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Dell SC Series vs VMAX [EOL] comparison

Dell SC Series and VMAX [EOL] are both solutions in the Frame-Based Disk Arrays category. Additionally, 94% of Dell SC Series users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 84% of VMAX [EOL] users who would recommend it.
Dell SC Series
Read 55 Dell SC Series reviews
  • 2,309 Views
  • 231 Comparison Views
94% willing to recommend
VMAX [EOL]
Read 16 VMAX [EOL] reviews
    84% willing to recommend
     

    Comparison Buyer's Guide

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    Executive Summary
    We performed a comparison between Dell SC Series and VMAX [EOL] based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

    Find out what your peers are saying about Hitachi Vantara, Dell Technologies, IBM and others in Frame-Based Disk Arrays.

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    To learn more, read our detailed Frame-Based Disk Arrays Report (Updated: March 2026).
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    Frame-Based Disk Arrays
    March 2026
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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 SC Series
    Average Rating
    8.4
    Reviews Sentiment
    7.5
    Number of Reviews
    55
    Ranking in other categories
    Frame-Based Disk Arrays (2nd), All-Flash Storage (18th)
    VMAX [EOL]
    Average Rating
    9.0
    Number of Reviews
    16
    Ranking in other categories
    No ranking in other categories
     

    Featured Reviews

    RafaelGamaluis - PeerSpot reviewer
    RafaelGamaluis
    Architect Engineer, IT INFRASTRUCTURES Project Manager at Vilavi
    User interface offers clarity and detailed information while technical support consistently delivers
    The best features of Dell SC Series are stability and replication. The replication solution is excellent, and they have a solution named Live Migration. It is a robust platform. The interface and the GUI (graphical user interface) for administrating the Compellent are exceptional, with abundant information that is very clear. The management capabilities are excellent, and the stability of our storage hardware is remarkable.
    Read full review
    it_user1075341 - PeerSpot reviewer
    it_user1075341
    Senior Systems Engineer at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees
    Resilient storage solution with zero downtime that is easy to implement and has good support
    The way you configure larger size volumes needs improvement. Currently, the one that we have is a single volume limit of 240 gigs. If you wanted bigger than that you have to do meta volumes to combine them. My understanding is the VMAX3 and the PowerMax, did away with that, making it a lot easier to provision storage than in the past. Scalability with the 2013 version was an area that needed improvement, but they have fixed it with later products. All of the issues that I am currently facing with this version, for example, being able to create larger volumes and making it easier to manage, have all been implemented in the new versions of this solution.
    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

    "Technical support is good."
    "Performance-wise it's high speed. It's also more stable and scalable."
    "It's the storage backbone for our virtual environment."
    "The most valuable feature is the speed for the end-user."
    "In terms of stability, it's good enough. It's okay."
    "Easy management of volumes: You can create volumes and easily assign them to VMware clusters, increasing their size."
    "With mixed workloads, we are seeing at least a 15 to 20 percent improvement."
    "The flexibility of this solution has been valuable for our business."
    More Dell SC Series pros
    "Resilience, speed, flexibility, system reliability, and a strong refresh strategy are the most valuable features."
    "It is a high end storage, minimal downtime, reliable, good performance, get speedy support when we need."
    "This solution is resilient."
    "Furthermore, EMC support is second to none, EMC engineers will visit your site to replace a disk or component before you are even aware that there is a problem (via ESRS – see below)."
    "The most valuable features are the interface and performance."
    "If someone is looking for a product that can give the best performance under heavy load then this is the product they must go for."
    "A rock solid foundation to deploy applications which cannot incur a disruption of service."
    "I like the many new features, especially the all-flash solution."
    More VMAX [EOL] pros
     

    Cons

    "In some customer cases, customers experienced more performance or latency."
    "We had times that we needed a file service solution. We've used FluidFS, but it's a solution that is being transitioned out."
    "Dell could improve the upgrading process. It was the lifecycle that made it very short."
    "The interface could be improved. It should have an application point of view."
    "We had some issues with the battery in the previous version that we were unable to resolve."
    "In the future, I want any box that comes on-premises to have the provision to integrate with cloud storage."
    "From a performance point of view, it's getting a bit old."
    "In terms of what could be improved, I would say the lack of reporting would be the main issue."
    More Dell SC Series cons
    "I'm always interested in ways we can scale out and avoid monolithic migrations from one array to another every four to five years."
    "I would like this solution to integrate the solution that Dell EMC vPlex offers."
    "Better speed to release new features that have become industry standards. EMC created so many standards in the past. Now, it seems they are playing a me-too game and lagging behind in some areas, specifically data reduction."
    "Manageability is a bit of a challenge, as the user interface to access the array is not very user-friendly."
    "I'd like to see improvements where we can scale out an existing array and remove older controllers\drives\etc., within the same subsystem."
    "Resilience replication, reporting, and performance need to be improved."
    "It is still expensive."
    "The only draw back is you don’t get multiple point in time copies."
    More VMAX [EOL] cons
     

