1

In the past I have been a loyal buyer of HP products, especially Proliant servers, but the last server I purchased was a disappointment. I have also been disappointed with the quality of all HP products lately so I looking into purchasing either Lenovo or Dell rack mount servers. I am hoping to get some feedback on people’s experiences with these brands. Was it easy to install an OS? Was the hardware itself durable? How was the performance? How is support? Are parts easily available? Do they last? I appreciate your input.

28 Spice ups
2

I would personally go with DELL over Lenovo just for the fact that I do not trust anything from Lenovo as far as quality and other reasons relating to their history.

21 Spice ups
3

Hey Mike - As you wait for others to give you some insight on their experiences, just wanted to let you know the Dell team is here for ya if you need any other questions answered!

3 Spice ups
4

Why would you consider a Lenovo server? Of all the comparisons I’ve seen that’s not one I’ve run into.

7 Spice ups
5

I only have experience with Dell servers. We use refurbished servers from a third party with a warranty. No issues at all with these servers. We don’t contact Dell directly since we deal with the 3rd party. We had a couple hard drives go bad maybe 4 years ago which were quickly replaced. We are replacing some of these servers with newer Dell servers since they are reaching 5 years in age.

3 Spice ups
6

Dell servers are rock solid. No experience with Lenovo, though, but I wouldn’t switch from Dell.

EDIT: Forgot to remove a word.

7 Spice ups
7

Why would you consider a Dell or HP server?

3 Spice ups
8

All we sell and install only Dell servers. Over the last 10 years I have purchased their ProSupport and ProSupport Plus warranties. Support has been stellar to say the least. Some of my clients I have the 4 hour onsite parts and tech warranty. I’ve had parts delivered at 2 AM (hard drives, memory). The reason I mention this is because I’m in a very rural area in the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. So for me getting this type of service and really sharp engineers on the phone. Can’t say enough about Dell. I normally extend all my warranties an additional 2 years on servers.

Had some very poor experiences with HP servers and once support ends you can’t even get firmware updates, while Dell still offers all the updates for their server even after warranty expires.

8 Spice ups
9

I’ve had no experience with Lenovo servers. I currently use both Dell and HP servers. Both have been great, however I find that finding things on HPE’s website can be a pain in the arse.

4 Spice ups
10

I don’t have any experience with Lenovo servers, but I only have good things to say about the @Dell_Technologies equipment I’ve worked with. It does everything it says it does, and they last for a heck of a long time! I have a couple of PowerEdge servers in my home lab now, and I love them! OS install is super easy, hardware replacement is a piece of cake, and parts are abundant. As an added bonus, since everybody and their mother is (or knows) someone who’s used a Dell server, community support is top notch. ProSupport has also gotten much better over the years, if you do decide to go that route.

6 Spice ups
11

More points for Dell, i have R420, R530 Poweredge servers and they have not disappointed. Easy to setup and configure with iDrac remote monitoring and Perc Raid cards for a solid setup. Running VMware 6.5, Server 2012/16 and Veeam Backup.

Will definitely buy more as we grow.

5 Spice ups
12

Dell here as well, solid servers and support. I have not used a Lenovo server before and probably never will since Dell has been good to us.

2 Spice ups
13

Another plus for Dell. Great product, great support and the best web site for obtaining any information you need. Can’t go wrong with them. Been using Dells for a long time. HPs are pretty good also. But I still prefer Dell.

No experience with Lenovo servers at all.

14

I have some (low end) Lenovo servers. Hardware has been so good I don’t know what support is like…

Dell servers we’ve had have all been quite good too.

I have had nothing but poor experience with HP (I know, many of you have different experiences)

15

I would (and have ) purchase Dell servers - check out their outlet.dell.com site - the refurbished units are as rock solid as the new units (they are new) at a fraction of the price. We are 100% dell servers as host machines running dozens of VM’s on them with never any issues.

16

Lenovo makes servers? We are a Dell only shop and have been happy with the hardware and support.

17

We are currently a Dell shop, and have had no issues with them other than the normal wear and tear. Dell’s support is pretty sharp and easy to deal with when it is needed. I have had no experience with Lenovo servers, so I can’t speak to that. But based on my current and past experiences with Dell, I would have no reservations in recommending them. Good luck with your implementation.

18

Neither, just use Supermicro and set it and forget it. Total reliability without worry.

19

We’re all Dell here and we haven’t had any problems.

20

You’re either an iLO fan or an iDRAC fan. Frankly I would prefer not to spend time with either. HP iLO in my opinion seems to generate more tickets to work out issues than iDRAC.

Dell is more aggressive in the entry level server space than HP.

HP reseller chains are far more robust in my neck of the woods with somebody knowing somebody who sells HP warranty parts. Then again as long as you are under warranty scope both will get you the parts within your contract period.

As long as you avoid their entry level RAID controllers (HP 240 and entire Dell 300 series are complete and absolute garbage) and forgo the occasional fan bug with HP iLO I’ve experienced little statistical difference between the two in terms of reliability, and I’ve worked on a lot of servers.

2 Spice ups