PACKETPERF

Primary Device

Palo Alto Networks PA-5450
Palo Alto Networks PA-5450
★ 3.4 Value Score

Technical Specifications

  • Firewall Throughput: 200 Gbps (App-ID / HTTP appmix)
  • Threat Prevention Throughput: 189 Gbps
  • IPsec VPN Throughput: 85 Gbps
  • Max Sessions: 100 million
  • New Sessions/sec: 3.6 million (older datasheet lists 4 million)
  • Interfaces: Modular: 1-2 networking cards per system. Each networking card: 4x 100/1000/10G Cu, 12x 1G/10G SFP/SFP+, 2x 40G/100G QSFP28. Requires data processing cards (2 networking cards need at least 2 DPCs)
  • Form Factor: 5U rack-mount chassis

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: Very high throughput for a single chassis (200 Gbps firewall, 189 Gbps threat prevention); Modular design with networking and data processing cards allows capacity to scale; Supports 100M max sessions and 3.6M new sessions per second for large data center and carrier workloads; 85 Gbps IPsec VPN throughput; Redundant AC or DC power and fan options; Full PAN-OS feature set including App-ID, Threat Prevention, and ML-powered security; Interface modes include L2, L3, tap, and virtual wire with 802.1Q VLAN support
  • ✘ Cons: High upfront cost, typically around $88,000 to $100,000+ for the base bundle before licensing and support; Performance figures depend on card configuration and test conditions, so real-world results may differ; Requires 5U of rack space and considerable power and cooling, which is excessive for small or mid-size sites; Port counts and bundle contents vary across resellers, so configurations need careful quoting; Subscription licensing for Threat Prevention, URL filtering, and support adds substantial recurring cost; Overkill for branch or SMB deployments that the PA-400 or PA-1400 series would serve better
  • Est. Price: $88,320 - $103,010

Compare Against

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

Technical Specifications

  • Firewall Throughput: Not published by Ubiquiti. Third-party tests: about 3.8-4.7 Gbps internet (WAN) throughput; about 3.0 Gbps inter-VLAN routing
  • Threat Prevention Throughput: 5 Gbps IDS/IPS (Ubiquiti spec)
  • IPsec VPN Throughput: Not published by Ubiquiti. Unverified third-party estimate of about 1.8-2.2 Gbps
  • Max Sessions: Not published
  • New Sessions/sec: Not published
  • Interfaces: 2x 10G SFP+ ports; 8x 1GbE RJ45 LAN ports; 1x 2.5GbE RJ45 WAN port (sources conflict on WAN; one lists a 25GbE WAN port)
  • Form Factor: 1U rackmount

Curation Review

  • ✔ Pros: 5 Gbps IDS/IPS rating from Ubiquiti; 10G SFP+ ports for fast uplinks or LAN; Multi-WAN support with 2.5GbE WAN; Integrated UniFi Network controller and UniFi OS for centralized management; Built-in NVR bay for UniFi Protect cameras; Rackmount 1U form factor suited to server racks
  • ✘ Cons: Ubiquiti does not publish firewall, VPN, or session-rate figures; Real-world WAN throughput in independent tests is about 3-4.7 Gbps, below the 5 Gbps IDS/IPS rating; Port layout and WAN specs differ between sources; Costs about 2x the UDM Pro (about $220 more) for a modest throughput gain; Limited 1GbE LAN port count compared with dedicated switches; Requires UniFi ecosystem for full feature set
  • Est. Price: $599 - $660

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