HPE 3PAR StoreServ vs IBM System Storage N series [EOL] comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and IBM are both solutions in the NAS category. Additionally, 94% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of IBM users who would recommend it.

HPE 3PAR StoreServ

Read 304 HPE 3PAR StoreServ reviews

18,803 Views
4,889 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

IBM System Storage N series...

Read 1 IBM System Storage N series [EOL] review

100% willing to recommend

HPE 3PAR StoreServ

IBM System Storage N series...

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between HPE 3PAR StoreServ and IBM System Storage N series [EOL] based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Dell Technologies, NetApp, CTERA and others in NAS.

To learn more, read our detailed NAS Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

NAS

September 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

HPE 3PAR StoreServ

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

304

Ranking in other categories

NAS (6th), Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) (2nd), All-Flash Storage (10th)

IBM System Storage N series...

Average Rating

9.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

Muhammad Saqib

System Engineer at Hybrid Tech

Uninterrupted upgrades accelerate performance with good support

I would rate the solution eight out of ten. It should be noted that in Pakistan, some parts are not readily available, and we need to import them from Singapore or other countries. We encountered an issue with a customer where the midplane failed and was not available. We had to wait for several days for a replacement, even in a 24/7 support case. Additionally, we faced motherboard failures in the customer's environment, encountering two motherboard failures simultaneously. We obtained one motherboard immediately, yet had to wait ten days for another. These issues should have been resolved promptly given the 24/7 support level.

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it_user281973

Storage and VMware Expert at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees

All protocols come in the same box, including CIFS file server if you have NetApp experience this storage is the same.

All features available through NetApp storage devices All the protocols are on the same box Deduplication and snapshot features are available through the NetApp FAS series It has provided a customer with CIFS file-server protocol. Unify all backup softwares on the same tool to simplify the…

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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

"Customer Service: We haven’t had any issues; we wanted white-glove treatment and that’s what we got."

"One of the reasons that we use HPE is because they tend to provide a quality product with all the latest advances in technology; so, its storage level, things like deduplication, all-flash array, real-time replication."

"There are a lot of screens for easy management where you can change some settings. But after a few years, the important settings were better after an upgrade, and all the vendors have other ways to upgrade their systems."

"From a management standpoint of the arrays, they work really well, they handle a lot of data and, overall, it lowers the complexity of our storage infrastructure."

"Easy tiering (with a small % of cache) did a good job in a large scale environment of 1000 VMs on 350TB."

"HPE 3PAR StoreServ has been stable."

"3PAR is different from other storage solutions because it uses a chunklet when we initiate the storage. Every disk is submitted as a 1 GB chunklet. This chunklet can be RAID 1, 4, 5, or 6. This fabulous feature is very useful for me because I can distribute the RAID for any volume. The adaptive optimization is the biggest feature in 3PAR. 3PAR is very usable with thin volume because it detects zeros while writing. Every time I tell the hypervisor to make the full provisioning, it makes the volume as simple provisioning in 3PAR, not full provisioning. Other vendors take this volume as thick provisioning because of which the capacity is reached quickly. It doesn't happen in 3PAR because it detects zeros. It only writes the data, and it doesn't write zeros. There are two processors in 3PAR: the ASIC processor and the main processor. The ASIC processor detects zero writing and doesn't write it, which is a big feature in 3PAR."

"Being able to snapshot things for backup purposes has been key. We do that on our databases four times a day."

More HPE 3PAR StoreServ pros

"All features are available through NetApp storage devices and all the protocols are on the same box, with deduplication and snapshot features available through the NetApp FAS series."

Cons

"If HPE 3PAR could handle NAS and all things related to NAS, you would not need to have a mixture of different storages, storage boxes, one solution could fit all."

"We did a firmware upgrade, and it brought the whole sandbox down."

"We would like to see deduplication and hybrid in the next release of the solution."

"We do not use Memory-Driven Flash in the old 3PAR. Perhaps we will use it in the new 3PAR. That is part of the reason why we are upgrading."

"I would like to see a faster Ethernet connection. Right now, it is 10G. If they could do multiple hundred gigs to speed up the transfer from the array to the servers, that would be good. We are trying to get away from Fibre Channel."

"We get disc failures frequently, although there's no interruption to business because that's the way storage arrays are designed to work."

"I would like to see more openness with other platforms."

"The initial setup was complex, due to calculating the amount of performance that we needed for the floor."

More HPE 3PAR StoreServ cons

"Unify all backup softwares on the same tool to simplify the administration."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"From a comparison of bang-for-the-buck, what you get for the money, I'd have to say they are one of the market leaders. Are there solutions that do it faster? Sure, but you're going to pay for it. 3PAR isn't the cheapest, it isn't the most expensive, but in my opinion, it's the best."

"This solution is expensive. We pay every year for support. It's a lump sum because we pay for data center support services, and everything is included in one."

"It is reasonable. As compared to other solutions, it doesn't seem to be much different."

"We purchased the solution as CapEx and we only pay support now. I find the pricing fantastic."

"I would like it to be cheaper."

