PACKETPERF

Primary Device

Cisco Nexus 9300-GX2
Cisco Nexus 9300-GX2
★ 3.1 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Switching Capacity: 25.6 Tbps - 51.2 Tbps
  • Forwarding Rate: 4.17 Bpps - 8.35 Bpps
  • Ports: 32, 48, or 64x 400G QSFP-DD (breakout support for 10/25/40/50/100/200G)
  • PoE Budget: N/A
  • Layer: L2/L3
  • Stacking support: vPC / ACI Fabric

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Extreme 400G density (up to 64 ports in 2RU), AI/ML optimized with RoCEv2 support, backward compatible with 40/100G optics, high power efficiency per gigabit.
  • ✘ Cons: Prohibitively high cost and licensing fees for smaller firms, steep learning curve for ACI management, high power/cooling requirements (~1300W+), standard buffer not suitable for extreme micro-bursts.
  • Est. Price: $25,000 - $60,000

Compare Against

Fortinet FortiSwitch 124G (FS-124G)
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

Popular Comparisons

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