PACKETPERF

Primary Device

Palo Alto Networks PA-555-POE
Palo Alto Networks PA-555-POE
★ 3.1 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Firewall Throughput: 7.5 Gbps (AppMix)
  • Threat Prevention Throughput: 5.0 Gbps
  • IPsec VPN Throughput: 4.5 Gbps
  • Max Sessions: 448,000
  • New Sessions/sec: 90,000
  • Interfaces: 4x 1G RJ45, 4x 1G RJ45 PoE, 4x 1G/2.5G mGig PoE, 2x 1G SFP, 2x 10G SFP/SFP+
  • Form Factor: 1U Rack-mountable

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: ML-powered Precision AI security, high 330W PoE budget with 802.3bt (90W) support, fanless silent operation, and flexible 2.5G/10G connectivity.
  • ✘ Cons: High hardware and subscription costs, and some RJ45 ports are limited to 1G in an era where 2.5G/10G is becoming standard.
  • Est. Price: $12,000 - $18,000

Compare Against

Ubiquiti Dream Machine Pro Max
Ubiquiti Dream Machine Pro Max
★ 4.7 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Firewall Throughput: 10 Gbps
  • Threat Prevention Throughput: 5 Gbps
  • IPsec VPN Throughput: 2 Gbps
  • Max Sessions: 500,000
  • New Sessions/sec: 50,000
  • Interfaces: 1x 10G SFP+ WAN, 1x 2.5G RJ45 WAN, 1x 10G SFP+ LAN, 8x 1G RJ45 LAN
  • Form Factor: 1U Rackmount

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: High 5 Gbps IDS/IPS throughput; Dual 3.5" HDD bays with RAID 1 support for surveillance; Supports 2,000+ clients and 200+ UniFi devices; No subscription fees for security updates or software; Integrated 128GB SSD for enhanced application performance.
  • ✘ Cons: Internal 8-port switch lacks PoE support; Only two SFP+ ports (one often used for WAN); Lacks native 10G RJ45 ports; Requires Ubiquiti SSO account for initial setup.
  • Est. Price: $599 - $629

Popular Comparisons

Palo Alto Networks PA-555-POE vs Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine Beast Palo Alto Networks PA-555-POE vs Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine Pro Max Palo Alto Networks PA-555-POE vs Ubiquiti Dream Machine Pro Max Palo Alto Networks PA-555-POE vs Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine Pro Max (UDM-Pro-Max) Palo Alto Networks PA-555-POE vs Fortinet FortiGate 120G