PACKETPERF

Primary Device

Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9300X
Cisco Cisco Catalyst 9300X
★ 3.1 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Switching Capacity: Up to 2,000 Gbps (Standalone) / 3,000 Gbps (Stacking)
  • Forwarding Rate: Up to 1,488 Mpps
  • Ports: Modular uplinks (100G/40G/25G/10G), Downlinks (10G/25G Fiber or Multigigabit Copper)
  • PoE Budget: Up to 90W UPOE+ (802.3bt) per port on HX models
  • Layer: Layer 3 (Enterprise-grade)
  • Stacking support: Yes (StackWise-1T, 1 Tbps bandwidth)

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Future-proof 100G uplinks; Industry-leading 100G hardware-based IPsec; 90W UPOE+ support for Wi-Fi 6E/7; Massive 1 Tbps stacking bandwidth.
  • ✘ Cons: Significant price premium over standard models; Mandatory and expensive DNA subscription licensing; High noise and heat output.
  • Est. Price: $5,500 - $12,500

Compare Against

Fortinet FortiSwitch 124G (FS-124G)
Fortinet FortiSwitch 124G (FS-124G)
★ 3.7 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Switching Capacity: 240 Gbps
  • Forwarding Rate: 355 Mpps
  • Ports: 24 x 100/1000/2500 Mbps RJ45, 6 x 10 Gbps SFP+
  • PoE Budget: 0W (Non-PoE)
  • Layer: Layer 2 with Static Routing
  • Stacking support: FortiLink (Management Stacking)
  • Form Factor: 1 RU, Fanless

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: High-speed 2.5G multi-gigabit ports ideal for Wi-Fi 6/7 access points; generous 6x 10G SFP+ uplinks for high backhaul capacity; fanless design ensures completely silent operation; seamless integration with FortiGate firewalls via FortiLink for centralized security management.
  • ✘ Cons: Lacks Power over Ethernet (PoE) support, requiring injectors or a separate power source for connected devices; fanless design leads to high operating temperatures (often exceeding 50°C); limited Layer 3 features compared to enterprise core switches.
  • Est. Price: $1,130 - $1,504

Popular Comparisons

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