Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6200 vs Aruba (HPE) Aruba 6400 Switch: Specs & Price Comparison

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

Aruba (HPE) Aruba 6400 Switch

★ 3.2 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 14 Tb/s (6405 chassis); 28 Tb/s (6410 chassis), per HPE performance table
Forwarding Rate: 10 Bpps (6405); 20 Bpps (6410) per HPE performance table. QuickSpecs cite 11.4 Bpps for the 6410 family, so this figure is unresolved
Ports: Modular chassis: 6405 has 5 open module slots and 6410 has 10. Modules include 48-port 1GbE/2.5GbE/5GbE PoE (Class 4 and Class 6), 24-port SFP/SFP+/10GBASE-T, and 4-port SFP56 uplink modules. Port count scales with installed modules (6405: 48-240 PoE ports; 6410: 48-480 PoE ports)
PoE Budget: Per-port up to 60W (802.3bt). HPE lists 28,880 W for the 6410 family. Per-chassis PoE budget not confirmed in sources
Layer: L3 (BGP, OSPF, EVPN, VXLAN, VRF)
Stacking support: Not supported. High availability is provided by VSX (Virtual Switching Extension)

✔ Pros: Modular chassis design (5- and 10-slot) lets buyers scale ports and PoE by adding modules; High switching capacity (14-28 Tb/s) for campus core and data center aggregation; Full Layer 3 feature set including BGP, OSPF, EVPN and VXLAN; VSX provides high availability and non-disruptive fast upgrades; Mixed-speed PoE modules (1GbE, 2.5GbE, 5GbE, Class 6 60W) support modern APs and cameras; Gen7 ASIC architecture per reseller listings
✘ Cons: High entry price; chassis plus modules can exceed USD 25,000 once configured; Modular design requires careful module and power planning; Published forwarding-rate and per-chassis PoE budget figures conflict across sources; No stacking, so VSX pairing adds design and licensing complexity; Overkill for small branch or access-only deployments
Est. Price: $12,783 - $25,921

PACKETPERF