Primary Device
Cisco Catalyst 9500
★ 3.3 Value Score
Technical Specifications
- Switching Capacity: Up to 12 Tbps (9500X, Q200 ASIC); up to 6.4 Tbps (C9500-32C); up to 3.2 Tbps (32QC, 48Y4C); up to 2.0 Tbps (24Y4C); up to 480 Gbps (9500-16X, UADP 2.0)
- Forwarding Rate: Up to 8 Bpps (9500X); up to 2 Bpps (C9500-32C); up to 1 Bpps (32QC, 48Y4C, 24Y4C); up to 360 Mpps (9500-16X)
- Ports: 16 to 92 ports by model, mixing 1/10/25G, 40/100G, and 400G. Examples: 16x 1/10G SFP+ (9500-16X); 24x 1/10/25G SFP28 + 4x 40/100G uplinks (9500-24Y4C); 48x 1/10/25G SFP28 + 4x 40/100G uplinks (9500-48Y4C); 32x 100G QSFP28 (9500-32C); 32x 40G or 16x 100G QSFP (9500-32QC); 28x 40/100G QSFP28 + 8x 400G QSFP-DD (9500X-28C8D); 60x 10/25/50G SFP56 + 4x 40/100/200/400G (9500X-60L4D)
- PoE Budget: N/A (no PoE variants listed in the Catalyst 9500 datasheet)
- Layer: Layer 3 (full IP routing; Network Essentials or Network Advantage license tier)
- Stacking Support: StackWise Virtual (SVL) on 9500 and 9500X families; no physical StackWise stacking
Curation Review
- ✔ Pros: One family spans 1G/10G access-aggregation to 100G/400G core uplinks; 9500X models reach up to 8 Bpps forwarding on the Silicon One Q200 ASIC; StackWise Virtual pairs two chassis into one logical L3 core with redundancy; Full Layer 3 routing with Network Essentials and Network Advantage license tiers; Modular uplink options on the 9500-16X (NM-8X, NM-2Q) add flexibility
- ✘ Cons: No PoE variants in the line, so access-layer PoE requires separate switches; Prices are not published by Cisco and reseller pricing varies widely (about $3,875 to $37,824); Older UADP 2.0 models like the 9500-16X are limited to 480 Gbps and 360 Mpps; SVL uses ports for the link and requires identical models on both chassis; Cisco DNA licensing is sold separately from the hardware and adds to total cost
- Est. Price: $3,875 - $37,824
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