HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs IBM Power Systems comparison

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and IBM are both solutions in the Rack Servers category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #2 with an average rating of 9.3, while IBM is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.7. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 21.5% mindshare in Rack Servers, compared to IBM’s 9.1% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 97% of IBM users who would recommend it.

HPE ProLiant DL Servers

Read 156 HPE ProLiant DL Servers reviews

10,569 Views
8,632 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

IBM Power Systems

Read 69 IBM Power Systems reviews

4,877 Views
3,452 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

HPE ProLiant DL Servers

IBM Power Systems

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 23, 2025

HPE ProLiant DL Servers and IBM Power Systems are both targeted at enterprise-level computing. HPE ProLiant DL Servers hold an advantage in cost-effectiveness and support, while IBM Power Systems lead in advanced features and reliability, often justifying their higher cost.

Features: HPE ProLiant DL Servers offer reliability, scalability, and flexibility with comprehensive management capabilities like iLO. Competitive pricing and lifecycle performance make them versatile. IBM Power Systems stand out with reliability, superior processing power, and security features, ideal for high-demand environments.

Room for Improvement: HPE ProLiant DL Servers could improve iLO features, manageability, and boot times, while addressing licensing and configuration challenges. IBM Power Systems need better pricing, simpler management tools, and more frequent update cycles, along with scalable solutions and cloud licensing improvements.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Both HPE ProLiant DL Servers and IBM Power Systems are primarily on-premises, with some hybrid deployments. HPE provides excellent support with knowledgeable engineers, though some report slow responses. IBM support is considered responsive but could improve problem resolution speed in specific regions.

Pricing and ROI: HPE ProLiant DL Servers are known for cost-efficiency and quick ROI, aligning with various budgets. They are more affordable compared to competitors. IBM Power Systems have a higher price, justified by advanced capabilities, offering long-term value but can be costly for smaller organizations despite a worthwhile return over time.

To learn more, read our detailed HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs. IBM Power Systems Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs. IBM Power Systems

April 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

HPE ProLiant DL Servers

Ranking in Rack Servers

2nd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

156

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IBM Power Systems

Ranking in Rack Servers

4th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

8.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Rack Servers category, the mindshare of HPE ProLiant DL Servers is 21.5%, down from 21.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Power Systems is 9.1%, up from 8.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Rack Servers

Featured Reviews

SHIVAKUMAR A P

Country Manager - Emerging Business at Orbit Techsol

With an easy setup phase in place, it is suitable for small and large-sized businesses

When you speak of any enhancements in the product, you need to shift to the tool's commercial mode. You get more features in the solution if you pour in more money. If a customer needs some features in the solution, they will have to buy it since certain features are not loaded by default in the server. With entry-level licenses, servers are shipped to customers free of cost. Customers need to pay if they want more and more features in the solution. Every OEM solution in the market, including HPE ProLiant DL, operates similarly. The overall cost of the product needs to be lower, as it is one of the areas of concern in the product.

Read full review

Omobolaji Olaloku

Senior Enterprise System Engineer at Zenith-bank

Extremely stable, good ROI, and scalable

The most valuable feature of our machines is their ability to replace faulty parts without causing any downtime. Our servers are equipped with advanced technology, making it possible to replace defective parts without having to bring down the servers. This is crucial, as any disruption to our services would result in inconvenience to our customers. Therefore, being able to service the machines and replace parts without causing any downtime is highly beneficial.

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 GPU units, processor speed, and capabilities are most valuable. Desktop video conferencing is also valuable. It supports desktop video conferencing much better for graphics."

"Compatibility is the best feature of the solution."

"HP ProLiant servers provide redundant solutions for almost everything. You can set up multiple power supplies, with a primary power source and a secondary power supply connected on UPS. If the power goes out in the building, the UPS will supply power to the host at all times. The solution can run on batteries for many hours, depending on your battery and UPS capacity."

"HPE offers the products we need. They come back with solutions. It's uncomplicated to deal with HPE."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is HPE Integrated Lights-Out (iLO)...Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."

