Dell PowerEdge XE-Series 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 8.7, while Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.0. Dell Technologies holds a 1.3% mindshare in Rack Servers, compared to Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s 3.8% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Dell Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users who would recommend it.

Dell PowerEdge XE-Series

Read 11 Dell PowerEdge XE-Series reviews

658 Views
658 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

HPE Apollo Systems

Read 23 HPE Apollo Systems reviews

1,950 Views
1,716 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Dell PowerEdge XE-Series

HPE Apollo Systems

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 26, 2025

HPE Apollo Systems and Dell PowerEdge XE-Series compete in the high-performance computing market. HPE Apollo has the upper hand in customization and energy efficiency, while Dell PowerEdge XE-Series impresses with flexibility and global support.

Features: HPE Apollo Systems offer high-density design, energy-efficient performance, and customizable configurations, making them suitable for specialized workloads. Dell PowerEdge XE-Series features powerful processing capabilities, extensive scalability, and strong integration with various platforms, catering to diverse enterprise needs.

Room for Improvement: HPE Apollo needs to enhance initial configuration ease, expand global support networks, and improve compatibility with multiple platforms. Dell PowerEdge XE-Series could benefit from further energy efficiency improvements, a broader range of customization options, and enhanced automation capabilities to streamline management processes.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HPE Apollo Systems provide straightforward deployment with onsite support tailored to specific business needs but require more initial configuration. Dell PowerEdge XE-Series ensures a quick and streamlined deployment experience, backed by extensive global customer service for reduced downtime and better service consistency.

Pricing and ROI: HPE Apollo Systems often have a higher upfront cost but provide long-term energy savings and value for tailored deployments. Dell PowerEdge XE-Series is generally more cost-effective initially, offering quicker ROI through flexible deployment options and robust feature sets.

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

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerEdge XE-Series vs. HPE Apollo Systems

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

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

HPE Apollo Systems

Ranking in Rack Servers

8th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

4.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Density Optimized Servers (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Rack Servers category, the mindshare of Dell PowerEdge XE-Series is 1.3%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HPE Apollo Systems is 3.8%, down from 4.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Rack Servers Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
HPE Apollo Systems	3.8%
Dell PowerEdge XE-Series	1.3%
Other	94.9%

Rack Servers

Featured Reviews

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.

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Aruna Udawatte

Director -Digital Transformation at Convergence

An affordable and easy-to-implement solution, but its after-sales support and technical support should be improved

We use HPE Apollo for specific requirements of Linux servers HPE Apollo's pricing is low, and implementation is very easy compared to other products. HPE Apollo's after-sales support and technical support should be improved. The solution should provide fast delivery when it comes to replacing a…

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 solution is flexible in my experience."

"Its reliability and consistency are most valuable."

"The most valuable feature is that it can support up to 32 drives of internal storage."

"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."

"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 of these servers is the ability to store a lot—the capacity and the number of hard disk drives."

"The resource management features are valuable."

"In general, it works well. We haven't had issues."

More Dell PowerEdge XE-Series pros

"The technical support from HPE has always been good in my experience."

"When we moved to the Apollo and all flash drives, we gained a lot of performance."

"It's very reliable. I haven't had a single failure at all in the year and a half; not the slightest problem with it."

"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."

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

"HPE Apollo's most valuable feature is the ability to expand our storage capacity."

"We're going to buy another Apollo 6500. We may configure it with half the number of GPUs because that may be all we need. In a sense, we can see the Apollo 6500 being so powerful that we only need half the GPU capability that we have now."

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

More HPE Apollo Systems pros

Cons

"Upgrading can be a bit difficult."

"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."

"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."

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

"The quality and reliability could be improved."

"We use OpenManager a lot, and that can be a bit clunky at times. They can make that better."

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

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

More Dell PowerEdge XE-Series cons

"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."

"HPE Apollo's after-sales support and technical support should be improved."

"The technical support for HPE Apollo Systems could be improved."

"The solution's deployment, security, and scalability need improvement."

"There is a shared battery for all cache controllers in the node. When you have to replace that element, you have to take down all three nodes and not just one."

"The support from HPE Apollo could be better, they are making knowledgeable."

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

"The technical support from HPE has always been good in my experience."

More HPE Apollo Systems cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"This solution is priced very reasonably."

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

"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."

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

"Dell has competitive pricing."

"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."

"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."

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

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

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

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

18%

Financial Services Firm

Retailer

University

Manufacturing Company

13%

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	12

Questions from the Community

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

What needs improvement with HPE Apollo?

Additional features would be beneficial in the next release of HPE Apollo Systems.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for HPE Apollo?

We were working with HPE Apollo Systems for one of our projects for the company named VVDN. We were using HPE Apollo Systems, GPU systems and CPU systems. For GPU systems, the model was 6500, in wh...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering HPE Apollo?

Our company is a platinum partner with HPE, and we continue to deal with HPE. We sell many of their hardware products. Depending on the requirement or deal, we may sell HPE Converged System, hardwa...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 12% of the time

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Compared 12% of the time

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Compared 39% of the time

Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 23% of the time

HPE Synergy vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 8% of the time

IBM Power Systems vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 7% of the time

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 4% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Rack Servers

October 2025

Download Dell PowerEdge XE-Series product report

Buyer's Guide

HPE Apollo Systems

September 2025

Download HPE Apollo Systems product report

Also Known As

PowerEdge XE Servers

HP Apollo Systems, HP ProLiant SL, HP Apollo

Overview

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

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

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

Weta Digital

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerEdge XE-Series vs. HPE Apollo Systems

September 2025

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