Primary Device
Cisco Catalyst 9500
★ 3.2 Value Score
Technical Specifications
- Switching Capacity: Up to 12.8 Tbps
- Forwarding Rate: Up to 8 Bpps
- Ports: 1G, 10G, 25G, 40G, 100G, and 400G options
- PoE Budget: 0W (N/A for Core Switches)
- Layer: Layer 2, Layer 3 (Full Routing)
- Stacking support: StackWise Virtual (Up to 2 switches)
Curation Review
- ✔ Pros: Industry-leading performance and scale; advanced security with MACsec-256 and ETA; supports SD-Access and Cisco DNA automation; high availability with StackWise Virtual; future-proof 400G options.
- ✘ Cons: High initial capital expenditure; mandatory Cisco DNA subscription licensing; requires high level of technical expertise for advanced features; overkill for access layer or small business needs.
- Est. Price: $11,000 - $55,000
Compare Against
Fortinet FortiSwitch 124G (FS-124G)
★ 3.7 Value Score
Technical Specifications
- Switching Capacity: 240 Gbps
- Forwarding Rate: 355 Mpps
- Ports: 24 x 100/1000/2500 Mbps RJ45, 6 x 10 Gbps SFP+
- PoE Budget: 0W (Non-PoE)
- Layer: Layer 2 with Static Routing
- Stacking support: FortiLink (Management Stacking)
- Form Factor: 1 RU, Fanless
Curation Review
- ✔ Pros: High-speed 2.5G multi-gigabit ports ideal for Wi-Fi 6/7 access points; generous 6x 10G SFP+ uplinks for high backhaul capacity; fanless design ensures completely silent operation; seamless integration with FortiGate firewalls via FortiLink for centralized security management.
- ✘ Cons: Lacks Power over Ethernet (PoE) support, requiring injectors or a separate power source for connected devices; fanless design leads to high operating temperatures (often exceeding 50°C); limited Layer 3 features compared to enterprise core switches.
- Est. Price: $1,130 - $1,504