Dell PowerEdge vs HP ProLiant Servers: An In-Depth Feature Comparison

As an IT professional exploring server options, you may be wondering how to choose between Dell PowerEdge and HP ProLiant – two of the leading server lines powering small businesses and enterprises worldwide. Over their 25+ year histories, both Dell and HP have become staples in data centers thanks to their performance, expandability and reliability.

But when it comes down to identifying the ideal server technology for your specific needs and workloads, the similarities make it challenging to pick a winner in the Dell vs HP matchup. Cutting through the specifications and models to compare real-world advantages takes comprehensive analysis.

In this guide, we’ll provide that analysis to spotlight key differences between the PowerEdge and ProLiant portfolios. You’ll gain insight into where each server line shines along with tips for matching the right technology to your IT infrastructure requirements. Let’s get started!

A Brief History

First, some quick history on the two competing platforms…

Dell launched the initial PowerEdge servers in 1995 as pioneer in rack optimizing servers for corporate IT instead of traditional huge data centers. The line expanded over the subsequent decades to become a cornerstone of small/medium data centers.

HP introduced the ProLiant brand in 1994 with their early models also targeted at the SMB market. ProLiant servers quickly gained traction for delivery of the newest Intel chips along with innovations in form factors.

Both PowerEdge and ProLiant evolved with waves of improved performance, efficiency, security and scalability capabilities over generations of upgrades. As a result, Dell and HP have emerged as clear enterprise server market leaders worldwide thanks to the maturing technology.

But when analyzing the nuances of the two product families, PowerEdge and ProLiant take slightly divergent design approaches even as they deliver similar core benefits. These differences factor into preference for various applications and workloads.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Now that we’ve provided some quick history on the two brands, let’s analyze how the latest models and specs match up across crucial categories:

As the table illustrates, the two brands end up fairly even on most capabilities even though their approaches differ. But PowerEdge distinguishes itself when it comes to peak performance and overall reliability based on extensive benchmarks and studies. ProLiant balances slightly lower specs with more budget-friendly pricing.

To better understand the real-world advantages, let’s analyze the key differences in more detail…

Performance – 20% Throughput Advantage

Today‘s data-driven operations require backend servers that can keep pace with ever-increasing demands. Whether running databases, analytics or other intensive workloads, slow performance leads directly to losses in revenue and productivity.

In performance testing, the latest Dell PowerEdge models consistently beat out ProLiant alternatives by up to 20% in key benchmarks such as:

• Transactions processed per second – Up to 41% higher throughput under demanding loads using identical configurations
• Query response times – Up to 20x faster response delivering business insights when seconds count
• VM capacity – Support for up to 40% more virtual machines (VMs) per host server

What gives PowerEdge the performance edge? PCI Express (PCIe) 4.0 support allows cutting edge solid state drives (SSDs) and network cards to operate at full throughput potential. PCIe 4.0 doubles the bandwidth ceiling compared to the PCIe 3.0 standard still used on ProLiant.

Higher speed PCIe 4 means fewer bottlenecks for demanding analytics and database workloads reliant on fast storage and networks. PowerEdge’s platform-level performance advantage will only widen as new PCIe 4-based components launch.

Of course, most common business applications run comfortably on either platform. But the performance headroom makes PowerEdge the clear choice for workloads where split-second latency makes an impact.

Reliability – Up to 2x Survival Rate

Alongside performance, uptime and reliability represent the critical pillars of enterprise IT infrastructure. Even brief amounts of downtime can severely impact productivity, sales and revenue.

Both ProLiant and PowerEdge utilize redundancy and hot-swap components to deliver best-in-class reliability. However, a recent 4-year study by the Information Technology Intelligence Consulting (ITIC) firm highlighted a key dependability difference:

• 92.1% 1-year survival rate for Dell PowerEdge servers
• 86.2% 1-year survival rate for HP Proliant servers

So while both product lines are highly reliable compared to alternatives, PowerEdge demonstrates almost twice the reliability based on statistical component failures.

Contributing factors behind PowerEdge‘s reliability advantage include:

• Component-level diagnostics – telemetrics to identify failing parts for proactive replacements
• Fully redundant options – features like dual SD modules and hotplug drives
• Robust quality control – intense validation testing to find weaknesses

Of course, following availability best practices like clustering still applies. But superior components and diagnostics gives PowerEdge a clear edge for mission-critical systems.

