Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and Dell EMC have dominated the server market for a long time. Both vendors compete in almost all server categories with different series, with technological advancements to improve performance and reliability. Naturally, it can be tough to choose between the two.
This article will provide a high-level comparison between HPE and Dell EMC servers, helping you make the best choice for your enterprise. The vendor choice is an important one, after all, as it impacts performance, compatibility, and support. Also, it’s a major investment that warrants careful deliberation.
HPE Servers Overview
HPE has been the runner-up market leader for servers globally. The company makes enterprise servers for businesses of all types and sizes. As a result, their server portfolio includes a large variety of models. The HPE ProLiant servers can rightly be considered the flagship series of the brand, offering some of the most cutting-edge computing, storage, and security features on the market.
Types
HPE servers come in various types and form factors, so enterprises can easily find a model suitable for their architectural requirements. Even the ProLiant series isn’t limited to one type, as it can be rack, blade, tower, or modular. There are also microservers for small businesses wanting on-prem solutions without spending a fortune.
Series
- HPE Proliant: The most in-demand server series from HPE, currently in its 11th generation. ProLiant servers come in various types and form factors, which is indicated in their model name as Density Line (DL), Modular Line (ML), and Rack Line (RL). They are compute-engineered to offer fast performance and cater to different use cases like centralized data processing, AI workloads, and hybrid environments.
- HPE Apollo: This series is for high-performance computing (HPC), ideal for analytics and AI workloads. It’s powered by highly advanced processors from AMD and Intel and NVIDIA GPUs. While limited in terms of models compared with the ProLiant series, Apollo is suitable for specific enterprises that regularly perform complex computations on data.
- HPE Alletra: This series from HPE offers storage servers for data-driven operations. These servers offer optimized storage and compute power in a single unit.
- HPE SimpliVity: This blade server series offers compact form factors for environments with limited physical space. SimpliVity models are designed for data centers looking for economic and agile platforms that can be deployed at scale.
Dell EMC Servers Overview
Dell EMC has been the leader in the server market for years, known for its reliable solutions. Like HPE, Dell EMC has solutions for businesses of all sizes. However, most product offerings are targeted at large enterprises and data centers. Most modern Dell EMC servers are optimized for compute-intensive workloads, while some lean more toward storage-dominant applications. In other words, it’s easy to find a model specific to the business's technical and physical requirements.
Types
Dell EMC offers three main form factors for servers: rack, tower, and blade/modular. You’ll find all three form factors in its flagship PowerEdge Series. The company also markets its servers by use case type, with servers for AI, edge computing, and data centers.
Dell EMC uses a uniform naming method across its server series, with R indicating rack servers, T indicating tower servers, and M indicating modular servers.
Series
- Dell EMC PowerEdge: This series represents Dell’s main server lineup, offering rack, tower, modular, and cloud series. These are the most advanced servers from the vendor. The vendor also makes purpose-specific servers for AI and edge computing, as indicated by the XE and XR naming conventions.
- Dell EMC PowerScale: These servers are designed to store and process unstructured data. They combine optimized storage and processing capabilities in a singular form factor.
- VxRail: This series is purpose-built for hyper-converged environments and is readily integrated with VMware (it’s engineered by VMware, too, in addition to Dell EMC). It’s designed for virtualization and to handle private cloud workloads.
HPE vs. Dell EMC Servers: Comparison
Here’s the comparison between Dell EMC and HPE servers in different areas:
Processors
HPE mostly uses Intel processors in its servers, including Intel Celeron, Cor, and Xeon. Some of its flagship ProLiant series models also feature AMD EPYC processors. HPE has also produced some ProLiant Gen 11 models with Ampere processors. It usually utilizes the latest generation of processors, offering the best processing performance possible at the time.
Dell EMC also offers both Intel and AMD processors. However, it leans toward Intel processors for its compute-intensive models and more toward AMD for data center rack servers.
OS
Dell’s PowerEdge servers support multiple operating systems (OS). It doesn’t stick with a particular OS to avoid incompatibility and support issues. Therefore, enterprises can use virtually any brand of the OS.
HPE offers customers the option to buy a specific brand OS with the server. It supports Microsoft, Red Hat, Canonical, SUSE, and Oracle OS. It also resells support for these OS. So, customers have the convenience of getting support for both the hardware and OS via HPE.
Memory
Both HPE and Dell EMC offer servers with high-performance memory configurations. HPE’s Gen10 and Gen11 ProLiant servers support advanced memory technologies such as HPE Persistent Memory, which provides a unique blend of storage and memory capabilities, ideal for data-intensive workloads.
