We use the servers for various use cases. A lot of our servers act as ESXi hosts that host our VMware infrastructure. We also have a lot of researchers that use them for their own computing, memory, and storage as well.
Associate Director, Health Information Technologies at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Good performance, secure, easy to use, and the technical support is good
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is reliability. We rarely have any issues and because of this, Dell is our go-to for servers."
- "When it comes to running high-demand applications, we trust our Dell servers exclusively."
- "I'd like to take the complexities out of all the different tools that surround it, like OpenManage."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
When it comes to running high-demand applications, we trust our Dell servers exclusively. Its overall stability and ease of use have helped to improve the way our organization functions.
I believe that our overall data processing time has been reduced, although it's hard for us to quantify that.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is reliability. We rarely have any issues and because of this, Dell is our go-to for servers.
We make use of the encrypt-at-rest security feature, which allows us to keep our servers locked down in our data centers as best we can.
We used the CloudIQ feature for monitoring and it's pretty good overall. We have a challenge in our area because our IT is very broad and there is a lot of overlap. Other people's work is visible and we have a big environment, so there is a team of people that keep an eye on things.
What needs improvement?
I'd like to take the complexities out of all the different tools that surround it, like OpenManage. There's some different licensing and it gets a little wonky at times. Other than that, the product itself works fine. Rather, it's some of the management issues.
Buyer's Guide
Dell PowerEdge R-Series
September 2026
Learn what your peers think about Dell PowerEdge R-Series. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2026.
914,262 professionals have used our research since 2012.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for approximately 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a pretty reliable product.
How are customer service and support?
Dell's support is fantastic. We've never really had any problems with them.
I would rate them an eight out of ten.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We did not use another similar solution prior to this one.
We are looking for some of the newer models to replace some of our older equipment. We may not have to have as many as before, because it's more efficient.
How was the initial setup?
Once we get a server, we can have it up in a day. One person can do it unless it's a heavy server. In that case, we need two people to lift it. Almost anybody on our staff can deploy this server if it's needed.
What about the implementation team?
We handle the deployment in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are no costs in addition to the standard licensing fees.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
When you compare this product to using a public cloud, you definitely have to pay attention to what you're doing in a public cloud. This is because you're generally using a shared server with other people and there can be problems because of this.
What other advice do I have?
We are currently working towards full automation when it comes to managing PowerEdge. It looks pretty good at this stage. It most definitely assists with the overall operations.
My advice for anybody who is considering this product is that Dell is a reliable partner. The product works well and you can't really go wrong with it. As the product changes over time, it's pretty seamless and you don't have to learn a lot of new things. After four years, it may only be slightly different.
I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT Infrastructure Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Compact storage solution that can be customized to suit any environment
Pros and Cons
- "iDRAC is the most valuable feature because of the ease of use and management and everything that it provides is super useful. The security features that PowerEdge provides, including firmware threat detection is good."
- "The system management capabilities of PowerEdge helped increase stack productivity, the solution's accelerated GPUs helped support demanding workloads for some of our customer's environments, and PowerEdge helped to reduce data processing time in our company which has made us work faster."
- "The quality of support for this solution varies. Sometimes you get agents who are amazing and other times you get agents who take a long time to resolve your query."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for general computing and for ESX hosts for our virtual environment.
How has it helped my organization?
We are a partner who sells PowerEdge to many different customers, and we also use it in our own environment. The solution can be customized based on a customer's needs and allows us to build whatever we need in our own environment at that particular moment.
The system management capabilities of PowerEdge helped increase stack productivity. The solution's accelerated GPUs helped support demanding workloads for some of our customer's environments. PowerEdge helped to reduce data processing time in our company which has made us work faster.
What is most valuable?
iDRAC is the most valuable feature because of the ease of use and management, and everything that it provides is super useful. The security features that PowerEdge provides, including firmware threat detection is good.
We do not currently use this solution's CloudIQ functionality for predictive analytics but we would like to use it in the future.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used this solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is scalable. The way this solution is able to scale is impressive. Depending on how you build your PowerEdge server, it can serve the lowest end of customers up to the highest, depending on what their needs are. Whatever a customer is trying to accomplish, can usually be customized for their environment.
