Server distributors: Enterprise {hardware} choices & vendor comparability | JP
Server hardware vendors offer servers of all shapes and sizes, providing organizations with a wide range of options. Most major players include rack servers in their inventories, but many also offer blade servers, HCI systems and mainframe computers. Other offers might include towers, high-density systems or supercomputers.
The vendors discussed in this article were selected from International Data Corporation’s (IDC) list of the top 5 companies in the worldwide server market for the third quarter of 2025. IDC’s selections were based on market shares and on generated revenue. According to IDC, Dell leads the market with Supermicro in second place. IEIT Systems and Lenovo are statistically tied, and HPE has the fifth greatest market share.
Dell
Dell Technologies offers a wide range of rack and blade servers to accommodate different types of organizations. On its website, Dell offers servers in categories such as AI Servers, Data Center Servers and Edge Servers.
Dell currently offers 23 rack servers in its PowerEdge R-Series. These servers range from $1,629 for the PowerEdge R260 to $12,998.99 for the PowerEdge R770.
The PowerEdge R-Series includes 10 single-socket models and 13 two-socket models. One of the more powerful rack servers is the PowerEdge R770, a 2U system that supports up to two Intel Xeon 6 CPUs and up to 8 TB of RAM. This system can accommodate up to six 75-watt GPUs. Like other Dell servers, this server is extremely customizable.
Dell modular blade servers are available through the PowerEdge M-Series, which currently includes only a single model, the PowerEdge MX760C. It supports two processors and up to 8 TB of RAM. This model has a starting price of $37,998.99.
Buyers can purchase servers directly on the Dell website.
HPE
HPE offers a wide range of rack, blade and tower servers for all types of organizations. The HPE website offers recommendations for SMBs, including AI and remote worker solutions, entry-level servers and virtualization.
HPE’s rack servers are available in the ProLiant DL series, but other ProLiant series, like ProLiant ML, can convert to rackmounts. HPE servers use Silicon Root of Trust, which guards against firmware attacks by using an immutable fingerprint of the underlying silicon.
The ProLiant DL series is the most extensive, with 13 Gen10 and Gen11 models. The models are available in 1U and 2U form factors and have either one or two sockets.
The starting price for an entry-level server, the DL20 Gen11, is $2,110. HPE does not list pricing for most of its higher-end servers. The most expensive server listed on HPE’s website is the HPE ProLiant DL385 Gen 11, priced at $6,042. This system is optimized for running AI or big data workloads and supports up to two AMD processors and up to 256 GB of DDR5 memory. The server adheres to a 2U form factor and features up to 8 expansion slots.
Buyers can purchase this and other lower-end servers from the HPE website. HPE requires customers to request a quote for higher-end servers.
IEIT Systems
Although less well known in North America than the other vendors discussed in this article, IEIT Systems, based in Jinan, China, is quickly becoming a major player in the global server market. The company’s meta brain servers fall into three categories: General Purpose Servers, Artificial Intelligence Servers and Edge Computing Servers. The company makes rack, tower, multi-node servers, and edge microservers, and focuses heavily on smart telemetry and remote operations and maintenance to enable automated diagnostics.
Most of the servers in IEIT System’s current lineup fall into the General Purpose category, which has 21 models. One such model, the NF5180G7, is a general-purpose, 1U server supporting two Intel Xeon Scalable processors. This system supports up to 32 DDR5 DIMMs and up to 32 E1.S SSDs.
IEIT Systems does not list pricing information on its website. To purchase a server, customers will generally need to work with a channel partner.
Lenovo
Lenovo offers a variety of server types, including rack, tower, and edge servers, as well as specialized servers, such as high-memory or multi-node servers.
Lenovo’s rack servers are part of the ThinkSystem line, which includes 17 models ranging from 1U to 8U. A few of these servers support only one processor, but most support two, with maximum memory capacities ranging from 128 GB to 8 TB or more. Lenovo does not list a maximum memory capacity for its higher-end servers; it only lists the number of slots.
For example, the ThinkSystem SR250 V3 rack server is an entry-level 1U server that supports only one Intel Xeon processor and up to 128 GB of memory, with a starting price of $1,484.35. In contrast, the ThinkSystem SR650 V4 rack server is designed for data center workloads, supporting up to two Intel Xeon processors and 8 TB of memory. This system has a starting price of $9,358.30.
Buyers can purchase servers directly through the Lenovo website. Rack servers start at $1,238, but prices can run higher depending on the model and configuration. Although many vendors require customers to call for a quote when purchasing higher-end servers, Lenovo allows customers to purchase servers priced over $300,000 from its website. However, Lenovo requires customers to agree not to resell, export or re-export products or services.
Supermicro Systems
Supermicro Systems, or Super Micro Computer, Inc., offers the largest selection of server hardware from these featured vendors, but its categorization can make it difficult to navigate the options.
Supermicro offers rackmount, twin, GPU, blade and storage servers. There are several different product lines associated with each of these categories. For example, the twin server options include Flex Twin, Big Twin, Grand Twin, Twin Pro and Fat Twin. Similarly, rack systems are available in product families such as Hyper, Ultra, CloudDC, Mainstream WIO and MegaDC.
Supermicro offers a wide variety of servers covering nearly every form factor, specification and price range imaginable. The number of options would be completely overwhelming if it weren’t for the search interface on the Supermicro website, which makes it relatively easy to narrow down server selections based on specifications.
Prices vary greatly depending on the server model and configuration. Generally, buyers must work with resellers to choose the best option because only a small number of servers are available for purchase on the Supermicro website.
Editor’s note: This article was updated in 2026 to reflect changes in server hardware and top competitors. The author researched server hardware vendors and chose them based on their popularity and reliability. Some companies previously included have been removed from the list because they no longer sell rack-and-blade servers.
Brien Posey is a former 22-time Microsoft MVP and a commercial astronaut candidate. In his more than 30 years in IT, he has served as a lead network engineer for the U.S. Department of Defense and a network administrator for some of the largest insurance companies in America.
Robert Sheldon is a freelance technology writer. He has written numerous books, articles and training materials on a wide range of topics, including big data, generative AI, 5D memory crystals, the dark web and the 11th dimension.