"Its price is a bit high for adding another tree, but when we purchased it, it was okay with us. We had compared it with EMC and other solutions, and it was okay at that point in time. Our storage has a lifespan of seven to eight years. When you purchase it, you need to keep a headroom of around 40% to 50%. After three to four years, you generally plan for an upgrade. The price is not so bad today for two years or so, and within a year, I might find that I have to upgrade or increase the storage. This usually happens when there is a radical change or a new application has come that is consuming a lot of data, but generally, there is a plan for the amount of data that we generate and the storage upgrade."

"They have added features, such as the compression and duplication, which have further increased our ROI."

"It's very reliable and it was cost competitive with other arrays at the time that we purchased it."

More HPE 3PAR StoreServ pricing and cost advice

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Comparison Review

it_user182013

Federal Civ/Intel Engineering Lead at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees

May 1, 2015

Measuring Up: EMC XtremIO and HP 3PAR

Leading up to EMC World 2015, IT Central Station asked how I would compare EMC XtremIO and HP 3PAR. Until recently, the flash storage conversation in my organization and many others has centered on XtremIO and Pure Storage, the leaders of the all-flash array (AFA) space. To that end, I've written a…

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Outsourcing Company

17%

Construction Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	73
Midsize Enterprise	74
Large Enterprise	170

No data available

Questions from the Community

What's the difference between HPE 3PAR StoreServ and HPE Primera?

HPE Primera has many great features but one of the best is that it is very easy to deploy. From an overall perspective, it is reliable, easy to set up, stable, and offers quality block storage. All...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HPE 3PAR StoreServ?

As a customer, I always prefer to have a lower price. Any customer will always ask for the cheaper price.

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What needs improvement with HPE 3PAR StoreServ?

I have no specific ideas for improvement at present. We just need to verify whether our current virtual server setup is acceptable to the RBI, as they had raised questions about the VSO, ISO config...

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Comparisons

IBM FlashSystem vs HPE 3PAR StoreServ

Compared 6% of the time

Dell Unity XT vs HPE 3PAR StoreServ

Compared 5% of the time

NetApp AFF vs HPE 3PAR StoreServ

Compared 5% of the time

Everpure FlashArray vs HPE 3PAR StoreServ

Compared 4% of the time

Dell PowerScale vs HPE 3PAR StoreServ

Compared 4% of the time

More HPE 3PAR StoreServ Competitors

NetApp FAS Series vs IBM System Storage N series [EOL]

Compared 25% of the time

Hitachi NAS Platform vs IBM System Storage N series [EOL]

Compared 23% of the time

Dell PowerScale vs IBM System Storage N series [EOL]

Compared 17% of the time

Huawei N2000 V3 Series NAS Storage System vs IBM System Storage N series [EOL]

Compared 15% of the time

More IBM System Storage N series [EOL] Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HPE 3PAR StoreServ

September 2026

Download HPE 3PAR StoreServ product report

Buyer's Guide

NAS

September 2026

IBM System Storage N series [EOL] report

Download IBM System Storage N series [EOL] product report

Also Known As

HPE 3PAR Flash Storage, InServ, Storeserv, 3PAR Flash Storage, HP Enterprise Storage, 3PAR Flash Array, HP 3PAR Flash Storage

System Storage N series

Overview

HPE 3PAR StoreServ offers unparalleled performance and flexibility for enterprise storage needs. It is highly valued for its manageability and advanced capabilities, making it ideal for mission-critical workloads.

HPE 3PAR StoreServ is a high-performance storage system known for its ease of use and robust architecture. It supports seamless upgrades and is adaptable to evolving technology, making it an excellent choice for electronic medical records, virtualization, and centralized data management. With integration capabilities supporting applications like SQL Server, VMware, and SAP, it effectively meets diverse business needs.

What are the key features of HPE 3PAR StoreServ?

Ease of Use: Simplifies management tasks with an intuitive interface.
Reliability: Offers high availability and robust architecture for mission-critical workloads.
Flash Storage: Provides fast data access and improved performance.
Dynamic Provisioning: Enhances scalability and resource allocation.
Data Deduplication: Reduces storage costs by eliminating duplicate data.
Tiered Storage: Optimizes data storage with automated tiering.

What benefits should users consider when evaluating HPE 3PAR StoreServ?

Performance: Handles demanding workloads with efficiency.
Scalability: Grows with enterprise needs without compromising performance.
Integration: Seamlessly integrates with existing systems and applications.
Proactive Support: Ensures smooth operation with timely updates and support.

HPE 3PAR StoreServ is employed in industries like healthcare and finance, supporting applications such as Oracle databases and SAP. It enhances data processing and provides essential storage for virtual and real-time applications, meeting the rigorous demands of sectors requiring reliable and high-performance storage solutions.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

IBM System Storage N series storage systems offer a solution for a broad range of deployment scenarios. IBM System Storage N series storage systems function as a multi-protocol storage device that is designed to allow you to simultaneously serve both file and block-level data across a single network. The flexibility of IBM System Storage N series storage systems allows them to address the storage needs of a wide range of organizations, including distributed enterprises and data centers for mid-range enterprises. IBM System Storage N series storage systems also support sites with computer and data-intensive enterprise applications, such as database, data warehousing, work-group collaboration, and messaging.

IBM

Sample Customers

Just Energy, Latisys, team AG, DreamWorks, BlueShore Financial, Erasmus MC

FreeBit, Ipeer, Trinecke Zelezarny, ACH Colombia, T-Mobile, Mitsubishi Motors Australia

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