Primary Device
Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX3
★ 3.2 Value Score
Technical Specifications
- Switching Capacity: 3.6 Tbps full-duplex
- Forwarding Rate: 1.2 Bpps (64-byte packets)
- Ports (breakdown): 48x 1/10/25G SFP28 (downlink) + 6x 40/100G QSFP28 (uplink)
- PoE Budget: None (not PoE-capable)
- Layer: L2/L3
- Stacking support: No stacking; multi-chassis redundancy via vPC
- Form Factor: 1RU
- ASIC: Cisco Cloud Scale FX3
Curation Review
- ✔ Pros: Wire-rate 48x 25G downlinks with 6x 100G uplinks in a compact 1RU chassis; Cisco Cloud Scale FX3 ASIC gives 3.6 Tbps switching capacity and 1.2 Bpps forwarding; Supports both NX-OS and ACI deployment modes for flexible fabric design; Full L3 capability for leaf/top-of-rack data center roles; vPC provides multi-chassis redundancy without stacking; Typically priced well below modular Nexus 9500 platforms for leaf deployments
- ✘ Cons: No PoE, so it cannot power endpoints and is unsuited to access-layer use; No stacking, so scaling relies on vPC or fabric design; Licensing tiers (NX-OS Essentials/Advantage, ACI subscriptions) add cost and complexity; Downlink port type is listed inconsistently across sellers (SFP28 vs SFP+), so verify optics compatibility before ordering; Uplink capacity is limited to 100G, short of 400G spine-class platforms; Street prices vary widely by condition and bundle, so quotes should be checked with a Cisco partner
- Est. Price: $7,260 - $21,195
Compare Against
Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9200L
★ 4.3 Value Score
Technical Specifications
- Switching Capacity: 56 Gbps (24P-4G) to 128 Gbps (24-port 4x10G) and 104 Gbps (48P-4G) to 176 Gbps (48P-4X); varies by SKU and source
- Forwarding Rate: 83.33 Mpps (24P-4G) to 190.4 Mpps (24P-4X); 154.76 Mpps (48P-4G) to 261.9 Mpps (48P-4X); varies by SKU and source
- Ports (breakdown): 24 or 48 x 10/100/1000 downlink ports (PoE+ on P models, non-PoE on T models; some 48-port PXG variants add mGig ports) plus 4 fixed uplinks: 4 x 1G SFP (-4G) or 4 x 10G SFP+ (-4X)
- PoE Budget: 24P models: about 370 W default, up to about 740 W with redundant PSU; 48P models: about 740 W default, up to about 1440 W with two PSUs (sources conflict, e.g. 600 W and 1 kW PSU options quoted)
- Layer: L2/L3: Network Essentials provides L2 switching with basic L3 features; Network Advantage adds full dynamic L3 routing
- Stacking support: Yes, StackWise-80 with 80 Gbps stacking bandwidth, up to 8 switches (requires stacking module/kit)
Curation Review
- ✔ Pros: Cisco StackWise-80 stacking of up to 8 units with 80 Gbps stacking bandwidth; 4x10G SFP+ uplink option for higher-bandwidth aggregation; Full PoE+ (802.3at) on P models with budgets up to roughly 1440 W with redundant power; Two licensing tiers (Network Essentials and Network Advantage) let buyers pay only for needed L3 features; Lower price point than Catalyst 9300 for standard campus access deployments
- ✘ Cons: Uplinks are fixed with no modular expansion slots, which limits future upgrade paths; Full dynamic L3 routing requires the more expensive Network Advantage license; Stacking needs a separate stacking module and is capped at 8 units; Switching capacity and PoE budgets differ widely between SKUs, making spec comparison and sizing confusing; Lower forwarding performance and feature depth than Catalyst 9300 for aggregation or core roles
- Est. Price: $1,783 - $4,604