Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs Dell PowerEdge XE-Series comparison

Dell PowerEdge R-Series and Dell PowerEdge XE-Series are both solutions in the Rack Servers category. Dell PowerEdge R-Series is ranked #1 with an average rating of 9.0, while Dell PowerEdge XE-Series is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.7. Dell PowerEdge R-Series holds a 27.4% mindshare in Rack Servers, compared to Dell PowerEdge XE-Series’s 1.3% mindshare. Additionally, 98% of Dell PowerEdge R-Series users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Dell PowerEdge XE-Series users who would recommend it.

Dell PowerEdge R-Series

Read 228 Dell PowerEdge R-Series reviews

13,105 Views
12,843 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Dell PowerEdge XE-Series

Read 11 Dell PowerEdge XE-Series reviews

658 Views
658 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Dell PowerEdge R-Series

Dell PowerEdge XE-Series

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 26, 2025

Dell PowerEdge R-Series and XE-Series compete in the server market, with the R-Series having an edge in flexibility and remote management capabilities, while the XE-Series excels in big data and analytics applications.

Features: The Dell PowerEdge R-Series is notable for its scalability, ease of upgrades, and robust remote management tools like iDRAC and DRAC Enterprise. It performs exceptionally well in decentralized environments. In contrast, the Dell PowerEdge XE-Series is recognized for its compatibility with data center ecosystems and big data analytics, making it ideal for high-demand, data-centric tasks.

Room for Improvement: Dell PowerEdge R-Series could improve on memory speed, IOPS, and streamlined management interfaces. Parts availability and technical documentation also need enhancement. Dell PowerEdge XE-Series would benefit from better extensibility, improved stability, and enhanced market presence. Improved API support and additional scalability features are also noted as potential improvements.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Both Dell PowerEdge R-Series and XE-Series are praised for dependable on-premises deployment capabilities. The R-Series supports hybrid and private cloud environments with comprehensive support. Both series are commended for excellent customer service, with the R-Series having quick issue resolution, despite some delays post-COVID, and the XE-Series noted for its prompt technical support and responsiveness.

Pricing and ROI: The Dell PowerEdge R-Series, though seen as more expensive than some competitors, provides strong value with transparent and reasonable licensing. It's cost-effective due to varied pricing strategies catering to different organizational needs. Conversely, the XE-Series is seen as competitively priced with a low cost of implementation. Users appreciate its ROI through operational efficiencies and reliability, but R-Series stands out for abundant pricing options catering to diverse requirements.

To learn more, read our detailed Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs. Dell PowerEdge XE-Series Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs. Dell PowerEdge XE-Series

September 2025

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Helped 869,760 peers since 2012

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 R-Series

Ranking in Rack Servers

1st

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

228

Ranking in other categories

Converged Infrastructure (4th), Data Center Networking (2nd), Blade Servers (5th)

Dell PowerEdge XE-Series

Ranking in Rack Servers

9th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.0

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 Dell PowerEdge R-Series is 27.4%, down from 28.2% 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
Product	Market Share (%)
Dell PowerEdge R-Series	27.4%
Dell PowerEdge XE-Series	1.3%
Other	71.3%

Rack Servers

Featured Reviews

Muzamil Yakub

Chief Executive Officer at Infoview Limited

Offers robust security and management features while supporting diverse workloads

For the most part, there’s no need for improvement in areas like manageability and security; they’ve covered those quite well. The storage controllers are also very well designed, and the support for NVMe is excellent. Regarding customization, the chassis can be tailored to meet specific user needs. They have addressed many aspects thoroughly. For instance, remote management is well taken care of; I even have an app on my phone that allows me to check the health status of the hardware. Overall, we can monitor and manage servers remotely without any issues. I would say that while Dell keeps up with industry innovations, they’ve addressed nearly all areas effectively. Dell could improve its coverage a bit. Sometimes, there are firmware updates that need to be addressed. When we log into the iDRAC interface on the server for management, we currently have to manually upload the images for the new firmware upgrade. While the upgrade process itself is straightforward, many customers are often unaware that a firmware upgrade is even necessary. If this process could be automated so that the server can check for available firmware updates on its own, it would be really helpful. The server could send out an alert email indicating that a new firmware upgrade is available, allowing the administrator to decide when to perform the upgrade.

