PACKETPERF

Primary Device

Palo Alto Networks PA-445
Palo Alto Networks PA-445
★ 3.3 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Firewall Throughput: 2.7 Gbps
  • Threat Prevention Throughput: 1.25 Gbps
  • IPsec VPN Throughput: 1.1 Gbps
  • Max Sessions: 200,000
  • New Sessions/sec: 34,000
  • Interfaces: 8 x 10/100/1000 RJ45 (4 with PoE), 1 x SFP
  • Form Factor: Desktop (Fanless)

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Integrated PoE (4 ports) for powering branch devices; Fanless, silent operation ideal for office environments; Advanced ML-powered threat prevention for zero-day protection; Dual power supply support for redundancy; Runs full enterprise PAN-OS software.
  • ✘ Cons: High Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) including expensive recurring subscriptions; Steeper learning curve compared to entry-level SMB firewalls; Significant performance impact when full SSL/TLS decryption is enabled.
  • Est. Price: $2,100 - $2,500

Compare Against

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

Technical Specifications

  • Firewall Throughput: 9.5 Gbps
  • Threat Prevention Throughput: 5 Gbps
  • IPsec VPN Throughput: 3.1 Gbps
  • Max Sessions: 500,000
  • New Sessions/sec: 25,000
  • Interfaces: (1) 2.5 GbE WAN, (1) 10G SFP+ WAN, (8) 1 GbE RJ45 LAN, (1) 10G SFP+ LAN
  • Form Factor: 1U Rackmount

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Industry-leading 5 Gbps IDS/IPS throughput for its price point; Dual 3.5" NVR bays with RAID support; 2.5 GbE and 10G SFP+ WAN options; Shadow Mode for high availability.
  • ✘ Cons: The 8-port integrated switch lacks PoE support; Most LAN ports are limited to 1 GbE throughput.
  • Est. Price: $599 - $649

Popular Comparisons

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