollo Systems are cost-effective, suiting budget-conscious buyers. Dell PowerEdge FX, though pricier, offers significant ROI through comprehensive features and longevity, making its higher cost justified over time.

To learn more, read our detailed Dell PowerEdge FX vs. HPE Apollo Systems Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerEdge FX vs. HPE Apollo Systems

April 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

Dell PowerEdge FX

Ranking in Rack Servers

9th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

8.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

HPE Apollo Systems

Ranking in Rack Servers

6th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Density Optimized Servers (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Rack Servers category, the mindshare of Dell PowerEdge FX is 1.4%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HPE Apollo Systems is 4.1%, down from 4.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Rack Servers

Featured Reviews

MarcGaethofs

ICT manager at Thys Bouwprojecten

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.

Read full review

Gayan Senadheera

Director at Tyax Pvt Ltd

Offers higher capacities compared to other solutions, making it suitable for handling large storage needs

In terms of improvement, we could benefit from some training. If there could be some training for our team, we would be better equipped to promote and support HPE Apollo. Currently, we haven't received any specific training related to HPE Apollo throughout my career. If HPE Apollo provides training, we can share the knowledge with our partners, which could lead to more opportunities for HPE Apollo in the market. Deal protection and other support measures would also be beneficial, as they could help us achieve better results in this market.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"My advice to new users evaluating Dell PowerEdge FX is that it is definitely value for money, and you should consider it for purchase."

"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."

"The console and user-friendly UI of Dell PowerEdge FX are the most valuable features. Its interface is easy to understand even for non-technical users."

"The product seamlessly integrates with the storage portfolio."

"We like PowerEdge for its high-performance computing architecture."

"The best feature is PowerEdge's ability to stack up eight blade servers in one 2U chassis."

"It has extremely high performance, and it is easy to manage."

More Dell PowerEdge FX pros

"The cost benefit of this solution is most valuable. It is quite effective for the work for which we are using it. We are mainly running video servers on these, and we are quite happy with the resilience, density storage, and streaming capacity of the system."

"It's pretty flexible. You can choose how much storage you put on the server. You can have one to three nodes, depending on whether you want more CPU or storage."

"we can use the same platform for several use cases: Hadoop, Ceph, and we are considering the server for another use case right now. It's a single solution, we only have to integrate it once and we can use it for several technologies."

"HPE Apollo's pricing is low, and implementation is very easy compared to other products."

"Apollo Systems provide stuff that standard services do not. More HTDs, more compute power, at very reasonable pricing."

"Absolutely being able to mount into Omni-Path architecture, HFIs on those nodes, because we were the very first site in the world"

"We usually use three blades for two-rack units, and with enough storage, it's really a small system with a powerful CPU, powerful hard drives, powerful disks."

"With HPE Apollo, we can propose configurations with many hard drives, making it suitable for large storage needs."

More HPE Apollo Systems pros

Cons

"Before the cloud solution and virtualization, we relied on Dell hardware from specific vendors. The lifecycle for cloud infrastructure is shorter than it used to be. We need a longer lifecycle from the IT supplier providing the computing solution."

"They could improve from a manufacturing perspective."

"I think that Dell has full documentation on their products, but it needs to be improved for this one."

"I don't have any technical issues, but I would like to see the commercial side improve as compared to all other OEMs."

"When it comes to Dell PowerEdge FX, the area of concern revolves around the delivery time where improvements are required."

"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."

"The product must provide more integration."

"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."

More Dell PowerEdge FX cons

"We are quite happy with it, but its price and storage density can be better."

"We would like to see improved cooling because that is quite an issue. If you put that much compute power into a single rack, cooling really becomes an issue. And there is room for improvement there."

"If there could be some training for our team, we would be better equipped to promote and support HPE Apollo."

"Lustre seems to be just a little bit unstable overall."

"I would want to see the flexibility of being able to run various network protocols including InfiniBand, Fibre Channel, as well as iSCSI, with iSCSI going up to 100 gigabytes per second -that would be outstanding."

"We could, perhaps, use more GPUs in the future, go from eight to 16 GPUs per instance. That could run head-to-head against the DGX-1, the DGX-2 that NVIDIA has developed in their own chassis. That would be interesting to see."

"The predictive analysis feature could be improved."

"We have tried to used standardization using Ubuntu Linux and it's been hard. They had some difficulties getting the RAID configuration up and running because there are no drivers for it. It's not supported by HPE."

More HPE Apollo Systems cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Payments are generally made towards the perpetual-based licensing costs attached to the solution, but people can also opt for subscription-based licenses."

"Compared to other brands, this solution is the cheapest. I would rate the pricing as a five out of five."

"The price of the license is expensive."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"Obviously I would like to see the cost go down. That speaks for itself."

"There is an annual license required to use HPE Apollo."

"The price of the solution is more expensive than Dell which is their main competitor. However, there are times we have managed to receive a comparable price."

"Compared to other products, HPE Apollo is not an expensive solution."

"It is an expensive solution but it is worth the money. The standard licensing cost is for the GPU and the features that someone is using. There are additional charges but they depend on the solution."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

18%

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

Real Estate/Law Firm

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

13%

Government

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.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

What do you like most about HPE Apollo?

HPE Apollo's pricing is low, and implementation is very easy compared to other products.

See all answers

What needs improvement with HPE Apollo?

HPE Apollo's after-sales support and technical support should be improved. The solution should provide fast delivery when it comes to replacing a particular product that is under warranty.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for HPE Apollo?

We use HPE Apollo for specific requirements of Linux servers.

See all answers

Comparisons

Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers vs Dell PowerEdge FX

Compared 33% of the time

Lenovo Edge Servers vs Dell PowerEdge FX

Compared 17% of the time

Oracle SPARC Servers vs Dell PowerEdge FX

Compared 13% of the time

HPE Moonshot vs Dell PowerEdge FX

Compared 8% of the time

More Dell PowerEdge FX Competitors

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 35% of the time

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 20% of the time

Dell PowerEdge XE Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 9% of the time

HPE Synergy vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 6% of the time

IBM Power Systems vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 5% of the time

More HPE Apollo Systems Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerEdge FX

May 2025

Download Dell PowerEdge FX product report

Buyer's Guide

HPE Apollo Systems

May 2025

Download HPE Apollo Systems product report

Also Known As

PowerEdge FX

HP Apollo Systems, HP ProLiant SL, HP Apollo

Overview

The PowerEdge FX converged architecture gives enterprises the flexibility to tailor their IT infrastructure to specific workloads, and the ability to scale and adapt that infrastructure as needs change over time. PowerEdge FX helps deliver the agility, flexibility and secure foundation that businesses need to simplify operations and increase business results.

Dell Technologies

The HPE Apollo high-density server family is built for the highest levels of performance and efficiency. They are rack-scale compute, storage, networking, power and cooling – massively scale-up and scale-out – solutions for your big data analytics, object storage and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads. From water-cooling that’s 1,000X more efficient than air, to “right-sized scaling” with 2X the compute density for workgroup and private cloud workloads, the HPE Apollo line is a dense, high-performance, tiered approach for organisations of all sizes.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Sample Customers

Tracewell, Govers, AXA ASSISTANCE ITALIA

Weta Digital

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerEdge FX vs. HPE Apollo Systems

April 2025

Free Report: Dell PowerEdge FX vs. HPE Apollo Systems

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