How are customer service and support?
The quality of support for this solution varies. Sometimes you get agents who are amazing and other times you get agents who take a long time to resolve your query. I would rate support for this solution a six and a half out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. Deployment took one to two hours.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Dell PowerEdge R-Series
September 2026
Learn what your peers think about Dell PowerEdge R-Series. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2026.
914,262 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Server storage solution used for ten years that has decreased production downtime by 60%
Pros and Cons
- "The solution's analytics helped to decrease production downtime by more than 60%, and PowerEdge has also helped to reduce data processing and has reduced the timing for any workload."
- "The flexibility of card use could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We used this solution in HPCs and other workloads. It works well for some of our large customers. We plan to use this solution for artificial intelligence applications in the future.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution allowed us to have all of our applications and data in one place with good agility. The solution's analytics helped to decrease production downtime by more than 60%. PowerEdge has also helped to reduce data processing and has reduced the timing for any workload.
What is most valuable?
Remote management has been one of the most valuable features. This is because it can be remotely accessed from any place.
What needs improvement?
The flexibility of card use could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used this solution for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable solution. We have been using it for many years. New versions are sturdy and easy to deploy.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a very scalable solution.
How are customer service and support?
The support for this solution is good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. We only required one or two staff members for deployment and maintenance.
What was our ROI?
This is a good solution that always provides a return on investment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This solution is very affordable.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated IBM and a few other solutions. We use Dell for other solutions so we decided to stay with the same company.
What other advice do I have?
This is a good and reliable product that can be used for all kinds of application loads.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Deputy Manager of IT Security Infrastructure at leads
Simple installation, good technical support, and highly durable
Pros and Cons
- "Our customers do not ask for any service for the Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers because they are very durable."
- "The solution could improve by making the warranty policy better, which is a little bit complex because our local service partner Smart Technologies has long delays. Whenever we open any case for any customer, it takes more than five days. If we could handle it by ourselves, we could have the issue solved in one day. They should work on a way to fix these delays."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers for many use cases but primarily in banks and multinational companies.
What is most valuable?
Our customers do not ask for any service for the Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers because they are very durable.
What needs improvement?
The solution could improve by making the warranty policy better, which is a little bit complex because our local service partner Smart Technologies has long delays. Whenever we open any case for any customer, it takes more than five days. If we could handle it by ourselves, we could have the issue solved in one day. They should work on a way to fix these delays.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers for approximately three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers are scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Dell technical support has been good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers is reasonable compared to other solutions.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partner
Software Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
Easy to use, good performance, and simple installation
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is easy to use and has good performance."
- "The scalability could improve. If you want more scalability and high availability, you will have to change to a solution similar to VxRail."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers for building management, attendance, and HR applications.
What is most valuable?
The solution is easy to use and has good performance.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for approximately five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability could improve. If you want more scalability and high availability, you will have to change to a solution similar to VxRail.
We have three administrators that use the solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have been satisfied with the paid level of support we currently are on. There are different levels of support that can be purchased. We are on the 8:00 am to 5:00 pm next business day support. If we want to improve the support we can pay more.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is easy and takes approximately one hour. The servers are okay for stand-alone deployments.
What about the implementation team?
I did the implementation myself.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We have evaluated VxRail.
What other advice do I have?
We are discontinuing the use of this solution and moving to VxRail.
I rate Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Manager at a pharma/biotech company with 201-500 employees
Reliable, easy to install, and powerful
Pros and Cons
- "Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers is a stable product."
- "I would like to see the pricing improved."
- "The price could be cheaper. Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers are very expensive."
What is our primary use case?
We use Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers for cloud applications.
What is most valuable?
Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers is powerful.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see the pricing improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers for more than 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a scalable solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have not contacted technical support. I didn't have any issues during the installation.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We are also using HPE ProLiant DL Servers.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward. The installation was okay.
What about the implementation team?