Pricing – Value Beyond Initial Cost Differences

If constrained IT budgets were the top priority, HP ProLiant servers appear the economical choice at first glance. Entry-level ProLiant models start as low as $550 compared to $650 for comparable PowerEdge servers.

However, once you move beyond baseline configurations, pricing differences depend more on negotiated contracts than list costs. Dell provides exclusive bundled pricing when you purchase support packages, storage, networking and services together. HP discounts remain case-by-case based on volumes and relationships.

More significantly, PowerEdge servers include Depot support servicesPackaged together, ProLiant solutions end up at comparable costs despite slightly higher hardware pricing. But the bundled services can yield substantial long-term savings compared to itemized ProLiant support renewals.

On balance, both server lines provide outstanding ROI thanks to their performance, efficiency and lifespan. But PowerEdge delivers better TCO value for many customers once you account for productivity benefits and inclusive support.

Support – Priority Services Included

Even the most reliable enterprise technology requires expert support for smooth operations long-term. Server technology like ProLiant and PowerEdge have too much complexity for most IT teams to cost-effectively maintain themselves.

Dell breaks from HP by including comprehensive support services in PowerEdge pricing without markup. ProLiant provides similar capabilities but requires renewing support coverage annually after the first 90 days.

Bundled PowerEdge support also delivers advantages like:

• 24/7 access to Level 3 engineers for troubleshooting
• Onsite parts/labor with technician dispatch if necessary
• Tools training for server health monitoring and administration
• ProSupport Plus with alerts, automation and analytics

While ProLiant offers comparable capabilities, support merits consideration beyond purely contractual differences. Dell‘s in-house server support team simply outclasses rivals based on expertise nurtured over decades.

Management – Complementary Platforms

Managing server infrastructure at any scale requires comprehensive tools to track component health, benchmark performance and streamline updates. Both Dell iDRAC and HP iLO platforms provide enterprise-grade lights-out server control with similarities and differences.

Out of the box, iLO packs more built-in capabilities like automatic firmware updates and power governing. But iDRAC offers more fine-grained performance monitoring and calibrations for optimized throughput.

Administrators praise iLO‘s intuitive interface and scripting tools aimed at general sysadmins first learning server management. In contrast, iDRAC capabilities like advanced RAID monitoring cater more towards hardcore server specialists.

So neither management platform ranks clearly above the other – they simply align better to certain IT team skillsets. iLO excels at human-centric workflows while iDRAC provides exhaustive infrastructure analytics.

Ideal Use Cases

Given the pros and cons analyzed above, what are the ideal usage scenarios for ProLiant vs PowerEdge servers?

Dell PowerEdge

• Databases and analytics platforms
• High performance computing (HPC) clusters
• Rapid prototyping with virtualization
• Financial trading data pipelines
• Media rendering / transcoding farms

HP ProLiant

• General business applications
• Basic server virtualization
• Light development workloads
• Smaller branch office needs

Of course, this breakdown only provides a very rough guideline. Plenty of organizations could benefit from either line regardless of use case due to the flexible specifications.

But understanding core competencies helps match technology to your objectives. You get more value prioritizing PowerEdge’s performance and support for intensive workloads vs ProLiant’s ease-of-use for simpler needs.

Making the Dell vs HP Decision

By now the detailed comparison has hopefully revealed that both ProLiant and PowerEdge represent industry leaders for on-premise infrastructure. HP and Dell each offer outstanding technology catered to mid-sized and enterprise IT teams.

To recap the key selection criteria:

• Performance – PowerEdge faster under pressure with PCIe 4.0 support
• Reliability – Lower failure rates with PowerEdge based on analysis
• Economics – ProLiant starts cheaper but PowerEdge cost-competitive long-term
• Support – Dell service more comprehensive and proactive
• Ecosystem – iLO more intuitive while iDRAC offers robust analytics

So which server line should you standardize on?

If your priorities revolve around maximum workload throughput, uptime and supportive technology partnerships, Dell PowerEdge becomes the clear winner. But plenty of IT teams praise ProLiant’s balanced capabilities and pricing.

Ultimately Dell takes the gloves off when it comes to intensive server workloads – but ProLiant flexibility still suits many. By weighing your unique priorities to where each server line excels, choosing the right option avoids compromise while unlocking value.

I hope this comprehensive feature breakdown provides clarity regarding your next technology investment. Please reach out with any other questions!