Replacing Dell server

[nemomaximus]

We have been using Dell servers for more then 20 years and we are happy with how they work. However, once in a while it is good to do some benchmarks against competitors. We have around 20 servers running Vmware (nothing that requires specialized hardware, but we are probably going to move to xcp-ng due to the Broadcom takeover).

What other brands shall we take a look at? Supermicro?

I think what it comes down to is that we want equal/better performance and build quality as Dell but with a lower price...

 

[BoredSysadmin]

Supermicro is comparable in performance to Dell but has lower build quality. We only run Supernmicro in our production farms because they are branded and 100% supported by Nutanix. IE: I never have to deal with super micro directly.
I explained this to my mgmt in terms of car build quality: Do they care if we buy a KIA with bulletproof support?
At a time, HP was comparable in build quality, but I'm sure this is still the case.
I'd say that the Lenovo and Cisco servers would be as good, if not better, in terms of build quality. But I doubt you can save any money going with either.
I've seen QCT (Quanta) servers in person and was impressed by their build quality and price, but I question both local availability and support.

 

[BoredSysadmin]

btw By last I've checked, XCP-NG doesn't do an equivalent of DRS - do you have a plan to address this?

 

[MountainBofh]

We almost exclusively use Supermicro at my job here. Been happy with them.

 

[CyklonDX]

While at work we almost exclusively use dell's; Supermicro is often really good deal - and less shenanigans than what you get with dells.
Dells are often cheaper as they age in used hardware.

 

[nabsltd]

One thing about Supermicro chassis is that they really age well.

I found an old server we had in storage that was in a chassis like a 745BTQ-R920B, but had only 800W power supplies (gold not SQ and 80+ Gold instead of Platinum) and the original Tyan dual Opteron motherboard with more PCI-X slots than PCIe. So, this is box that is at least 10 years old.

But, it's still basically identical to the new ones that are being built. For example, all the parts from the current SYS-740A-T are either already in that 10-year-old chassis or could be dropped in as direct replacements.

 

[BackupProphet]

Supermicro as a company stands for great values. They're the best vendor when it comes to knowledge sharing.