PACKETPERF

Primary Device

Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9300X
Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9300X
★ 3.2 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Switching Capacity: 130 Gbps
  • Forwarding Rate: 200 Mpps
  • Ports: 24u00d71G + 4u00d710G uplinks (48u00d71G + 4u00d710G variant available)
  • PoE Budget: Up to 4-pair PoE++ (90W per port, 2.5 kW system budget)
  • Layer: L2/L3 (Full routing capability)
  • Stacking Support: Yes u2013 FlexStack Plus (up to 4 units), 80 Gbps inter-stack bandwidth

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Enterprise-grade modular design with 802.1BR architecture; Up to 90W PoE++ per port ideal for high-power IoT/cameras; Supports Cisco DNA-C orchestration and telemetry; Power-efficient (~250W idle); Full Layer 3 routing with advanced QoS and security ACLs; Industry-leading PoE density and stacking bandwidth
  • ✘ Cons: Premium pricing vs. competitors like Arista/Juniper; Complex licensing tiers for advanced features (DNA Essentials/Advantage/Premier); Requires external Cisco DNA Controller for full management capabilities; Steeper learning curve for non-Cisco environments; Power supplies and licensing add significant TCO; Limited flexibility compared to white-box/SONIC alternatives
  • Est. Price: $4,200 - $8,500

Compare Against

Ubiquiti Pro Max Aggregation (USW-Pro-Max-Aggregation)
Ubiquiti Pro Max Aggregation (USW-Pro-Max-Aggregation)
★ 5.0 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Switching Capacity: 760 Gbps
  • Forwarding Rate: 565.44 Mpps
  • Ports: (28) 10G SFP+, (4) 25G SFP28
  • PoE Budget: N/A
  • Layer: L3
  • Stacking support: No (Hardware Stacking)

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Features Etherlighting™ for visual port/VLAN management, 25G SFP28 uplinks for high-speed backbone, Full Layer 3 switching capabilities, Fanless silent operation.
  • ✘ Cons: Higher price premium for Etherlighting compared to Pro Aggregation, requires expensive SFP+ or SFP28 transceivers, no dedicated hardware stacking ports.
  • Est. Price: $949 - $999

Popular Comparisons

Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9300X vs Ubiquiti UniFi Pro Max 24 PoE Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9300X vs Ubiquiti Pro Max Aggregation (USW-Pro-Max-Aggregation) Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9300X vs Ubiquiti USW-Pro-24-PoE Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9300X vs Ubiquiti Enterprise 8 PoE Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9300X vs Ubiquiti UniFi Switch Pro Max 16 PoE