Fortinet FortiSwitch 1048G vs Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6200: Specs & Price Comparison

Fortinet FortiSwitch 1048G

★ 3.5 Value Score

Switching Capacity: 2,160 Gbps full duplex (line rate for packets 128 bytes and larger)
Forwarding Rate: 2,000 Mpps at 64-byte packets (one listing shows 1,607 Mpps)
Ports: 48x SFP/SFP+ (1GbE/10GbE); 6x QSFP28 (100GbE, some listings also state 40GbE)
PoE Budget: N/A (no PoE)
Layer: L2/L3
Stacking support: No traditional stacking; managed by a FortiGate via FortiLink
Packet Buffer: 32 MB
MACsec: Supported on ports
Power Supplies: Dual hot-swappable AC, 1+1 redundant
Form Factor: 1RU rack-mountable
Airflow: Front-to-back
Operating Temperature: 0u00b0C to 45u00b0C per Fortinet quickstart (one reseller lists max 40u00b0C)
Status: One listing marks the model as end of life

✔ Pros: High port density with 48 SFP/SFP+ ports in 1RU; 6x QSFP28 100GbE uplinks for high-bandwidth aggregation; 2,160 Gbps switching capacity with 2,000 Mpps forwarding; Dual redundant hot-swappable AC power supplies; MACsec support for port-level encryption; Tight FortiLink integration for centralized management from a FortiGate; 32 MB packet buffer for bursty data center traffic
✘ Cons: No PoE, so it cannot power endpoints or APs; Very high US list price (about $28,518 MSRP) with street prices around $19,600 to $22,000; Tied to FortiGate/FortiLink for full management, which adds dependency on the Fortinet ecosystem; Reseller datasheets conflict on forwarding rate, uplink speeds, and operating temperature, so official Fortinet datasheet should be verified; Heavy (about 9.1 kg) and needs adequate rack and cooling capacity; At least one listing marks the model as end of life, so availability and support lifecycle should be confirmed
Est. Price: $19,625 - $22,040

Aruba (HPE) Aruba CX 6200

★ 4.2 Value Score

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

✔ 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

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