Dell vs HP Servers: Which Brand is Best?

The epic battle of the brands is plagued with brand favoritism and personal feelings.

And yes, Dell and HP have risen to the top of the technology manufacturer food chain based on good reviews and quality products – but brand names are really nothing more than a sticker attached to a product.

More importantly, selecting the right machine can be confusing, especially when the descriptions are almost exactly the same.  When spending the kind of money it takes to upgrade your infrastructure, you have to keep the following in mind: hardware, service & warranty, and price.

And while Dell and HP are both top manufacturers the question is: which server brand is the best for you?

Background

Hewlett-Packard is the largest server producer by market share. They accounted for just under a quarter of server sales in 2016. Dell holds the number two spot with about 12% of the market. Based on those numbers it’s no wonder that people compare them so heavily.

But outside of market share, what do they have to offer?

Hardware

The guts, the insides, the jelly in your doughnut. The only way to compare brands is to compare the good stuff, the hardware.

When comparing equivalent server units, Dell was able to complete the TPC-H-like workload quicker than its equivalent HP counterparty. HP also lost out on reading performance with 20% less efficiency. In other words, Dells work faster under larger and longer strain.

However, HP’s big win is its better variety and more simplified switches and storage appliances, especially regarding equipment aimed at the small to mid-sized business market. Dell is better for larger enterprises with their EMC storage devices, whereas HP has an excellent balance of features, performance, and price with their storage appliances. 

Acquisitions

HP acquired 3Com several years ago and recently acquired Aruba. 3Com was a great brand of SMB switches, while Aruba is ideal for mid to large enterprises. Dell, by contrast, acquired a lesser-known company that was not notable, to begin with, and Dell hasn't done much to make improvements since then.  It seems that HP has better insight into their shortcomings and does a great job of acquiring companies to advance themselves. Whereas Dell seems to take a slower, more in-house approach.

Warranty and Support

It all boils down to warranty and support. Both companies offer good support, but what helps Dell stand out is their options.

While both offer similar stock warranty and support, Dell has more options in the form of add-on packages. This helps them really shine in this category. Dell also has a leg up on “user-friendly” ease, looking up hardware/warranty information is a smoother process with Dell.

Delivery

Dell hardware ships assembled and tested. This is a huge time saver and although your IT team may still do some testing and alteration, for those who are not tinkering, it is a plug-and-play setup. This saves a lot of time. You also know that it works as it’s supposed to when it arrives.

HP servers, on the other hand, will almost always ship in pieces that will need to be assembled and tested in your IT provider’s lab. While this seems like a waste of time, the flip side is that HP servers usually ship within 1-2 days, whereas Dell can take up to 2 weeks.

Time can play a huge factor when buying a new server. If you need it right this moment, HP might be better for you. But if you have some more time, waiting for the manufacturer to test and assemble it for you might be a better option. Talk to your IT personnel about the condition of your current server and your timeline.

Price

Prices run the gamut of “low” (in relative terms, there is no such thing as a low-cost server) to very, very high.  And while Dell is usually a tad more expensive initially because of pre-assembly and testing, it might be apples-to-apples once labor for assembly and testing has been priced out by your service provider for an HP server.

Talk to your service provider about pricing and get your C-levels involved.  The bottom line is to get the most out of your budget while filling your company’s needs.

When buying a new server make sure you shop around and compare which brand fits your needs the best. Every company is different, and every company’s needs will differ as well. Both of the brands offer great options and have competitive prices. At this point, there is no “better” brand, but there is a brand that fits your company the best. Be sure to speak with your IT provider and do your homework to find which is better for you.