PACKETPERF

Primary Device

Palo Alto Networks PA-545-PoE
Palo Alto Networks PA-545-PoE
★ 3.2 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Firewall Throughput: 5.0 Gbps
  • Threat Prevention Throughput: 3.0 Gbps
  • IPsec VPN Throughput: 3.0 Gbps
  • Max Sessions: 298,000
  • New Sessions/sec: 55,000
  • Interfaces: 8x 1G RJ45, 4x 1G/2.5G PoE, 4x 1G SFP
  • Form Factor: 1RU

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Silent fanless design ideal for noise-sensitive environments; Integrated PoE with a 181W budget; High performance for branch office class; ML-powered NGFW for real-time protection.
  • ✘ Cons: Significant ongoing costs for required security subscriptions; Lack of 10GbE interfaces limits future-proofing for high-speed local networks; Premium pricing compared to competitors in the same performance bracket.
  • Est. Price: $5,400 - $6,500

Compare Against

Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine Pro Max
Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine Pro Max
★ 4.7 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Firewall Throughput: 9.5 Gbps
  • Threat Prevention Throughput: 5 Gbps
  • IPsec VPN Throughput: 3.1 Gbps
  • Max Sessions: 500,000
  • New Sessions/sec: 25,000
  • Interfaces: (1) 2.5 GbE WAN, (1) 10G SFP+ WAN, (8) 1 GbE RJ45 LAN, (1) 10G SFP+ LAN
  • Form Factor: 1U Rackmount

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Industry-leading 5 Gbps IDS/IPS throughput for its price point; Dual 3.5" NVR bays with RAID support; 2.5 GbE and 10G SFP+ WAN options; Shadow Mode for high availability.
  • ✘ Cons: The 8-port integrated switch lacks PoE support; Most LAN ports are limited to 1 GbE throughput.
  • Est. Price: $599 - $649

Popular Comparisons

Palo Alto Networks PA-545-PoE vs Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine Beast Palo Alto Networks PA-545-PoE vs Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine Pro Max Palo Alto Networks PA-545-PoE vs Ubiquiti Dream Machine Pro Max Palo Alto Networks PA-545-PoE vs Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine Pro Max (UDM-Pro-Max) Palo Alto Networks PA-545-PoE vs Fortinet FortiGate 120G