PACKETPERF

Primary Device

Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9300X
Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9300X
★ 3.3 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Switching Capacity: Family: 800 Gbps to 2,000 Gbps standalone (24Y 2,000; 12Y 1,000; 24HX 800; 48HXN 960; 48HX/48TX 1,760). Stacked: up to 3,000 Gbps (24Y) / 2,760 Gbps (48HX/48TX) / 1,880 to 2,760 Gbps for other SKUs
  • Forwarding Rate: Family: 654.72 to 1,488 Mpps standalone (24Y 1488; 12Y 744.04; 24HX 654.72; 48HXN 714.24; 48HX/48TX 1309), measured at 64-byte IPv4. Stacked: 1,398.72 to 2,232 Mpps depending on SKU
  • Ports (breakdown): C9300X-12Y: 12x 1/10/25G SFP28 (modular uplinks). C9300X-24Y: 24x 1/10/25G SFP28 (modular uplinks). C9300X-24HX: 24x 10G mGig UPOE+ (modular uplinks). C9300X-48HXN: 8x 10G mGig + 40x 5G mGig UPOE+ (modular uplinks). C9300X-48HX: 48x 10G mGig UPOE+ (modular uplinks). C9300X-48TX: 48x 10G mGig data (modular uplinks, no PoE)
  • PoE Budget: C9300X-24HX: 735W to 1,835W (1100W AC PSU, depends on secondary PSU). C9300X-48HXN: 690W to 1,790W (1100W AC). C9300X-48HX: 590W to 1,690W (1100W AC). 24Y and 48TX: no PoE (715W AC PSU)
  • Layer: L3 (Network Essentials includes basic routing: RIP, EIGRP stub, OSPF limited to 1,000 routes; Network Advantage adds BGP, full OSPF/EIGRP, IS-IS). Scale: 39,000 IPv4 routes, 19,500 IPv6 routes, 8,000 multicast routes
  • Stacking: Yes. StackWise-1T, 1 Tbps stacking bandwidth, up to 8 members. Stacks with other 9300X models at StackWise-1T speed; stacks with C9300 models at StackWise-480. Stacking cables: 50 cm, 1 m, 3 m
  • Data Source: Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series Switches Data Sheet (cisco.com, nb-06-cat9300-ser-data-sheet-cte-en); reseller listings (CDW, CDWG, Avendor, Avoira) for pricing. Official list prices not published in datasheet; price range reflects reseller listings and varies by license tier and port configuration

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Wire-speed nonblocking IPv4 and IPv6 forwarding across all SKUs; StackWise-1T stacking with 1 Tbps bandwidth and up to 8 members; Multigigabit (mGig) UPOE+ downlinks on HX models for 2.5G to 10G wired and high-power Wi-Fi 6/7 AP deployments; 25G SFP28 uplink/downlink options on 12Y and 24Y for modern aggregation; High routing scale (39,000 IPv4 routes) for a switch in this class; Mixed stacking with C9300 at StackWise-480 eases migration; Modular uplinks allow flexible network module upgrades
  • ✘ Cons: Pricing is high, with reseller listings from roughly $10,800 to $29,600+ and wide variance; Full routing (BGP, full OSPF, IS-IS) requires the Network Advantage license, adding recurring subscription cost; IPsec VPN on 9300X requires a separate HSEC key; PoE budget on HX models depends on secondary PSU choice, and no-PoE models (24Y, 48TX) cannot power endpoints; Official SKU-level list prices are not published in the datasheet, making budgeting harder; Higher-speed 25G/10G optics and StackWise-1T cables add cost beyond the base chassis
  • Est. Price: $10,783 - $29,572

Compare Against

Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9200L
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

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