Dell EMC PowerEdge servers, on the other hand, feature support for Intel Optane persistent memory, delivering similar benefits in terms of data acceleration and memory density. While both brands support DDR5 memory in their latest models, HPE's focus on fine-tuned performance for specific applications gives it a slight edge for businesses needing tailored memory solutions.
Storage
Storage has a direct impact on the server's performance. If storage is the primary use case for the server, you can find storage-optimized server offerings from both HPE (Alletra) and Dell EMC (PowerStore).
All Dell EMC servers easily integrate with PowerStore and other storage solutions, offering seamless scalability and high-performance storage architectures. These servers provide broad support for NVMe drives, which ensures faster data access and greater efficiency in data-heavy environments. HPE servers offer advanced storage options, including NVMe and support for their HPE Nimble Storage and 3PAR arrays. However, Dell EMC’s tighter integration with software-defined storage solutions gives it a slight advantage.
Scalability
Both HPE and Dell EMC excel at scalability, but their approaches differ. HPE servers emphasize modularity, allowing users to expand their infrastructure incrementally, making expansion manageable and less costly.
Dell EMC servers are designed for massive scalability, particularly for enterprise-grade applications. Their resources can be upgraded rather easily. Also, Dell EMC's flexibility and breadth of options make it the stronger choice for hyperscalers and other fast-growing enterprises.
Server Management Systems
HPE’s iLO (Integrated Lights-Out) system is a standout feature, as it offers com prehensive management capabilities, advanced monitoring tools, and AI-driven insights to optimize server performance. Dell EMC counters with its iDRAC (Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller), which provides remote management features. Still, it can feel less intuitive compared to HPE iLO’s polished interface and ease of use. For businesses prioritizing efficient and user-friendly server management, HPE's iLO takes the lead.
Maintenance & Support
Dell EMC provides support for its servers through the Dell OpenManage Enterprises Services. While basic support is included for free, more features can be found with ProSupport and ProSupport Plus subscriptions.
HP Service Pack (SPP), which provides server deployment, monitoring, and maintenance support, isn’t free. Customers can buy the license for this service at the time of purchase.
Maintenance from these vendors typically ends once the servers reach the end of service life (EOSL), which may take five to ten years from the model’s initial launch. After that, the equipment may continue to be used with the help of more affordable, third-party maintenance.
Pricing
Server pricing varies greatly depending on the series, model, vendor, and contracts. You may get a better price if you order a large number of servers or work with a value-added reseller (VAR) like PivIT, which can negotiate prices with the vendor.
HPE offers more pricing flexibility with deals and discounts for frequent buyers (which is what VARs can capitalize on). However, Dell EMC isn’t that flexible with its pricing and can have long lead times.
This is reflected in the ratings for price flexibility of these vendors on Gartner. While Dell has a rating of 4.1, HPE has the upper hand with a score of 4.3.
HPE vs. Dell EMC Servers for AI
Both HPE and Dell EMC were quick to capitalize on the recent gold rush of AI. They’ve introduced AI-specific models within their flagship lineups to cater to the growing demand from enterprises getting on the AI bandwagon.
Compared head-to-head, Dell EMC currently has the better overall offering for AI servers, with purpose-built PowerEdge servers for AI workloads that are power-efficient and high-performance. They ship assembled and ready, making it easier for enterprises to deploy them quickly for their AI projects.
How to Pick Between Dell EMC and HPE?
As there are more similarities than differences between Dell EMC and HPE servers, picking between the two comes down to the smaller things. Here are some tips:
- Define the goals you plan to achieve with the new servers and quantify them in terms of performance. Compare models from either vendor based on the specs that can deliver the required performance.
- While multi-vendor environments have many benefits, you may choose the vendor you already use for simplicity and compatibility.
- Price can be the ultimate consideration. Go with the vendor that offers the best rates and save some on your capital expenditure.
PivIT's Inventory and OEM Partnerships Reduce Your Lead Times!
Still unsure? PivIT’s procurement specialists can help you find the best servers from HPE or Dell EMC while offering savings as high as 60 percent. Discuss your requirements and applications with an expert and procure the best servers for your business.
Reach out to PivIT, and let us help you with your server procurement!
FAQs
What are Dell EMC and HPE's server market shares?
As of 2023, Dell has continued to dominate the server market in terms of shipments and revenue, as per a Gartner report. HPE has the second biggest market share of servers.
Who is the biggest manufacturer of servers?
Dell EMC is the largest manufacturer of servers globally. It has led the market and shipped the most units consecutively for the past five years.
Are HPE servers more expensive than Dell EMC servers?
HPE servers are generally a little more expensive than Dell EMC, but pricing varies greatly and depends on various factors. While pricier, HPE is more flexible in pricing and may end up being cheaper than Dell EMC, depending on the specific server series/models and order volume.