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Cisco Nexus vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] comparison

Cisco and Dell Technologies are both solutions in the LAN Switching category. Additionally, 96% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Dell Technologies users who would recommend it.
Cisco Nexus
Read 106 Cisco Nexus reviews
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  • 1,347 Comparison Views
96% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between Cisco Nexus and Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Netgear and others in LAN Switching.

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To learn more, read our detailed LAN Switching Report (Updated: July 2025).
Buyer's Guide
LAN Switching
July 2025
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Helped 864,155 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Nexus
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
106
Ranking in other categories
LAN Switching (3rd), Data Center Networking (5th)
Dell PowerConnect Switches ...
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
8.2
Number of Reviews
34
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Featured Reviews

DeepakYadav1 - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers good processing power to users
Stability-wise, I rate the solution a four to five out of ten. I rate the stability of the product as four to five out of ten based on the fact that I have checked the tool's features. I also know that there are many more options available in the market, like Palo Alto, Check Point, Fortinet, and other devices, which offer affordable, configurable, and scalable devices that I should plan to buy. Cisco is not providing tools for everything my company needs, but it is a good product. The market competition is high nowadays. Cisco is still handling some old parts. Cisco's old products make up approximately 67 percent of the devices offered in the networking industry. Despite the competition from products like Palo Alto, Check Point, and Fortinet, Cisco is not very scalable, but all its devices are updated regularly.
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LarsEvans - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable and useful for network segmentation
The solution's most valuable feature stands up well. The tool is reliable, and it stands up well. The solution works fine and lasts a long time. I think if you speak about the features that have a flow and you can measure, it is hard to say. I don't spend a lot of my time with the tool, but I know that Dell APEX is the solution's cloud. I would say the VLAN features are important. The VLAN features are really useful because network segmentation is important. I would say the tool is easy to program. I don't know if the tool has any security features that I am aware of other than the fact that the solution is for networking. The VLAN and the ability to segment your networks are easy, which is its security feature.
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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The implementation was straightforward and the product is stable."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is its speed."
"The most valuable features are the access layer security, OpenConfig, and OpenFlow."
"The scalability of Cisco Nexus is good. We've had them for the entire lifetime. We've never had to upgrade them yet."
"It speeds up the network data transfer time."
"It provides a very flexible connection to a server. When you go into history and the VPC, it provides a very flexible connection from it. Once a server goes down I can instruct it easily. So the network actually keeps quality even if onsite it is down."
"The integrations are valuable."
"The most valuable feature is performance."
More Cisco Nexus pros
"It's easy to set up. We can put it in production in a couple of minutes."
"The product is reliable."
"PowerConnect Switches' stability is satisfactory."
"Its throughout and compatibility are the most valuable."
"The most valuable feature of Dell PowerConnect Switches for me is the throughput. I also like that the product has more compatibility with Dell infrastructure, especially with EMC and new generation Dell servers. Dell PowerConnect Switches can also easily integrate with Dell servers, and this is another pro."
"Dell PowerConnect Switches have a VTL feature similar to Cisco's VSS. With VTL, using this technology, you can cluster two switches together to increase redundancy in the environment."
"This is a very reliable solution."
"Dell offers very good support."
More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] pros
 