"It is very stable. This is the feedback that I'm getting from my customers for the hardware. It is also 100% scalable. HPE is also very specialized when it comes up to the server industry. It is not only about the rack servers; it is also about the blade servers. They were the first ones to bring these to the market more than ten years ago."

"I am impressed with the tool’s stability."

"We decided to switch because this solution provides more memory density."

More HPE ProLiant DL Servers pros

"The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that the hardware is really good and reliable."

"PowerVM."

"Power Systems' best features include its user-friendliness and self-checking/self-healing abilities."

"IBM Power Systems provides very good performance and stability compared to other brands or processors."

"BM Power Systems get updated every two years and are scalable and stable."

"When it comes to reliability, availability and profitability, nothing can beat IBM Power Systems."

"The availability of a solution depends on the requirement of the customer. The most valuable feature is the virtualization. You can have this one system or you can use it for many. They were using almost 120 servers within that specific service."

"The virtualization and the quality you get from it is one reason we like the solution."

More IBM Power Systems pros

Cons

"The price in general, including the licensing fee, could be better."

"They should work with Microsoft to make licensing costs better. That's because the physical servers have processors with all these cores, and Microsoft now licenses Windows virtual server desktops based on the number of cores and the serving servers. So, if you got to build 10 or 20 servers on that desktop, you got to license them all with Microsoft. They should have a partnership with Microsoft to decrease the virtual licensing of servers in partnerships so that when you purchase the servers, you also get licensing for Microsoft on top of them. That's because it gets very expensive to license virtual operating systems to run on physical servers."

"The cost of the solution has room for improvement."

"The technical support has room for improvement."

"Most of the servers we use are okay. However, sometimes, you need to change the parts. We'd like the solution to be more robust."

"The initial configuration process could be simpler."

"The licensing fees are expensive and have room for improvement."

"Configurations could be simplified."

More HPE ProLiant DL Servers cons

"Its management can be made easier because it is not easy to manage. They should also find a new way for migrating from an old Power Systems to a new one. The migration process is currently very complicated. It should be made easier to scale. Currently, its scalability depends on the initial sizing, whereas in Nutanix HCI, you can add whatever you need and whenever you need it."

"I know lab services does a lot of work but systems, if they could include some kind of lab services and bundling of services to get you to the greatest and latest feature at the already included cost"

"Software testing and the compatibility of software products that are available in the market should be addressed."

"Power Systems' price could always be lower."

"It does not offer the ability to run any X86 or X64 Intel architecture-based application on Power Systems. There are a lot of applications, lots of business use cases that do not support this architecture as of now. If somehow application tasks can be ported on to IBM Power Systems, that would be a big improvement."

"One of the features that we would like, and I think they are also adapting to the latest trends in the market, is to make it more open, more flexible... With VMware, anybody can create a virtual machine without any knowledge of the server side. But with AIX it's a bit difficult."

"The scalability process should be simplified."

"If you take advantage of some of these real advanced features, for oversubscribing as an example, it's not supported on Linux on Power. So that stops us, in particular, from going that way."

More IBM Power Systems cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The iLO (integrated lights out) license is very expensive, but the functionality you receive is worth it."

"It is not expensive. Its price is similar to other solutions."

"The price is a little too high; it could be reduced."

"They should reduce the prices as it is a significant concern for developing countries."

"I like the price of this product and the add-on components. It is cheaper than Dell and is a one-time hardware purchase with minimal ongoing costs."

"The pricing is reasonable."

"We did not need to pay for a license for the use of HP DL servers, just for normal hardcore support."

"This was a one-time purchase for us because it's hardware that we purchased from HPE. There aren't any licensing costs."

More HPE ProLiant DL Servers pricing and cost advice

"IBM Power Systems is a really expensive product."

"The cost model is great. There is so much built in to the technology, that if you know how to use it you can save yourself a lot of money."

"The solution's pricing is very, very high compared to other platforms."

"IBM Power Systems is very expensive."

"Price-wise, I rate the solution a five out of ten."