    Pricing and Cost Advice

    "Always keep in mind, this is not just a enclosure with disks is a complete SAN as a service. There is software, license, and storage in one single solution."
    "It's a very affordable solution."
    "It is one of the most cost effective systems for us. We have been able to run it longer than most, getting the most benefit and money out of it."
    "We were able to afford two tiers of flash storage at a price where the competition was giving us one tier or just a handful of discs."
    "The scalability seems a bit more expensive than even buying a brand new one so far. That has been kind of a drawback."
    "This product is too expensive compared to others, and I don't see any value in using it."
    "It's absolutely affordable. Again, not having to do a forklift upgrade like some of the others have had to do in the past, it's very affordable for our customers and they continue to buy."
    "Support typically depends on the array. It can range anywhere from $7,000 to a couple of hundred thousand dollars."
    More Dell SC Series pricing and cost advice
    "Our licensing fees are billed on a yearly basis."
    "There are additional costs to the standard licensing fee, and it just depends on the package."
    "Our licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."
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    Top Industries

    By visitors reading reviews
    Financial Services Firm
    14%
    Outsourcing Company
    9%
    Construction Company
    7%
    Performing Arts
    6%
    No data available
     

    Company Size

    By reviewers
    Large Enterprise
    Midsize Enterprise
    Small Business
    By reviewers
    Company SizeCount
    Small Business26
    Midsize Enterprise10
    Large Enterprise20
    By reviewers
    Company SizeCount
    Small Business2
    Midsize Enterprise6
    Large Enterprise17
     

    Questions from the Community

    What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell SC Series?
    In our case, we received favorable pricing with Dell because of our strong partnership. While I acknowledge that Dell SC Series can be expensive for many companies, we received good discounts. The ...
    See all answers
    What needs improvement with Dell SC Series?
    For us, it is a great product. The deduplication and compression could potentially be improved, though they are already good. We cannot identify any significant areas that need improvement.
    See all answers
    What is your primary use case for Dell SC Series?
    We use Dell SC Series in a VMware environment.
    See all answers
    Ask a question
    Earn 20 points
     

    Comparisons

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    Dell PowerStore vs Dell SC Series
    Compared 11% of the time
    HPE 3PAR StoreServ vs Dell SC Series Logo
    HPE 3PAR StoreServ vs Dell SC Series
    Compared 8% of the time
    Everpure FlashArray vs Dell SC Series Logo
    Everpure FlashArray vs Dell SC Series
    Compared 7% of the time
    Dell Unity XT vs Dell SC Series Logo
    Dell Unity XT vs Dell SC Series
    Compared 7% of the time
    HPE Alletra Storage vs Dell SC Series Logo
    HPE Alletra Storage vs Dell SC Series
    Compared 6% of the time
    More Dell SC Series Competitors
    IBM System Storage DS8000 Series vs VMAX [EOL] Logo
    IBM System Storage DS8000 Series vs VMAX [EOL]
    Compared 44% of the time
    More VMAX [EOL] Competitors
     

    Product Reports

    Buyer's Guide
    Dell SC Series
    April 2026
    Dell SC Series reportDownload Dell SC Series product report
    Buyer's Guide
    VMAX [EOL]
    March 2026
    VMAX [EOL] reportDownload VMAX [EOL] product report
     

    Also Known As

    SC Series Storage, Compellent
    Symmetrix VMAX
     

    Overview

    Dell EMC SC Series arrays provide a unified platform for the ultimate in performance, adaptability and machine-driven efficiency. SC Series software delivers modern features that help you meet aggressive workload demands using the fewest drives necessary. With an open, future-ready design, SC Series storage integrates seamlessly with applications and infrastructure, enabling you to scale on a single platform and add capabilities without forklift upgrades.

    Dell Technologies
    Symmetrix VMAX accelerate your transformation to the software-defined data center with the world's most powerful, trusted, and smart family of storage products.
    Dell Technologies
     

    Sample Customers

    TGen, Frost Science, Gerrie Electric
    Wentworth-Douglas Hospital, Kindred Healthcare, Cosentry, Sumitomo Life Insurance Company, Shriners, BZWBK
    Buyer's Guide
    Frame-Based Disk Arrays
    March 2026
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