Cons

"I would like to see better collaboration with other, low-end devices."
"The scalability can be improved."
"I don't really deal with the pricing but I know that it's not cheap."
"The licensing is the area that we are working that's a challenge."
"The solution has room for improvement in terms of the learning curve."
"I would like to see some development into the SAE world where you can virtualize. That would be the only thing I would like to see because I need to start virtualizing my infrastructure gear at some of the other data centers that I have."
"One improvement needed is support for Multi-CAD scale that we were concerned about. We're not hitting any limits at this point."
"There is room for improvement in the pricing. The solution is expensive. Compared to other vendors, it's costly for similar products."
More Cisco Nexus cons
"An area for improvement would be that it's very hard to configure if you're not familiar with the UI or CLI of the product. The UI itself could also be improved."
"The product price is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"Accessibility and management could be improved."
"Dell is sometimes slow to provide updates to firmware."
"It would be great to have modules that integrate with SDN solutions such as Cisco ACI, Arista SDN, Huawei Agile, and IBM."
"The network features are not good."
"More stable firmware releases would be an improvement because we have had them randomly power on and off."
"I can't think of what we would want in the next release."
More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The problem with Cisco, from what I see, is that their costs are much higher."
"Cisco Nexus is not a cheaply priced product."
"If you compare Cisco hardware to any other vendors, such as HPE, they are more expensive. There is a license to use the solution. If my customer's licenses are about to expire I receive notification from Cisco, this is very helpful."
"The price of this solution is good when compared to others in the market."
"I don't like the Smart Licensing models that Cisco uses."
"It's worth the money we're paying for Nexus."
"The license on a yearly basis is $200,000."
"In most cases, there is a need to secure perpetual licenses to be able to use the product. When I set up the product, there isn't just a one-time cost that is involved."
More Cisco Nexus pricing and cost advice
"The initial cost was high but since they have lasted for over ten or twenty years they are worth it."
"This solution is much cheaper than comparable products by Cisco."
"Pricing for Dell PowerConnect Switches is quite competitive compared to Cisco and HP pricing. Dell has cheaper pricing and the company is trying to push for sales for its switching infrastructure because right now, the current market is dominated by Cisco. In the US market, there's Cisco, HP, Juniper, and Arista which you can buy for data center switching meant for different kinds of enterprises and ISPs. Dell PowerConnect Switches, on the other hand, is a product for people who need smaller setups or individual switches, especially those looking for a cheaper product and basic switching, though you can also buy a complete suite packaged with the switches."
"Dell PowerConnect switches are cheaper than Cisco switches. Cisco's higher capacity switches (100 or 200 gigs) are super-expensive. With the higher capacity, the price of the switches and the price of the architecture go high. Dell is cheaper and modular. So, I don't need to invest 100% upfront. I can invest as I progress. That is an option because the chassis will not be populated with all the pluggables. I have a choice because it is modular. I can go for 25 gigs today, and after four months, I can go for 100 gigs, and after that, I can go for 200 gigs. I have a choice when it is not a fixed switch."
"The price of these switches is okay."
"Cheaper than its competitors"
"On a scale of one to ten, if one means it is a cheap solution, and ten means it is a very expensive tool, I rate the product's price as seven. The tool is a bit pricey."
"Inexpensive"
More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
19%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
6%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
8%
University
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco Nexus?
The product's initial setup phase is very easy.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Nexus?
All solutions are very expensive and not an economy solution.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Cisco Nexus?
All solutions are very expensive and not an economy solution. The solution is on-premises and stable. We haven't tried integration with the network software.
See all answers
What do you like most about Dell PowerConnect Switches?
Dell PowerConnect Switches have a VTL feature similar to Cisco's VSS. With VTL, using this technology, you can cluster two switches together to increase redundancy in the environment.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerConnect Switches?
The solution is cheaper than Cisco.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Dell PowerConnect Switches?
Some proprietary commands available in Cisco are preferred by users accustomed to Cisco systems. These users might hesitate to switch because they want to continue using familiar commands and see t...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

Juniper QFX Series Switches vs Cisco Nexus Logo
Juniper QFX Series Switches vs Cisco Nexus
Compared 39% of the time
Arista Networks Platform vs Cisco Nexus Logo
Arista Networks Platform vs Cisco Nexus
Compared 18% of the time
Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Cisco Nexus Logo
Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Cisco Nexus
Compared 7% of the time
Juniper QFabric vs Cisco Nexus Logo
Juniper QFabric vs Cisco Nexus
Compared 6% of the time
VMware NSX vs Cisco Nexus Logo
VMware NSX vs Cisco Nexus
Compared 5% of the time
More Cisco Nexus Competitors
Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] Logo
Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]
Compared 84% of the time
More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Nexus
July 2025
Cisco Nexus reportDownload Cisco Nexus product report
Buyer's Guide
Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]
July 2025
Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] reportDownload Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] product report
 

Also Known As

No data available
PowerConnect Switches
 

Overview

The Cisco Nexus family of switches is designed to meet the stringent requirements of the next-generation data center. Not simply bigger or faster, these switches offer the following characteristics: infrastructure that can be scaled cost-effectively and that helps you increase energy, budget, and resource efficiency, transport that can navigate the transition to 10 Gigabit Ethernet and unified fabric and can also handle architectural changes such as virtualization, Web 2.0 applications, and cloud computing and operational continuity to meet your need for an environment where system availability is assumed and maintenance windows are rare if not totally extinct.
Cisco

PowerConnect Switches family offers a set of flexible, manageable and comprehensive switch solutions supporting up to 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and optimized Internet iSCSI (iSCSI) performance with Dell Storage solutions, ideal for enterprise and campus LAN environments alike.

Dell Technologies
 

Sample Customers

Advanced Medical Transport, Banco de Guayaquil, Baylor Scott & White Health, BH Telecom, Bowling Green State University, Calligaris, Children's Hospital Colorado, City of Biel, Del Papa Distributing, Department of Justice, Dimension Data, Dualtec Cloud Builders, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS), Hertz, K&L Gates , LightEdge, Lone Star College System, Management Science Associates, Mindtree, NBC Olympics, Quest, Sony Corporation, The Department of Education in Western Australia, Valley Proteins
Amerijet Holdings Inc., CGD Securities, MavenWire, Tulane University
Buyer's Guide
LAN Switching
July 2025
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