"There is a yearly licensing cost, and it's an expensive solution."

"Power Systems is a bit more costly than other products in the market, but in terms of ROI and the longevity, performance, and reliability that Power Systems provides, it's worth it in the long run."

"The pricing of the solution is very good because we can beat any other competitor with the pricing. Lately, they have offered good pricing for their customer."

More IBM Power Systems pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

How do Lenovo ThinkSystem rack servers compare with HPE ProLiant DL servers?

Lenovo ThinkSystem rack servers offer flexibility and efficiency in order to meet mission-critical demands. I like that Lenovo blends outstanding performance, reliability, and manageability. The bi...

See all answers

What do you like most about HPE ProLiant DL Servers?

The most valuable feature of the solution is HPE Integrated Lights-Out (iLO)...Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HPE ProLiant DL Servers?

The product is expensive. I rate the product price an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price. On the needs of the customers, the product offers a lot of suppor...

See all answers

What do you like most about IBM Power Systems?

IBM Power Systems provides very good performance and stability compared to other brands or processors.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Power Systems?

IBM should provide a platform where users can learn about the storage and security of IBM Power Systems.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for IBM Power Systems?

In my company, we use the system for the data center and our IBM Cloud Pak System.

See all answers

Comparisons

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers vs HPE ProLiant DL Servers

Compared 47% of the time

Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers vs HPE ProLiant DL Servers

Compared 22% of the time

HPE Synergy vs HPE ProLiant DL Servers

Compared 9% of the time

HPE Apollo Systems vs HPE ProLiant DL Servers

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs HPE ProLiant DL Servers

Compared 5% of the time

More HPE ProLiant DL Servers Competitors

Intel Server System vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 42% of the time

Oracle SPARC Servers vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 17% of the time

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 17% of the time

Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 5% of the time

HPE Apollo Systems vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 2% of the time

More IBM Power Systems Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HPE ProLiant DL Servers

April 2025

Download HPE ProLiant DL Servers product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Power Systems

April 2025

Download IBM Power Systems product report

Also Known As

HP ProLiant DL series, HP ProLiant DL

IBM OpenPOWER LC

Overview

HPE ProLiant DL Servers are utilized by organizations for tasks like virtualization, database hosting, and application hosting, deployed both on-premises and in private clouds for diverse needs.

Organizations depend on HPE ProLiant DL Servers for stability, performance, and reliability. They are essential for running active directories, enterprise applications, and handling high-performance computing. These servers are known for their easy setup, scalability, and extensive management capabilities like iLO. Offering compatibility with many components and energy efficiency, they provide reliable hardware and good performance under demanding conditions. However, there is a need for improved price, stability, scalability, airflow, and power consumption. Enhancements in controller cache, port sizes, SAN connectivity, support availability, and management interface are also required. Faster technical support, better documentation, simplified configurations, and enhanced monitoring features and security integration would benefit users.

What are the key features?

Easy Setup: Quick and straightforward deployment.
Scalability: Adaptable to growing business needs.
Extensive Management: Features like iLO for advanced control.
Energy Efficiency: Optimized for lower power consumption.
Compatibility: Works well with various components.
Reliable Hardware: Robust and dependable technology.
Redundancy: Ensures high availability and minimal downtime.

What are the benefits and ROI?

High Performance: Excellent for demanding computing tasks.
User-Friendly: Easy to maintain and operate.
Flexibility: Versatile for different applications.
Good Technical Support: Access to professional assistance.

HPE ProLiant DL Servers are implemented across industries like finance for active directories and payment solutions, education for virtual desktops, healthcare for database synchronization, and IT firms for high-performance computing and application hosting.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

IBM Power Systems are built to crush the most advanced data applications - from the mission-critical workloads you run today to the next generation of AI.

IBM

Sample Customers

AmeriPride Services, iSource, Bolagsverket, BlueShore Financial, British Columbia Assessment Authority, National Stock Exchange, Cardlytics

Cipher

Buyer's Guide

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs. IBM Power Systems

April 2025

Free Report: HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs. IBM Power Systems

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