Fortinet FortiSwitch 148G vs Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6200: Specs & Price Comparison

Fortinet FortiSwitch 148G

★ 3.8 Value Score

Switching Capacity: Not confirmed. Sources conflict: 240 Gbps (PacketPerf page) and 384 Gbps (earlier PacketPerf search summary). The 176 Gbps figure belongs to the FS-148F family, not the 148G.
Forwarding Rate: Not confirmed. Sources conflict: 90 Mpps (PacketPerf page) and 286 Mpps (earlier PacketPerf search summary). The 260 Mpps figure belongs to the FS-148F family.
Ports (breakdown): Not confirmed. NetBox Labs lists 49x 1GbE RJ45 + 4x 10GbE SFP+ in its FAQ, but its interface table shows 50 copper ports (including mgmt) + 3 SFP+. PacketPerf lists 48x 1GbE RJ45 + 4x 10GbE SFP+.
PoE Budget: None for the base 148G (non-PoE; PoE models are separate -POE and -FPOE SKUs). PacketPerf's 370W / 90W figures are unverified.
Layer: Not confirmed (PacketPerf lists L3; no official source found)
Stacking Support: Not confirmed (PacketPerf lists up to 8 units; no official source found)
Form Factor: 1U, half-depth (NetBox Labs)
Power Draw: Max 80 W, allocated 55 W (NetBox Labs power port table; FAQ states 55 W max)
Price Basis: Unverified estimate from PacketPerf page. No reseller listing for the 148G was found; 148F reseller prices were USD 805-1,033, but that is a different model.

✔ Pros: Managed Layer 2/3 switch with Web UI, CLI, SNMP and SSH management; 4x 10GbE SFP+ uplinks for aggregation; Compact 1U half-depth form factor; Fits Fortinet Secure Access (FortiLink) management with a FortiGate
✘ Cons: Official Fortinet datasheet not found, so most specs are unverified; Port count and switching capacity conflict between sources; Non-PoE base model (PoE variants are separate SKUs); Power draw figures conflict (55 W vs 80 W max); No reliable 148G price listing; Stacking and L3 support unconfirmed
Est. Price: $850 - $1,400

Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6200

★ 4.2 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 128 Gbps (24-port models); 176 Gbps (48-port models)
Forwarding Rate: 95.2 Mpps (24-port models); 130.9 Mpps (48-port models)
Ports (breakdown): 24x or 48x 10/100/1000BASE-T (PoE+ on PoE SKUs) + 4x SFP/SFP+ uplinks (1GbE/10GbE); 6200M models add 4x SFP+ uplinks
PoE Budget: 370W Class 4 (24G and 48G 370W SKUs); 740W Class 4 (48-port 6200F PoE SKU); up to 1440W Class 6 (60W per port) on 6200M PoE SKUs. Varies by SKU
Layer: L2/L3 (Layer 3 static routing; dynamic routing depends on software license)
Stacking support: Yes, VSF virtual stacking up to 8 members (single logical device); VSX redundancy also supported

✔ Pros: Fixed-port, Layer 2/3 managed access switch in a compact 1U form factor; Wide range of PoE and non-PoE SKUs (370W, 740W, and 1440W class 6 PoE options) for IP phones, cameras, and APs; VSF stacking of up to 8 members simplifies management as one logical device; Full Aruba CX OS features with REST API, network analytics, and automation support via Aruba Central; Solid mid-range pricing compared with enterprise-class core switches; 10GbE SFP+ uplinks support aggregation and campus backbone links
✘ Cons: Model and SKU naming (6200F vs 6200M, 24G vs 48G, PoE vs non-PoE) is confusing and specs differ significantly between variants; Public spec sources conflict on some figures (for example, 6200F throughput and uplink types), so exact datasheet values should be verified per SKU; Dynamic routing and advanced L3 features require additional licensing; Power budget is limited on 370W and 740W SKUs, so high-draw PoE devices may not all be supported at full load; Pricing is in USD only for 6200F SKUs. European 6200M pricing was found only in EUR and GBP, and no official HPE list price was confirmed
Est. Price: $4,261 - $8,663

PACKETPERF