Read full review

Muzammil Nasim

Software Architect at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees

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.

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

"In regards to security, I have noticed that we can implement Active Directory to the iDRAC. It is more secure that way. Then, everyone can access it as they please."

"PowerEdge Servers helped to reduce unplanned production downtime because of the configuration of our product, it is active-active. It has 99% high reliability."

"We have about 80 servers and have only lost maybe two power supplies. They just run forever."

"We want to ensure that we have 24/7 availability with Dell PowerEdge R-Series, and we have pretty much had that with the servers over the years."

"The solutions accelerated GPUs helped to support demanding workloads and to reduce data processing time in our organization."

"Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are 100% stable and reliable."

"New Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers consistently perform better as technology improves."

"We use remote access a lot. They are fairly simple to use."

More Dell PowerEdge R-Series pros

"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 is that it can support up to 32 drives of internal storage."

"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."

"The resource management features are valuable."

"The strong point of this solution is its compatibility with VMware and its resilience."

"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."

More Dell PowerEdge XE-Series pros

Cons

"PowerEdge is not that flexible. For example, it's difficult if I need something that is not in Dell's portfolio. We offer the flexibility to the customer. We can implement different things Dell doesn't have. If you have preconfigured systems, it's hard to transition them to what you need."

"The price could possibly use improvement. Dell servers are not the most affordable, and pricing is always a consideration. Otherwise, I don't see any specific areas for improvement."

"When trying to piece out a server for our builds, there are so many different SKUs—probably 30 to 40 SKUs—that it can be difficult to read. If that could be condensed a little bit, that would help."

"There might be room for improvement in terms of efficiency, particularly with PowerEdge servers."

"There are new FPGA cards available on the market but they are not in the portfolio."

"It's not the perfect solution but it is reasonable."

"They should reduce its size. Because the CPU power is more now, they can reduce the size of the servers. Currently, we have a 2U server. If possible, they can make a 1U server."

"I have used these servers in a government project along with Nutanix, and there is a security restriction. I do not know if it is from Dell's side or Nutanix's side. From the host, you cannot read the external hard drive data inside a VM."

More Dell PowerEdge R-Series cons

"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."

"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."

"In future releases, there should be more support options for the latest processor."

"Dell PowerEdge XE Servers can improve by adapting HCI technology."

"Upgrading can be a bit difficult."

"I would like to have support for performing a detailed analysis of the server from a mobile device."

"The support team must improve the speed of response."

"The quality and reliability could be improved."

More Dell PowerEdge XE-Series cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Pricing appears to be comparatively favorable, particularly within the project's scope."

"The pricing is very good because there are a lot of types of PowerEdge Rack Servers. You have the R540, R640, and R740. The prices are very scalable through the specific server, e.g., small businesses can take the R640 while large businesses can take the R740 or R840. Thus, Dell technologies touch on every organization."

"The pricing is fair enough."

"The product's pricing is not good."

"This solution is reasonably priced and licenses are easy to acquire."

"The licensing comes with a warranty."

"The pricing for Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers is on par with everything else at the moment."

"The product is cheaper than HP servers, but the price could always be better."

More Dell PowerEdge R-Series pricing and cost advice

"Dell has competitive pricing."

"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."

"The pricing model is quite competitive."

"If you want an SLA for parts and equipment then you need to purchase a support agreement."

"You always want slightly cheaper, but overall, they are quite comparable and quite neutral."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

21%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

University

Computer Software Company

18%

Financial Services Firm

Retailer

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	79
Midsize Enterprise	52
Large Enterprise	95

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	3

Questions from the Community

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 Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers?

It has helped us reduce unplanned downtime by 20% to 30%.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers?

See all answers

What do you like most about Dell PowerEdge XE Servers?

The resource management features are valuable.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerEdge XE Servers?

