Dell PowerEdge VRTX vs FlexPod XCS vs HPE ConvergedSystem comparison

Dell Technologies and NetApp are both solutions in the Converged Infrastructure category. Dell Technologies is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.2, while NetApp is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.3. Dell Technologies holds a 19.4% mindshare in CI, compared to NetApp’s 9.2% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Dell Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of NetApp users who would recommend it.

Dell PowerEdge VRTX

Read 20 Dell PowerEdge VRTX reviews

1,367 Views
1,271 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

FlexPod XCS

Read 295 FlexPod XCS reviews

1,703 Views
630 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

HPE ConvergedSystem

Read 21 HPE ConvergedSystem reviews

703 Views
633 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Dell PowerEdge VRTX

FlexPod XCS

HPE ConvergedSystem

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Dell PowerEdge VRTX, FlexPod XCS, and HPE ConvergedSystem based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Oracle and others in Converged Infrastructure.

To learn more, read our detailed Converged Infrastructure Report (Updated: August 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Converged Infrastructure

August 2025

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Helped 865,295 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:

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Converged Infrastructure category, the mindshare of Dell PowerEdge VRTX is 19.4%, down from 22.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of FlexPod XCS is 9.2%, down from 10.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HPE ConvergedSystem is 17.7%, up from 17.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Converged Infrastructure

Featured Reviews

Sheikh Sakil Ahmed

Chief Executive Officer at Cogent Broadband

Has delivered reliable and dynamic server performance

This process is very good, with a processor that has 32 cores, which is sufficient to meet my qualifications and needs. It's quite a good server, and I've been using it for the last three years. I also use different types of dynamic solutions for network design like AutoCAD and SolarWind.

Read full review

John Kevin

Deputy IT Manager at MBBank

Enforces standardized setup procedures following Certified Validated Design (CVD) guidelines and offers greater flexibility and control over the system compared to traditional systems

The GUI setup follows the right setup, meaning we have to follow the CVDi.e. Certified Validated Design. Everything is clear, because you can build CI yourself, but without rules, it can be messy. With FlexPod, there are rules to follow, making it more standardized. This helps with troubleshooting and compatibility assessments, simplifying troubleshooting significantly. We also use FlexPod pre-validated architectures to validate the design. It is very, very important to us because we had a bad case in 2015 where separate items integrated poorly due to no version or firmware compatibility certification. Troubleshooting became a nightmare. So, standards are crucial for us, and everything entering production should be verified or at least documented for certification.

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Fatai Akinwande

Specialist Datacenter and Server at IHS Towers

Has the ability to easily scale resources and redistribute workloads across multiple hosts

HPE ConvergedSystem could be enhanced by improving the built-in backup solution, as the current one fell short of our needs and led us to opt for third-party tools like Veeam. Additionally, addressing challenges related to remote copy functionality, especially in low-bandwidth conditions, would significantly improve the overall usability and effectiveness of HPE solutions in our setup.

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

"The online UA is very good in comparison to others."

"It is simple to use and it's user-friendly."

"With Dell PowerEdge VRTX, there are fewer points, and it is easier to troubleshoot and find your way around it."

"Dell PowerEdge VRTX is almost perfect in terms of stability, and I would rate it ten out of ten."

"The security is very good on the solution."

"We were satisfied after we upgraded to a professional next-day on-site support."

"The most valuable feature is the combined management in one box."

"This process is very good, with a processor that has 32 cores, which is sufficient to meet my qualifications and needs."

More Dell PowerEdge VRTX pros

"The solution suits converged infrastructures, where the customer gets a complete system with Cisco servers, NetApp Storage, and Cisco switches."

"The biggest lesson that I have learned from this solution is the ease of actually setting it up and learning it."

"It is a very well-thought-out solution with great virtualization. A good option we have is mapping a storage LUN onto an ESX cluster. That way, in case a particular ESX is down, it can migrate (using vMotion) to another host in the cluster, resulting in high-availability."

"The most valuable feature is the one support. Anytime that a customer buys a solution for a server, storage, or network, once they have trouble in their environment, everyone wants to find out who was wrong. With FlexPod, everyone is wrong and there is unified support. The best way to solve the problem is have it be everyone's problem, not just one person's problem. For FlexPod, you can call NetApp or Cisco, and I think it's the best way to solve the problem that the customer has."

"The most valuable features of this solution are the integration and ease of use."

"I have found the platform to be resilient, mainly because all the hardware is fault-tolerant. It has built-in HA, so if one of the components goes down, you're covered by the platform itself."

"Going from the old monolithic server and silo storage that they used to use is an improvement. With the FlexPod solution, just being able to manage and monitor the overall environment helps."

"FlexPod has improved our company as far as ease of management, stability, and redundancy."

More FlexPod XCS pros

"The storage, BladeSystems, Virtual Connect, and simplicity with hyper-converged solutions are the most valuable features of this solution."

"The solution's most valuable feature is its ability to restore lost machines. Essentially its high availability capabilities are extremely valuable to us."

