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
Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6200
★ 4.2 Value Score
Technical Specifications
- 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
Curation Review
- ✔ 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