Dell has competitive pricing.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

Comparisons

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs Dell PowerEdge R-Series

Compared 40% of the time

Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers vs Dell PowerEdge R-Series

Compared 28% of the time

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

Compared 10% of the time

IBM Power Systems vs Dell PowerEdge R-Series

Compared 6% of the time

More Dell PowerEdge R-Series Competitors

HPE Apollo Systems vs Dell PowerEdge XE-Series

Compared 22% of the time

Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers vs Dell PowerEdge XE-Series

Compared 17% of the time

Oracle SPARC Servers vs Dell PowerEdge XE-Series

Compared 14% of the time

Dell PowerEdge XR-Series vs Dell PowerEdge XE-Series

Compared 14% of the time

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

Compared 12% of the time

More Dell PowerEdge XE-Series Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerEdge R-Series

October 2025

Download Dell PowerEdge R-Series product report

Buyer's Guide

Rack Servers

October 2025

Download Dell PowerEdge XE-Series product report

Also Known As

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers

PowerEdge XE Servers

Overview

PowerEdge R-Series delivers high performance, flexibility, and scalability for data centers. It supports demanding tasks with robust management tools and advanced cooling, providing reliability and efficiency across various workloads.

Engineered for large deployments, PowerEdge R-Series supports extensive configurations optimizing performance in data centers. With features like advanced cooling and energy-efficient architecture, it empowers organizations to manage heavy workloads while facilitating seamless scalability. It offers remote management, robust security, and integration with VMware ensuring operational excellence and high availability for business-critical applications.

What are the key features of Dell PowerEdge R-Series?

Scalability: Supports flexible configurations for diverse workloads.
Remote Management: iDRAC and OpenManage facilitate easy oversight.
Energy Efficiency: Architecture helps reduce energy consumption.
Security: Robust features ensure protected performance.
VMware Integration: Enhances manageability and productivity.

What benefits and ROI should you look for?

Performance: Handles high-performance and demanding tasks.
Flexibility: Offers easily upgradable configurations.
Reliability: Provides consistent performance with long-term support.
Efficiency: Reduces energy use and operational costs.
Ease of Use: Simplifies management and maintenance.

PowerEdge R-Series is deployed across industries for virtualization, database hosting, and application servers. It supports environments like VMware and Hyper-V for AI, cloud infrastructure, and computing tasks. Widely used by finance, healthcare, and academia, it enhances reliability and efficiency of IT infrastructure.

Dell Technologies

The PowerEdge XE-Series caters to AI-centric workloads by offering exceptional GPU support and processing power for demanding tasks like inferencing and large-scale training, making it ideal for organizations aiming to innovate with AI.

PowerEdge XE-Series stands out in modern GPU-centric computing with its purpose-built design for AI acceleration. Known for handling extreme workloads like model fine-tuning and AI-driven applications, it supports high-density GPU configurations and advanced thermal management. Its vast storage capacity and compatibility with VMware ensure reliable performance across virtualization, big data, and analytics while providing trusted security integration and robust scalability options. However, improvements in processor support, reliability, and management monitoring are sought by users.

What are the key features of PowerEdge XE-Series?

High-Density GPU Support: Configures multiple GPUs for demanding AI tasks.
Advanced Thermal Design: Optimizes cooling for enhanced performance.
Vast Storage Capacity: Supports up to 32 drives for extensive data management.
Compatibility: Works seamlessly with platforms like VMware.
Security Integration: Includes trusted platform modules for data protection.

What benefits should users expect from PowerEdge XE-Series?

Efficient AI Management: Enhances AI workloads with advanced processing.
Scalability: Adapts to growing demands in virtualization and big data.
Security: Offers robust data protection and reliability.
Improved Resource Management: Facilitates straightforward setup and usage.

In different industries, PowerEdge XE-Series is utilized for hosting SaaS, high-performance computing, and general-purpose servers. System integrators use it in client networks for applications like Hadoop, backup, and ERP. It supports virtualization and hyper-converged infrastructure solutions. Real estate sectors leverage iDRAC for efficient management, enhancing data security, power, and network redundancy.

Dell Technologies

Sample Customers

NxtGen Datacenter, Medien-Service Untermain (MSU), Exasol, IndigoVision, Dayco

Epsilon, ROZETTA CORP, JIGUANG, RACKSPACE, NEW BELGIUM BREWING

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs. Dell PowerEdge XE-Series

September 2025

Free Report: Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs. Dell PowerEdge XE-Series

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