"This is a scalable solution. Our customers begin with an initial configuration and later add more servers, memory and other options to meet the demands of increased processing."

"This solution is very simple to use."

"We find the deduplication and compression features to be most valuable, as well as that of the backup solution inside."

"The user interface, reporting, and management are good, and we are quite happy with the performance."

"The solution's technical support was good. I rate the technical support a ten out of ten."

"The tool's most valuable features are stability and scalability."

More HPE ConvergedSystem pros

Cons

"A disadvantage could be the price."

"The licensing can be difficult to understand."

"We've had general issues related to the solution being difficult."

"The cost of Dell PowerEdge VRTX is high, making it difficult for small and medium businesses to bear."

"There are some noises, and this module is quite annoying, with significant heat issues."

"When we first started with this product, we had some difficulty with it."

"The scalability could be better."

"Dell PowerEdge VRTX can improve by providing support for M2 drives."

More Dell PowerEdge VRTX cons

"Sometimes, it can take awhile for support cases to get to the right people, especially if it's not a P1 case."

"I think it is sufficient for now, but in the next generation, I'd just like to see bigger, faster, and better."

"A piece where FlexPod has come up short in the past and an area for them to improve upon: single pane of glass management and single pane of glass upgrade process."

"I'd like to see a little bit simpler management pane. Using UCS Director to front everything is good but for a lot of that upper mid-market, it's probably a little bit of overkill for what they need. They just want a nice, simply portal to go through and see what's going on. So if there was something that was middle of the road, it would be well received."

"Not a perfect ten because it could use better integration on the network side between UCS and the switching layer. The fact that LACP is not supported on UCS blades isn't so great. It would be nice if it was."

"We would like something like a FlexPod Express; we want a smaller version for small offices."

"FlexPods can include the new networking and new virtualization of storage and data center interconnectivity with the networking side of it. They can evolve and grow by connecting pods together."

"FlexPod was born to be used like building-block elements, to create large EDP premises. If used to create a single FlexPod CED, optional operational collaterals (backup, management, etc.) are missing, both in docs and in design."

More FlexPod XCS cons

"HPE ConvergedSystem needs to improve its price."

"I would like to see monitoring solutions included, as well as brand support."

"Features that should be addressed concern the HPE functionality and the interaction with VMware."

"It could be enhanced by improving the built-in backup solution."

"Perhaps they can work on providing faster allocation of memory or storage."

"The solution needs to add NFS features."

"Pricing is an area of concern in the solution where improvements are required."

"The tool has shortcomings in its performance monitoring part."

More HPE ConvergedSystem cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool's pricing is fine."

"We bought a license for seven years."

"Fully configured, it costs about $50,000 or $55,000. I did purchase a used one or refurbished one. I have been very happy with it so far. Even if it is an older unit, it doesn't look like its age, and I would say it has been a great choice so far for me. Obviously, I would have thought twice if I had to pay for a brand new one because it is still an older technology with the risk of being discontinued. I talked to Dell, and they're still selling it, but they're not promoting it. They're promoting another line of products right now for hyper-converged, which are much more expensive."

"On the scale of pricing, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I would rate it as a three. I am familiar with the overall cost, which involves licenses from Dell and VMware, among others, making it a combination of various license types."

"The solution is less expensive than competitors."

"We are renewing the support and we are purchasing the license for the software."

"This product is more reasonably-priced than similar solutions by HPE."

"The solution price of Dell PowerEdge VRTX could be reduced. However, when comparing the price of Dell PowerEdge VRTX to other solutions, such as HP and Lenovo, it was the best price for what they offer."

"We purchased from CDW•G. They are great partners on the government side."

"We have saved 50 percent on new service deployments."

"It seems very cost effective once it's in place, and it's easy to expand and easy to add capacity without a lot of extra money."

"I find the licensing and pricing structure to be favorable."

"It is expensive. My company is small. When you look at the price point, this is a big thing for us to invest in."

"We can just swap in new equipment or hardware as we need, which has probably saved us several weeks."

"We fear high availability so we can't buy from different providers."

"It created lower total cost of ownership. Previously, we had disparate storage and servers, and there were bits of kits everywhere. Now, we have two data centers with almost identical setups in both."

More FlexPod XCS pricing and cost advice

"This is an expensive solution."

"This is an expensive system and not every customer has the kind of budget to support it."

"There are some extra costs in addition to the licensing costs for the yearly maintenance from professional third-party services."

"My company has a five year contract for HPE ConvergedSystem. The contracts depend on companies and sometimes it can be three years. The solution is worth its price."

"The pricing is competitive. Not a major problem. We have a subscription model."

"I rate the product price an eight and a half on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."

"The tool's licensing costs are yearly."

"Pricing is good. We have not calculated what hyper-converged infrastructure has brought us but I think there has to be some lower cost for us, compared to the public cloud. Obviously, there would be a lower cost, probably by more than half."

