Primary Device
Cisco Catalyst 9500-48Y4C
★ 3.3 Value Score
Technical Specifications
- Switching Capacity: 80 Tbps
- Forwarding Rate: 1.9 Tbps
- Ports: 48x 25GbE (SFP28) + 4x 100GbE (QSFP28)
- Layer: L3 (Full Routing Capable)
- Stacking Support: Yes (up to 9 units)
- Max Power Consumption: 3500W
- Throughput per Port: 25 Gbps (data ports) / 100 Gbps (uplinks)
- Memory: 16 GB DRAM, 4 GB Flash
- PoE: Optional PoE modules available
Curation Review
- ✔ Pros: Industry-leading 80 Tbps switching capacity for ultra-high-performance core/distribution deployments; Modular architecture supports line-rate forwarding on all ports with consistent low latency; Comprehensive L3 routing with hardware-based VXLAN/MPLS for advanced network designs; Redundant supervisors and power supplies for carrier-grade availability; Cisco Catalyst 9000 software suite enables AI-driven networking, telemetry, and segment routing
- ✘ Cons: Exceptionally high capex cost ($95k-$145k+) limits deployment to large enterprise and service provider networks; Requires skilled networking staff for full feature utilization including programmability and automation; Power and cooling requirements (3.5kW+) significant for smaller data centers; Complex licensing model for advanced software features; Overkill throughput specifications for organizations with modest switching needs
- Est. Price: $95,000 - $145,000
Compare Against
Ubiquiti UniFi Pro Max 24 PoE
★ 5.0 Value Score
Technical Specifications
- Device Type: Managed Switch
- Switching Capacity: 528 Gbps
- Forwarding Rate: 395 Mpps
- Ports: 24x 2.5G PoE + 2x 10G SFP+
- PoE Budget: 600W
- Layer: L3 (Layer 3)
- Stacking Support: No
- Management: UniFi Network Application
- Cooling: Fanless with passive cooling option
- Power Consumption: Approx 80-250W (depending on PoE load)
- Max PoE Devices: 24
- Throughput per 2.5G Port: 2.5 Gbps full duplex
Curation Review
- ✔ Pros: Excellent 2.5G port density at mid-range price; Fanless design offers silent operation and reliability; 600W PoE budget supports modern high-power devices; Integrated into UniFi ecosystem for centralized management; 10G uplink SFP+ ports for aggregation; Low latency and responsive performance; Energy efficient under typical loads
- ✘ Cons: Limited to L3 (no advanced routing); No stacking support limits scalability for large deployments; 2.5G ports may not justify cost if 1G sufficient for use case; Passive cooling means outdoor/high-temp deployments not recommended; Limited redundancy/HA features compared to enterprise switches; SFP+ modules sold separately
- Est. Price: $699 - $899
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