Dell PowerEdge XR-Series vs HPE Apollo Systems comparison

Dell Technologies and Hewlett Packard Enterprise are both solutions in the Rack Servers category. Dell Technologies is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.7, while Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.5. Dell Technologies holds a 2.7% mindshare in Rack Servers, compared to Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s 5.5% 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 XR-Series

Read 19 Dell PowerEdge XR-Series reviews

1,291 Views
1,149 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

HPE Apollo Systems

Read 25 HPE Apollo Systems reviews

2,993 Views
2,604 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Dell PowerEdge XR-Series

HPE Apollo Systems

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

HPE Apollo Systems and Dell PowerEdge XR-Series are contenders in the high-performance computing market. Dell PowerEdge XR-Series has an advantage due to its superior features.

Features: HPE Apollo Systems excel with scalable architecture, high-density servers for data analytics, and efficient storage capabilities. They cater to AI and deep learning with extensive GPU support. Dell PowerEdge XR-Series focuses on modularity, offering flexible chassis with compute sled slots, robust performance, and advanced security features. The modular design enhances system reliability and efficiency, providing an edge over HPE Apollo Systems.

Room for Improvement: HPE Apollo Systems could enhance modularity and expand their support for customizable configurations and power redundancy. They might also improve deployment processes. Dell PowerEdge XR-Series could focus on pricing competitiveness, simplify certain deployment complexities, and expand the high compute density features to appeal more to budget-conscious clients.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Dell PowerEdge XR-Series is known for simplified deployment and strong customer service, making it ideal for quick setups. HPE Apollo Systems offer competitive deployment but slightly lag in customer service reliability compared to Dell.

Pricing and ROI: HPE Apollo Systems present competitive pricing and favorable ROI due to lower upfront costs and scalability, appealing to cost-sensitive buyers. Dell PowerEdge XR-Series demands higher initial investments but offers long-term value with advanced technology, promising potentially higher ROI over time.

To learn more, read our detailed Dell PowerEdge XR-Series vs. HPE Apollo Systems Report (Updated: June 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerEdge XR-Series vs. HPE Apollo Systems

June 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 PowerEdge XR-Series

Ranking in Rack Servers

3rd

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

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

Ranking in other categories

Density Optimized Servers (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2026, in the Rack Servers category, the mindshare of Dell PowerEdge XR-Series is 2.7%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HPE Apollo Systems is 5.5%, up from 3.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Rack Servers Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Dell PowerEdge XR-Series	2.7%
HPE Apollo Systems	5.5%
Other	91.8%

Rack Servers

Featured Reviews

Igor Tiskov

Senior Virtualization Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Redfish manageability has supported remote site operations and consistent private cloud deployment

I think Dell PowerEdge R-Series can be improved in appearance. I would say that the improvement opportunity is probably on the monitoring side, the overall monitoring side. I would love to see closer integration with different vendors. As a company, we are still using a multi-vendor approach and cannot go all-in with one single vendor. What we struggle with is that we cannot afford to have three different monitoring systems, management systems, or lifecycle management systems for different environments. I would love to see in the future how that integrates with other vendors as well. Perhaps not as a primary tool, but at least some features and functions from other vendors.

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Gökhan DURMAZ

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.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."

"Dell PowerEdge XR-Series is a super server, so compared to HP, I see big differences from the technical side."

"Stability, good performance, and good tools to manage the system are the best features for me."

"Using Dell PowerEdge XR-Series has helped reduce my total cost of ownership compared to other solutions such as HP or Lenovo, which are servers I have used."

"There are two main advantages as a customer: performance, which is stable, and the support, which is quite good."

"Dell PowerEdge servers have helped reduce unplanned production downtime by approximately 30% because we are able to handle issues immediately."

"Using these servers has helped to reduce unplanned production downtime."

More Dell PowerEdge XR-Series pros

"It is a stable product; very reliable."

"It's pretty flexible. You can choose how much storage you put on the server. You can have one to three nodes, depending on whether you want more CPU or storage."

"It's pretty flexible."

"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."

"I find HPE Apollo Systems to be scalable and efficient for AI initiatives, and the environmental efficiency has a significant impact on operational costs."

"It's going to meet our needs moving forward, it is scalable."

"Taking into consideration the cost, HPE gave us the ability to actually do what we wanted to do."

"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 this is a machine that should be considered instead of deploying multiple machines and multiple systems."

More HPE Apollo Systems pros

Cons

"There are many areas to improve in Dell PowerEdge XR-Series."

"In comparison with them, Dell hardware and services are good and fine, but they do not have any own operating systems."

"Regarding the weakness of Dell PowerEdge XR-Series, I think the main drawback is that it is more expensive than other servers."

"I am not sure about return on investment with Dell PowerEdge XR-Series."

"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 suggest virtualizing the CPU between multiple operating systems on the same server."

"I think Dell PowerEdge R-Series can be improved in appearance. I would say that the improvement opportunity is probably on the monitoring side, the overall monitoring side."

"Service is a specific aspect that could be improved, but it is nothing bad."

More Dell PowerEdge XR-Series cons

"If there's anything that hasn't been that stable, then it is the Lustre file system."

"If the workload is not purely sequential, then performance in the IO is less than optimal because it's optimized for streaming processing."

"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."

"We could, perhaps, use more GPUs in the future, go from eight to 16 GPUs per instance. That could run head-to-head against the DGX-1, the DGX-2 that NVIDIA has developed in their own chassis. That would be interesting to see."