More HPE ConvergedSystem pricing and cost advice

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Comparison Review

it_user244362

Managing Consultant with 51-200 employees

Aug 30, 2015

Nutanix vs. VMware EVO:RAIL vs. FlexPod

Originally posted at www.storagegaga.com/dont-get-too-drunk-on-hyper-converged/ I hate the fact that I am bursting the big bubble brewing about Hyper Convergence (HC). I urge all to look past the hot air and hype frenzy that are going on, because in the end, the HC platforms have to be aligned…

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

19%

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Government

Manufacturing Company

20%

Educational Organization

15%

Performing Arts

Computer Software Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Dell PowerEdge VRTX?

The system is very intuitive.

See all answers

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

The cost of Dell PowerEdge VRTX is high, making it difficult for small and medium businesses to bear. I would rate th...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Dell PowerEdge VRTX?

It would be much better for customers if Dell could provide firmware updates even after the end of the product's life...

See all answers

What do you like most about FlexPod?

The system is designed for easy scaling. Because we define everything clearly. So when we plug the system in, we appl...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for FlexPod?

The pricing is not cheaper, but stability is more important for us now. We focus on business gains, not static number...

See all answers

What needs improvement with FlexPod?

FlexPod should focus more on automation. Integrating an automation tool with FlexPod would enable customers to levera...

See all answers

What do you like most about HPE ConvergedSystem?

The most valuable features of the solution are the flexibility and the availability of the machines.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HPE ConvergedSystem?

I rate the product price an eight and a half on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with HPE ConvergedSystem?

Pricing is an area of concern in the solution where improvements are required.

See all answers

Comparisons

IBM PureSystems vs Dell PowerEdge VRTX

Compared 15% of the time

More Dell PowerEdge VRTX Competitors

Dell PowerFlex vs FlexPod XCS

Compared 23% of the time

Oracle Private Cloud Appliance vs FlexPod XCS

Compared 11% of the time

HPE Hyper Converged vs FlexPod XCS

Compared 10% of the time

VxRail vs FlexPod XCS

Compared 8% of the time

Dell Vscale Architecture vs FlexPod XCS

Compared 8% of the time

More FlexPod XCS Competitors

Oracle Private Cloud Appliance vs HPE ConvergedSystem

Compared 18% of the time

Dell VxBlock System vs HPE ConvergedSystem

Compared 9% of the time

More HPE ConvergedSystem Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerEdge VRTX

August 2025

Download Dell PowerEdge VRTX product report

Buyer's Guide

FlexPod XCS

August 2025

Download FlexPod XCS product report

Buyer's Guide

HPE ConvergedSystem

August 2025

Download HPE ConvergedSystem product report

Also Known As

No data available

HPE ConvergedSystem 700, HPE ConvergedSystem for SAP HANA, CS500, HPE ConvergedSystem 900, HPE ConvergedSystem 500, HPE ConvergedSystem 300

Overview

PowerEdge VRTX modular infrastructure platform integrates servers, storage, networking and management together in a single compact chassis.

Dell Technologies

FlexPod XCS is the secure platform your applications need from edge to cloud. Easily manage your suite of cloud-native, edge, and enterprise apps. Integrate advanced cloud services without compromising performance, security, reliability, or scale.

NetApp

HPE ConvergedSystem is designed for high availability, scalability, and seamless integration with HPE software and devices. It is valued for its stability, performance, and cost-efficiency, especially in areas such as power and cooling, making it suitable for diverse IT environments.

HPE ConvergedSystem offers a flexible and compact design, making it manageable even for IT novices. It serves multiple purposes, including server provisioning, container hosting, and recovery and backup operations. Users appreciate its capability to optimize virtual environments and its compatibility with VMware hosting and on-premises deployments. The system's seamless operation with HPE software and devices like Serviceguard, Synergy, and SimpliVity supports complex IT tasks. However, challenges include pricing and compatibility with new software versions, with room for improvements in scalability, full flash arrays, and monitoring tools. Enhancements in integration with third-party tools, remote copy functionality in low-bandwidth environments, and cloud management features are desired for better performance.

What are the key features of HPE ConvergedSystem?

High Availability: Ensures continuous operation of IT environments.
Scalability: Allows easy expansion to meet growing IT demands.
Easy Integration: Seamlessly works with HPE and third-party software.
Simplicity and Flexibility: User-friendly for IT novices with adaptable configurations.

What benefits should users look for when evaluating HPE ConvergedSystem?

Cost-Efficiency: Reduces expenses in power and cooling.
Performance: Provides stable and efficient IT operations.
Backup Capabilities: Supports robust data recovery processes.
Security: Delivers secure IT environments for complex tasks.

HPE ConvergedSystem is implemented in industries such as government, healthcare, and education. Consulting firms, resellers, and integrators use it to meet diverse client requirements, benefiting from its efficiency in virtual machine scaling and exceptional user experience delivery.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Sample Customers

University of Dundee, GE Healthcare Japan

University of Sao Paulo, WD-40, The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group

FAW-Volkswagen, NICS, NBrIX, Pinpoint, HPE Technology Services, SWS, Ko Sistem, HPE

Buyer's Guide

Converged Infrastructure

August 2025

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