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IBM Power Systems vs Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers comparison

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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

IBM Power Systems
Ranking in Rack Servers
4th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
5.8
Number of Reviews
73
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Ser...
Ranking in Rack Servers
6th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
27
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Rack Servers category, the mindshare of IBM Power Systems is 6.4%, down from 8.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers is 7.3%, down from 15.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Rack Servers Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
IBM Power Systems6.4%
Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers7.3%
Other86.3%
Rack Servers
 

Featured Reviews

Foluso  Jibowo - PeerSpot reviewer
Product Manager at Hiperdist Ltd
Has empowered enterprises with secure and cost-effective solutions
When discussing disadvantages, I do not see many areas for improvement because we have received good testimonies from every client. IBM gives customers peace of mind. One challenge, which I would not really call a challenge, is that initially people have the notion that IBM Power Systems is quite expensive. However, IBM does not lose deals based on price. This is a message we need to keep communicating to people who feel that IBM is on the high side in terms of cost. We encourage them to have a discussion with us about their total cost of ownership over three or five years. There is a notion in the market that IBM is expensive, which is false. However, once we engage and show them their return on investments and their total cost of ownership savings, they tend to embrace IBM.
Mike Bellemans - PeerSpot reviewer
Project manager at Sopraco NV
One of the products in the market that is the easiest to set up and maintain
Performance and scalability-wise, there are certain areas where the product lacks and needs improvement as it does not provide a lot of fancy features presently. In general, it is a normal product that is good enough for our company. For the time being, my company does not need any extra features.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The virtualization and the quality you get from it is one reason we like the solution."
"I definitely think that IBM is a market leader in the server sector."
"On the security side, we get regular security patch updates and system hardening. There are free tools available to harden the system."
"The main feature that I have found most valuable is PowerVM - its virtualization feature which is the most powerful."
"It has very good stability."
"What our customers appreciate most is that they can save space, since Power is high performance, you can have fewer machines, fewer servers, and good performance in your environment."
"The solution is the best product on the market."
"The uptime feature is great."
"The product is designed to make adding RAM and disk space easier for users."
"I would say the stability of the system itself would be the biggest advantage."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is the easiest product to set up and maintain."
"The reliability is extremely good, it is very stable, it can run forever."
"I like everything about this solution. It is a very good server, with excellent availability. The size of the power is adequate and the low heating is beneficial."
"The hardware performance is very valuable."
"The IMM tool is great because we can upgrade different views and device versions very quickly. We can upgrade everything from a single point through a single dashboard, which is great for us because we also have Lenovo storage. Lenovo ThinkSystem also has Xclarity built into the system."
"Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers are scalable."
 

Cons

"I would like to have some stats where the CPU is getting utilized and to see how much of the actual CPU I'm using."
"I would say that in general we would prefer it if the software was more transparent, in terms of how you are using it."
"One of the main challenges with IBM Power Systems is the functionality of live partnership mobility."
"Power Systems' price could always be lower."
"Regarding the OpenPOWER Foundation, at first I was kind of skeptical."
"Support is good. I think it used to be much better."
"I would like to see firmware available to all of the systems."
"Licensing has always been an issue, but with IBM machines a serial number is licensed with support."
"I would like the solution to be improved by having more advanced utilities."
"The power consumption needs to be optimized in Lenovo."
"Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers could improve the availability of their solution. The supply chain is severely broken, we've had to wait many months for component parts to a system time after time. The availability of discs and raid controllers has been difficult lately."
"It is too expensive. Because we are a university and we have to look for our money, many times we buy some refurbished machines or equipment at reasonable prices from IBM or Lenovo."
"Performance and scalability-wise, there are certain areas where the product lacks and needs improvement as it does not provide a lot of fancy features presently."
"Upgrading firmware is easier in Dell than in Lenovo."
"It was complex to get this started because the Lenovo and VMware are not very compatible. We had to get some updates in order for it to be implemented."
"There are other solutions that are less expensive."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is designed for a large workload, as opposed to a small workload. For our circumstances, and even as an independent, I can't buy a Power system to experiment on. It can't happen. You cannot buy them."
"Its price depends on the sizing."
"I give the cost a one out of ten."
"The solution's pricing is very, very high compared to other platforms."
"IBM Power Systems is a really expensive product."
"The machine is good and has a comparatively good price."
"When there is an error in the SAS drive of 10,000 RPM, my company buys support for 1,500 USD."
"It's more about the value you get for the price. Considering its stability and performance, the pricing is good."
"In India, the solution is cheap compared to its competitors."
"It is too expensive. Because we are a university and we have to look for our money, many times we buy some refurbished machines or equipment at reasonable prices from IBM or Lenovo. We are a little bit limited in terms of money, and we buy as much as we can. If they were cheaper, we would buy more."
"It costs around $8,000. There is an additional cost for the support for a year."
"As the costs got high, we had to use the virtualization feature to consolidate the server farm.​"
"Other than the standard licensing fees there are no other additional costs. The price of Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers could be better, and the availability of the solution could improve. We have been waiting two months for one server."
"The cost of the solution depends entirely on the client. There are not any additional costs other than the standard licensing fee."
"The price of the solution is very expensive when compared to other solution like HP or Dell."
"It is the cheapest solution we have seen on the market."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Outsourcing Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Computer Software Company
6%
Manufacturing Company
9%
University
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business17
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise42
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise9
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with IBM Power Systems?
In my opinion, the product can be improved by maintaining it and not sunsetting it; that would be my recommendation for IBM. I used to work for IBM for nineteen years, and I know, unfortunately, I ...
What is your primary use case for IBM Power Systems?
I am an architect and system administrator, and I'm responsible for anything related to IBM Power Systems. In IBM Power Systems, I have found a lot of valuable features such as LVM, TCP, ODM, RSCT,...
What advice do you have for others considering IBM Power Systems?
I would recommend IBM Power Systems to others. I have given this review a rating of ten out of ten.
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...
When shopping for a rack server, would you go with Dell EMC Poweredge or Lenovo Thinksystem?
Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether the Dell EMC Poweredge or Lenovo Thinksystem rack servers were the better fit for us. We ultimately decided to go with Dell EMC Poweredge....
 

Also Known As

IBM OpenPOWER LC
SR Series, Lenovo SR Series, ThinkSystem Rack Servers, IBM Rack Servers, ThinkSystem SR Series, Lenovo Rack Servers,
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Cipher
immixGroup, Komsomolskaya Pravda, SRG Global, Seekr, Infiniti Red Bull Racing, jKool, Tennis Australia, VEKA, Netpoints, Gamma Powersports
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Power Systems vs. Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
913,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.