We had the help of an integrator.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price could be cheaper. Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers are very expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I would rate Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Pre-sale and Post-sale Engineer at a reseller with 201-500 employees
Great performance, fair pricing, and can scale well
Pros and Cons
- "Their support is very good and very effective."
- "Overall, PowerEdge is a very good system."
- "The shipment times could be improved. Sometimes we have to wait four or five days before we get the actual servers. It could even be longer. Sometimes it is many days."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for a variety of use cases. These include holding technologies such as VMware, databases, web application servers, and copies, in some cases.
How has it helped my organization?
The Dell EMC PowerEdge offers best performance per price
What is most valuable?
Their support is very good and very effective.
The price of the system is very fair.
The design of the hardware is very good - especially the management system.
Overall, PowerEdge is a very good system.
The performance has been excellent so far.
The initial setup is very easy to manage.
What needs improvement?
The shipment or delivery times could be improved. Sometimes we have to wait six Weeks before we get the server. It could even be longer. Sometimes it is many days for my customers
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for six years or so. It's been a while at this point. I've definitely worked with the solution over the last 12 months as well.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. the performance is good and very reliable. We haven't had any issues so far.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good. The system has many options for scalability. If a company needs to expand, it can do so with relative ease.
In our case, our clients are mostly small to medium in size.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support has been very helpful and responsive. They are knowledgeable. We're quite satisfied with their level of support. They are a good service and very supportive.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not overly complex or difficult. We found it to be easy. It's straightforward. A company should have no trouble whatsoever.
The deployment only took a few short hours. It's pretty quick.
I cannot recall the amount of staff it requires for deployment and maintenance. It's my understanding that only one engineer is required.
What about the implementation team?
We are an integrator. We can implement the solution for our clients as required. In a year, we may implement four or five projects.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution offers very good, very fair pricing. It's reasonable. It's not overly expensive.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I do not have any knowledge of our clients evaluating other options before choosing this product.
What other advice do I have?
We are Dell partners. We work with various versions of the solution. These include the 14 Generation, 13 Generation, and 11 Generation. We aren't currently in the process of buying a new server.
I'd recommend the solution. I'd rate it at a perfect ten out of ten. It's been very good for us. We haven't had issues.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
IT Assistant at Hotel 2 Fevrier
Easy to use and the documentation is good, but response time from support could be improved
Pros and Cons
- "You are provided with excellent instructions."
- "This solution is very easy to use, and for every option there is documentation with at least two lines of explanation, so you are provided with excellent instructions."
- "They need to improve the support, as they are not very responsive, and they don't get back to you right away."
What is most valuable?
This solution is very easy to use.
For every option, there is documentation with at least two lines of explanation.
You are provided with excellent instructions.
What needs improvement?
They need to improve the support, as they are not very responsive, and they don't get back to you right away.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been working with Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers for several years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable solution and we plan to continue using it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Dell EMC PowerEdge is not very scalable. This is an area that can improve.
We have 389 users in our organization.
How are customer service and technical support?
The critical issue is when you send them an email, you will not get a reply for two or three days.
They are happy to fix your issues but they are not very responsive.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We started when we had Windows 7 in 2012, and have now upgraded to Dell EMC.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
It took two days to complete the installation.
We have one person to maintain it.
What about the implementation team?
We had help from an integrator during our implementation. We have been using these integrators for five years.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's a one-time licensing fee for the device and we pay a quota per year for the support.
What other advice do I have?
We deploy both on-premises and on the cloud, but at this time we are using on-premise only because we have to get additional access to the cloud.
This is a good product. I would recommend it for small to mid-size companies, but not for large companies who manage several computers. The response time for their support could be faster.
I would rate this solution a six out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Assistant Vice President at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
Enables us to do remote troubleshooting
Pros and Cons
- "The initial setup is so easy."
- "The remote management control is a valuable feature."
- "As the disks and memory should be expandable, I would highlight scalability as an issue."
What is our primary use case?
I use the solution to help me with battery and memory DIMM errors.
What is most valuable?
