By combining compute, storage, networking and security into a hyperconverged infrastructure, such as Dell VxRail or Nutanix NX, organizations can save money because they have fewer systems to manage. Hyperconvergence also provides simplicity and ease of deployment and operations.
According to Fortune Business Insights, the HCI market is expected to reach $61.49 billion by 2032. A study from 451 Research also found that over 80% of businesses are expanding HCI deployments at the edge to help connect disparate tools and technologies.
This article examines two leading HCI platforms: VxRail from Dell and Nutanix NX. VxRail is more proprietary in nature, centering squarely around Dell hardware and VMware software. Nutanix NX supports several leading hypervisors and can run on hardware from various manufacturers.
Hardware specifications
VxRail and Nutanix NX differ in supported hardware.
Dell VxRail
VxRail was formed from a joint venture between Dell and VMware and runs on Dell hardware. Dell provides five different series of VxRail hardware, each aimed at a different use:
- E Series. A 1U system designed for machine learning (ML) and general use, including in-memory databases, high-performance computing and VDI.
- P Series. Dell’s high-performance VxRail series, suitable for demanding workloads, such as in-memory databases. It uses a 2U configuration with one, two or four sockets.
- V Series. A 2U platform for use as VDI. It’s well suited for graphics-intensive workloads.
- D Series. A durable platform that uses a small form factor. It is best suited for locations with limited space, such as retail point-of-sale environments. Admins can also use it on the go or in industrial environments.
- S Series. A 2U platform suitable for use with workloads that require large amounts of storage, such as Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft SharePoint. This series is also well positioned for use with big data analytics applications.
Nutanix NX
Nutanix follows a different HCI hardware model than Dell. Whereas VxRail is based on tight integration between Dell hardware and VMware software, Nutanix’s offerings are all about flexibility. Nutanix offers its own purpose-built hyperconverged appliances, but companies such as Cisco, Dell, HPE, Intel and Lenovo also use Nutanix software.
Hyperconverged infrastructure use cases
VxRail and Nutanix NX also differ in their intended uses.
Dell VxRail
VxRail is intended exclusively for VMware workloads but is suitable for more than basic server virtualization. Additional supported uses include VMware Cloud Foundation, SAP HANA and Kubernetes. Dell also markets VxRail toward organizations that want to incorporate ML into their business processes and host virtual desktops.
Nutanix NX
Although Nutanix provides products for vertical industries ranging from healthcare and retail to financial services and manufacturing, its HCI could be considered a general-purpose offering.
Rather than taking Dell’s approach of tightly coupling its hardware with VMware software, Nutanix has adopted a software-defined approach to hyperconvergence. This means organizations can build hyperconverged systems on top of Nutanix appliances or hardware from several other vendors.
Nutanix supports the use of multiple hypervisors, and its deployments can be based on VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V or Nutanix Acropolis Hypervisor (AHV). An organization can also use a combination of different hypervisors for its business requirements.
Performance
VxRail and Nutanix NX provide varying levels of performance based on an organization’s hardware configuration.
Dell VxRail
VxRail has five series: E, P, V, D and S. Each series differs in performance and offers varying hardware options.
The VxRail D Series is a single-socket platform, but the other VxRail series support dual-socket configurations. The P Series also supports a quad-CPU configuration. All of the series, aside from D, support up to 40 cores per CPU. The D Series supports a maximum of 20 cores.
Memory support also varies among series. The D Series supports up to 512 GB of RAM. The P, S and V series support up to 4 TB of RAM. The E Series supports up to 8 TB of RAM.
The types of disks supported vary widely among the various series. The E Series supports Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS), Serial Advanced Technology Attachment and non-volatile memory express (NVMe) disks. The P Series supports flash and NVMe. The V Series supports all-flash SAS, while the D Series supports only NVMe. The S Series supports Near-Line SAS.
Nutanix NX
Nutanix offers 30 different hyperconverged appliances in addition to supporting third-party appliances.
The Nutanix appliances vary widely in scope. Its most modest appliance is NX-1120S-G7. This device includes a single Intel Xeon D CPU with 8 cores and up to 256 GB of memory. It can accommodate up to 15.36 TB of all-solid-state drive (SSD) storage.
Organizations that want a more powerful hyperconverged appliance might consider the Nutanix NX-8155-G9 model, which has twin AMD Epyc 9004 CPUs with up to 84 cores each. This appliance supports up to 3 TB of RAM and 184.32 TB of all-SSD or NVMe storage.
Cloud integrations
With most organizations hosting a significant portion of their IT footprint in the public cloud, it’s important to consider an HCI platform’s cloud integration capabilities.
Dell VxRail
VxRail offers full-stack integration with VMware Cloud Foundation. This gives administrators a single set of tools to manage all cloud environments, providing a consistent management experience across public and private clouds. This approach enables a consistent service-level agreement across clouds.
Nutanix NX
Nutanix Cloud Platform is a single point of control for all applications and data, regardless of which cloud is running. It also supports lift-and-shift application migration between clouds.
Pricing model
An organization’s HCI platform selection usually comes down to price and cost of ownership.
Dell VxRail
Dell sells its VxRail products as a fully integrated platform. It bases VxRail around the use of Dell PowerEdge servers and preconfigured VMware software. The included management software, VxRail Manager, provides native integration with VMware’s vCenter Server.
Nutanix NX
Nutanix specializes in software-defined hyperconverged infrastructure. The company’s offering centers around its Acropolis Operating System software, which provides basic hyperconverged functionality. Add-on server hardware and hypervisors are available from Nutanix or a third-party vendor.
Support
As with all enterprise hardware, organizations looking to purchase an HCI platform must carefully consider the available support options and costs.
Dell VxRail
Dell provides support for VxRail through its ProSupport Enterprise Suite. Dell offers three variations of this support suite: ProSupport, ProSupport Plus and ProSupport One for Data Center. Support contracts are available through Dell sales or Dell partners.
Nutanix NX
Nutanix offers two levels of support for its hardware and software. Production Support, the lower-tier option, provides 24/7 access to technical support with Priority 1 support available within an hour. For Nutanix hardware, Production Support provides replacement parts on the next business day.
Nutanix’s top-tier support option, Mission Critical Support, guarantees Priority 1 support within 30 minutes and offers a four-hour parts replacement option for Nutanix hardware.
Editor’s note: Brien Posey updated this article in 2025. This update marks which HCI platform is discussed in each section to enhance the reader’s experience. All information has been revised to ensure accurate details.
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.