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

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

"OpenView is a new product which does not support older versions of the hardware."

"The solution could improve the hardware, such as the motherboard or servers. We have had hardware faults in the past."

More HPE Apollo Systems cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of one Dell XR2 Rugged Server is approximately $10,000."

"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."

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

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

"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

15%

Financial Services Firm

15%

University

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Outsourcing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	10

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	15

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell EMC XR2 Rugged Server?

Using Dell PowerEdge XR-Series has helped reduce my total cost of ownership compared to other solutions such as HP or Lenovo, which are servers I have used. Dell is less expensive compared to Lenov...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Dell EMC XR2 Rugged Server?

There are many areas to improve in Dell PowerEdge XR-Series. Eliminating the single point of failure on the network, such as a traditional setup with cloud or central data center outages that impac...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Dell EMC XR2 Rugged Server?

I am a reseller for Dell PowerEdge XR-Series. As a partner, I have to provide the users and services for Dell PowerEdge XR-Series deployments or any kind of virtualization purpose.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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 ...

See all answers

Comparisons

Dell PowerEdge XE-Series vs Dell PowerEdge XR-Series

Compared 18% of the time

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs Dell PowerEdge XR-Series

Compared 15% of the time

Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs Dell PowerEdge XR-Series

Compared 14% of the time

Lenovo Edge Servers vs Dell PowerEdge XR-Series

Compared 12% of the time

Oracle SPARC Servers vs Dell PowerEdge XR-Series

Compared 8% of the time

More Dell PowerEdge XR-Series Competitors

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 13% of the time

Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 12% of the time

HPE Moonshot vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 8% of the time

Dell PowerEdge XE-Series vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 7% of the time

Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems

Compared 4% of the time

More HPE Apollo Systems Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerEdge XR-Series

July 2026

Download Dell PowerEdge XR-Series product report

Buyer's Guide

HPE Apollo Systems

July 2026

Download HPE Apollo Systems product report

Also Known As

XR2 Rugged Server

HP Apollo Systems, HP ProLiant SL, HP Apollo

Overview

Dell PowerEdge XR-Series transforms edge computing by offering high-performance servers equipped for environments outside traditional data centers, designed to deliver when it counts.

PowerEdge XR-Series is crafted to endure harsh and unpredictable conditions with a robust focus on security, remote manageability, and intelligent system monitoring. It excels in IoT, manufacturing, retail, and telecommunications, providing a cost-effective, energy-efficient solution for edge infrastructure. These compact, rugged servers are built to handle edge-based workloads, facilitating real-time data processing and analysis at the source.

What are the key features of PowerEdge XR-Series?

Durability: Built for harsh conditions, offering reliable performance in extreme environments.
Security: Comprehensive security features to protect data at the edge.
Remote Manageability: Ease of management from any location, enhancing operational efficiency.
Intelligent Monitoring: Advanced system monitoring for predictive maintenance and reduced downtime.
Energy Efficiency: Optimized design reduces energy consumption while maintaining high performance.

What benefits does PowerEdge XR-Series offer?

Cost-Efficiency: Reduces costs by enabling businesses to manage infrastructure efficiently.
Real-Time Processing: Facilitates immediate analysis and decision-making at the data source.
Scalability: Easily scales with business growth and evolving data demands.
Improved Resilience: Enhances system resilience in demanding edge settings.

Industries such as IoT, manufacturing, retail, and telecommunications implement Dell PowerEdge XR-Series to handle edge-based workloads effectively. Its reliability and adaptability make it a vital component for processing data in real time, providing significant advantages in environments where data-driven decision-making is key.

Dell Technologies

HPE Apollo Systems deliver high compute and storage density, scalability, and environmental efficiency with exceptional performance for AI initiatives and data capturing across diverse applications.

HPE Apollo Systems are characterized by their dense compute and storage capabilities, offering flexibility in configurations to meet the demands of AI, deep learning, and high-performance computing. Their management software simplifies deployment, ensuring effective performance across tasks that require significant storage. While Apollo Systems are designed for efficiency and scalability, improvements can be made in security, tech support, and integration with hypervisors and backup solutions. Enhancing cooling and licensing processes, connectivity, and faster drive writing capabilities are also areas for growth.

What are the key features of HPE Apollo Systems?

High Compute Density: Supports intense processing needs efficiently.
Scalability: Easily adaptable to growing data demands.
Environmental Efficiency: Minimizes energy consumption, enhancing sustainability.
Flexible Configurations: Caters to a range of applications from AI to data storage.
Reliable Performance: Consistently delivers under various workloads.

What benefits or ROI should users look for?

Cost Effectiveness: Reduces expenditure with its efficient design.
Integration Capabilities: Seamlessly fits into diverse IT environments.
Performance Enhancement: Boosts operational efficiency and output.
Easy Deployment: Streamlines the setup process for quick operation.

HPE Apollo Systems find extensive use in sectors such as telecom, supporting high-performance computing and AI workloads. They optimize Linux servers, replace legacy systems, and serve as storage solutions across industries. Their applications span from big data management in Splunk clusters to backup solutions in medical faculties, enhancing compute power and storage within compact racks.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Sample Customers

DIGISTOR - Secure Data Storage

Weta Digital

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerEdge XR-Series vs. HPE Apollo Systems

June 2026

Free Report: Dell PowerEdge XR-Series vs. HPE Apollo Systems

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