The remote management control is a valuable feature. There is no need to connect the monitor, keyboard, or mouse. We can install our operating system and whatever else we wish. Thanks to the enterprise license which enables remote connectivity there is no need to connect. This allows us to make use as we see fit, such as that involving the operating system installation and, occasionally, the host machine, in which case we can connect to the console remotely. This allows us to do remote troubleshooting, which is a nice feature.
What needs improvement?
When it comes to battery and memory DIMM errors, it seems there is a bug. Also, the number of disks should be expandable. Many medium and large companies are using cloud-based rack servers. There should be a greater amount of CPU, memory, and hard disks. As the disks and memory should be expandable, I would highlight scalability as an issue.
For how long have I used the solution?
I am currently using Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers and have been doing so over the course of the past 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I feel Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers to be reliable solutions for rack only because this rack solutions is not applicable to other cases. It is reliable, based on the rack solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
When it comes to the rack server, the number of disks lack scalability.
How are customer service and technical support?
Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers' remote support is quite good. Many a times I have opened a case and received from them a prompt response and solution.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is so easy. One just need establish a remote connection with the network console, allowing the applications database to be installed as desired.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing comes with a warranty.
If I wish to use the remote console, I can access it so that I may obtain the enterprise license on the server. Once two or three years have elapsed, or subsequent to getting the warranty, there is no need to get the license.
The cost goes up when taking into account the enterprise-level license.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I evaluated Blade in addition to the solution.
What other advice do I have?
The reason we use on-premises and not cloud is because we are talking about a bank. The financial data is not published outside.
Before I could recommend implementing the solution, I wish to describe a scenario. As mentioned, in terms of the rack server I can speak positively. However, were I to compare Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers to other solutions, such as Blade, it wouldn't be helpful for this rack server only, as we are merely talking about CPU, RAM and some disks.
Owing to the scalability issue, I rate Dell EMC PowerEdge Rack Servers as a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Easy to use and maintain with a straightforward setup
Pros and Cons
- "The initial setup is pretty straightforward."
- "We have been quite happy with the solution overall and from our point of view Dell is the best choice for servers, even though we have worked with other brands and products."
- "The solution needs to offer better service feedback, their response rate is slow when we have questions."
- "The technical support isn't the best. They are slow to respond."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for computing.
What is most valuable?
The solution has proven to be very stable over the years. It's quite reliable in terms of performance.
The product has always been very easy to use.
The maintenance of the product is easy to do. It doesn't need too much.
The local service on offer from Dell is quite good. They are very helpful.
The initial setup is pretty straightforward.
What needs improvement?
The solution needs to offer better service feedback, their response rate is slow when we have questions. They need to be faster and get back to us much quicker to help us when we require assistance.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for ten years or so. It's been a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is quite stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable. The performance has been very good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have 15 to 20 customers that use Dell.
We do plan to continue to use Dell and offer it to clients going forward.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support isn't the best. They are slow to respond. It's a problem for us. We feel they could be a lot better at getting back to their customers when they have queries. We're not completely satisfied with the level of support provided.
It used to be better. We've really noticed a drop-off in service this year.
It is possible that Dell put their support service to a third-party company. I don't know. I assume this due to the fact that his year, we found that Dell's technical support team is not as professional as before. Perhaps they are trying to lower costs. If that's the case, they need to provide more training to the people who are handling support now.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
As we work with other customers, sometimes they don't want to use Dell or already use something else.
We recommend Dell however, we also might choose or work with HPE, Lenovo, or even IBM.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very easy. It's not overly complex at all.
The deployment is also very quick and easy. It takes maybe 10 minutes to just install one rack mount server. Our engineers can actually take less than 10 minutes to install one server. We have eight engineers that handle deployment and maintenance.
What about the implementation team?
We are implementors and therefore we can help clients with the installation process. We have engineers on hand to assist.
What other advice do I have?
We're both users of the product, as well as integrators.
We've used many versions of the solution over the ten years we've used Dell. We may be on version 13 or 14 at this tie. I can't recall the exact version number.
We've been quite happy with the solution overall. From our point of view, Dell is the best choice for servers, even though we have worked with other brands and products. I'd rate the product at a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Integrator
Buyer's Guide
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Updated: September 2026
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