Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9200L vs Aruba (HPE) Aruba 8320: Specs & Price Comparison

Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9200L

★ 4.3 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 56 Gbps (24P-4G) to 128 Gbps (24-port 4x10G) and 104 Gbps (48P-4G) to 176 Gbps (48P-4X); varies by SKU and source
Forwarding Rate: 83.33 Mpps (24P-4G) to 190.4 Mpps (24P-4X); 154.76 Mpps (48P-4G) to 261.9 Mpps (48P-4X); varies by SKU and source
Ports (breakdown): 24 or 48 x 10/100/1000 downlink ports (PoE+ on P models, non-PoE on T models; some 48-port PXG variants add mGig ports) plus 4 fixed uplinks: 4 x 1G SFP (-4G) or 4 x 10G SFP+ (-4X)
PoE Budget: 24P models: about 370 W default, up to about 740 W with redundant PSU; 48P models: about 740 W default, up to about 1440 W with two PSUs (sources conflict, e.g. 600 W and 1 kW PSU options quoted)
Layer: L2/L3: Network Essentials provides L2 switching with basic L3 features; Network Advantage adds full dynamic L3 routing
Stacking support: Yes, StackWise-80 with 80 Gbps stacking bandwidth, up to 8 switches (requires stacking module/kit)

✔ Pros: Cisco StackWise-80 stacking of up to 8 units with 80 Gbps stacking bandwidth; 4x10G SFP+ uplink option for higher-bandwidth aggregation; Full PoE+ (802.3at) on P models with budgets up to roughly 1440 W with redundant power; Two licensing tiers (Network Essentials and Network Advantage) let buyers pay only for needed L3 features; Lower price point than Catalyst 9300 for standard campus access deployments
✘ Cons: Uplinks are fixed with no modular expansion slots, which limits future upgrade paths; Full dynamic L3 routing requires the more expensive Network Advantage license; Stacking needs a separate stacking module and is capped at 8 units; Switching capacity and PoE budgets differ widely between SKUs, making spec comparison and sizing confusing; Lower forwarding performance and feature depth than Catalyst 9300 for aggregation or core roles
Est. Price: $1,783 - $4,604

Aruba (HPE) Aruba 8320

★ 3.3 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 2.5 Tbps
Forwarding Rate: 1,905 Mpps
Ports: Model-dependent: JL479A = 48x 1/10G SFP+ + 6x 40G QSFP+; JL579A = 32x 40G QSFP+; JL581A = 48x 1/10GBASE-T + 6x 40G QSFP+
PoE Budget: N/A (no PoE support)
Layer: L3 (managed)
Stacking Support: No stacking; high availability via Aruba VSX (Virtual Switching Extension)
Form Factor: 1U rack-mountable
Packet Buffer: 16 MB
MAC Table Size: 98,304 entries (per HPE QuickSpecs; some resellers list 14K)
VLANs: 4,096 (802.1Q; reseller-listed, not confirmed in official datasheet)
Power Supplies: Dual redundant PSUs (listed as 2x 400W on JL579A bundle)
Operating System: AOS-CX

✔ Pros: 2.5 Tbps switching capacity and 1,905 Mpps forwarding for core/aggregation use; Layer 3 managed switching in a compact 1U chassis; VSX active-active high availability without stacking; Dense 40G QSFP+ uplink options (6x on the 48-port SKUs, 32x on JL579A); 16 MB packet buffer and 98K MAC table suitable for busy campus or data center aggregation; AOS-CX automation and API-driven management; Redundant power supply options for uptime
✘ Cons: No PoE, so it cannot power access points or cameras directly; No stacking support (VSX is required for HA, which adds design complexity); Priced at the high end of enterprise aggregation switches, roughly $20K to $28K per unit at advertised retail; Some SKUs and resellers list it as end-of-life, so confirm current availability with HPE before specifying; Conflicting MAC table and VLAN figures across listings, so verify against the current HPE datasheet before purchase; Price data is from undated or sold-out retailer listings, not verified street pricing
Est. Price: $20,506 - $27,690

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