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Dell PowerEdge XR-Series vs HPE Apollo Systems comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

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 XR-Series
Ranking in Rack Servers
3rd
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.2
Number of Reviews
21
Ranking in other categories
Rugged Servers (1st)
HPE Apollo Systems
Ranking in Rack Servers
9th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
5.0
Number of Reviews
25
Ranking in other categories
Density Optimized Servers (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Rack Servers category, the mindshare of Dell PowerEdge XR-Series is 2.8%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HPE Apollo Systems is 5.6%, up from 3.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Rack Servers Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Dell PowerEdge XR-Series2.8%
HPE Apollo Systems5.6%
Other91.6%
Rack Servers
 

Featured Reviews

Ajit Pratap Kundan - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager Solution Consulting at Accops Systems Pvt Ltd
Rugged servers have delivered reliable high-performance analytics and reduced downtime
Dell PowerEdge XR-Series servers include rugged devices that are very tough, and we are using these servers in very sensitive areas. Their tolerance is good; they are resistant to dust and other elements. They feature redundant power, and they have a TPM 2.0, which is very important from a security perspective. This also has a Silicon Root of Trust. iDRAC, which is part of all Dell servers, is also included here. These are the important aspects from the servers' point of view. In terms of capabilities, Dell PowerEdge XR-Series is high performance and capable of addressing high performance workloads. They have front access networking, which makes it easy to work with. We also get all the GPU ready workload configuration required from the workload perspective, resulting in very low latency. Even users accessing from remote locations are able to achieve optimum performance. Dell PowerEdge XR-Series has flexibility; it is very flexible and can handle all kinds of workloads. We are running a variety of applications on this system. It is also easy to scale up and down on demand, which is the best part. Additionally, it has good rack compatibility, as most places do not have optimal power or space, and these servers address that concern.
Gökhan  DURMAZ - PeerSpot reviewer
Account Manager at TD SYNNEX
High-quality integration and strong support have optimized our rack server operations
HPE Apollo Systems is a good product because it has better support and best quality with integrity. When I speak about integrity, I speak about GPU integration or other integrations such as GPU integration, backup software integration, and hypervisor integration. Regarding the integration of high-speed interconnectors in HPE Apollo Systems, they impact computational tasks because the high-speed interconnect affects performance. I don't remember the specifics. Regarding the cooling technologies, they help to reduce operational costs. The positive impact I see from HPE Apollo Systems is that support is good and quality is good. In general, HPE Apollo Systems appears to be for rack servers with some optimization capabilities.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The scalability of the Dell XR2 Rugged Server is good and easy to do."
"The Dell teams are always knowledgeable, always great to work with, and always on top of their game."
"The most positive aspect of Dell PowerEdge XR-Series is the availability, which is very high, and the support and services are very good."
"Stability, good performance, and good tools to manage the system are the best features for me."
"I appreciate the management tool, iDRAC, in Dell PowerEdge XR-Series, as it is convenient for administrators to use when managing Dell PowerEdge XR-Series."
"What I like the most about Dell PowerEdge R-Series is probably the Redfish manageability, which provides management, remote management, and remote configuration capabilities."
"Dell PowerEdge XR-Series is very popular and we are selling this as a standard."
"Dell PowerEdge servers have helped reduce unplanned production downtime by approximately 30% because we are able to handle issues immediately."
"We are running Apollo with SL-series servers and the best thing about them is the density of the storage area available."
"The solution is well documented in a data sheet."
"With HPE Apollo, we can propose configurations with many hard drives, making it suitable for large storage needs."
"We had a PoC, as I said, and we were happy with it and decided to implement it, as it satisfies all our needs and is the perfect solution."
"It's going to meet our needs moving forward, it is scalable."
"The technical support from HPE has always been good in my experience."
"It is a stable product; very reliable."
"The most valuable feature is the amount of programming storage available."
 

Cons

"One of our issues is that we currently have an eight-bay system. I'd like to migrate to a 16-bay system, but there isn't a modular option available."
"I am not sure about return on investment with Dell PowerEdge XR-Series."
"I suggest virtualizing the CPU between multiple operating systems on the same server."
"While Dell PowerEdge XR-Series has met our expectations overall, there are a few areas that could be improved."
"Certainly, the first negative aspect is the cost because the biggest challenge today is the way component costs are going higher."
"I do not think there has been any reduction in total cost of ownership."
"For improvements on Dell PowerEdge XR-Series, I suggest enhancements in the support features, such as implementing a feature where the system can call home to Dell support to open a call automatically."
"I see areas for improvement in Dell PowerEdge XR-Series as sometimes there is some delay during the boot time; we occasionally need to disable some ROM options to prevent a boot delay or a network boot loop."
"What's coming out in Gen 10 is very strong in terms of additional security."
"We would like to see SimpliVity on top of the Apollo."
"The technical support for HPE Apollo Systems could be improved."
"Connectivity to the outside of the server needs to be improved at the same time the network is improving."
"HPE Apollo's after-sales support and technical support should be improved."
"Big stability issues with the CPU on the first generation which made them virtually unusable."
"The predictive analysis feature could be improved."
"Our first batch of Apollo servers that we got were so new that it was just hard to know kind of what to expect from HPE and what they wanted to deliver to us."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of one Dell XR2 Rugged Server is approximately $10,000."
"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."
"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."
"Obviously I would like to see the cost go down. That speaks for itself."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Outsourcing Company
28%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Construction Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Outsourcing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Computer Software Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise10
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise15
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell EMC XR2 Rugged Server?
I found the pricing of Dell PowerEdge XR-Series to be competitive for an enterprise-grade server. The initial hardware investment is significant, but it is justified by the performance and long-ter...
What needs improvement with Dell EMC XR2 Rugged Server?
Dell PowerEdge XR-Series is a reliable platform overall, but there are a few areas that could be improved. The initial setup and configuration can be somewhat complex for new administrators. Firmwa...
What is your primary use case for Dell EMC XR2 Rugged Server?
My main use case for Dell PowerEdge XR-Series is hosting and supporting cybersecurity workloads. I also use it to run the security tools and infrastructure that support vulnerability assessments, m...
What needs improvement with HPE Apollo?
It is too early to say what improvements HPE Apollo Systems could implement because the report still needs to come out and the customer needs to properly evaluate the solution.
What is your primary use case for HPE Apollo?
My main use case for HPE Apollo Systems is replacing many of the servers and storage boxes at one of the customer's sites to achieve workload optimization and optimized solutions. Additionally, whe...
What advice do you have for others considering HPE Apollo?
My advice for someone considering HPE Apollo Systems is that if they are looking for consolidation and their workload involves high availability requirements, or if they want to utilize GPUs, then ...
 

Also Known As

XR2 Rugged Server
HP Apollo Systems, HP ProLiant SL, HP Apollo
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

DIGISTOR - Secure Data Storage
Weta Digital
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell PowerEdge XR-Series vs. HPE Apollo Systems and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
909,701 professionals have used our research since 2012.