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Cisco Ethernet Switches vs NVIDIA Mellanox comparison

Cisco and NVIDIA are both solutions in the Ethernet Switches category. Cisco is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.8, while NVIDIA is ranked #19 with an average rating of 8.5. Cisco holds a 11.9% mindshare in ES, compared to NVIDIA’s 2.0% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of NVIDIA users who would recommend it.
Cisco Ethernet Switches
Read 136 Cisco Ethernet Switches reviews
  • 11,920 Views
  • 11,920 Comparison Views
96% willing to recommend
NVIDIA Mellanox
Read 8 NVIDIA Mellanox reviews
  • 1,849 Views
  • 1,849 Comparison Views
85% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

Cisco Ethernet Switches and NVIDIA Mellanox compete in the networking hardware sector. Cisco is favored for pricing and support, while NVIDIA Mellanox has an advantage in features, justifying its higher cost.

Features: Cisco emphasizes network management, security, and scalability, suitable for corporate environments. Key features include advanced AI analytics, robust security, and integration with a wide range of enterprise systems. NVIDIA Mellanox excels in performance for data-centric tasks, with low latency, high bandwidth, and superior RDMA support, allowing seamless operations in data-intensive environments.

Room for Improvement: Cisco could enhance performance in high-throughput environments and reduce complexity in configuration for non-expert users. Some customers seek improved graphical interfaces and real-time monitoring capabilities. Mellanox could benefit from better customer support and more accessible documentation. Expanding interoperability with third-party devices is another area for potential growth.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco Ethernet Switches are known for easier deployment and comprehensive documentation, along with highly rated customer service. Mellanox, while efficient in system integration, could improve in providing customer service levels comparable to Cisco.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco offers economical initial setup costs, promising quicker ROI in large implementations. Conversely, Mellanox requires higher upfront investment but delivers significant ROI in performance-oriented environments leveraging its capabilities.

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To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. NVIDIA Mellanox Report (Updated: September 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. NVIDIA Mellanox
September 2025
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Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.5
Cisco Ethernet Switches enhance uptime and ROI through durability and efficient management, despite renewal costs and scalability concerns.
Sentiment score
1.0
Users reported time and cost savings from NVIDIA Mellanox, highlighting improved performance, reduced latency, increased efficiency, scalability, and reliability.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.6
Customer service excels, but technical support gets mixed reviews; forums help, yet satisfaction varies with location and agreements.
Sentiment score
7.5
Customers desire multilingual NVIDIA Mellanox support, rating it satisfactory to good, while often relying on peer assistance.
Cisco support is quick and responsive, often answering within an hour.
Currently, we don't have any technical support because our license doesn't allow for direct support.
It takes two to three days for Cisco support to address issues.
For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Ethernet Switches report
I would assess their technical support as good—not the best, but it is good.
For more quotes and insights, download the NVIDIA Mellanox report
RO
FawadMirza - PeerSpot reviewerPradeep Adhav - PeerSpot reviewerNurudeen Suleiman - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Cisco Ethernet switches offer scalable and adaptable networking solutions, effortlessly handling large user numbers and accommodating expansion despite costs.
Sentiment score
5.8
NVIDIA Mellanox's scalable leaf and spine architecture efficiently supports network growth for organizations across various sectors.
Cisco mainly provides security, patch management, hardware reliability, durability, scalability, and security features supporting my organization's expansion.
The latest products do not allow integration with the earlier environment.
The scalability depends on the model.
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No quotes available
For more quotes and insights, download the NVIDIA Mellanox report
Myint Aung - PeerSpot reviewerPradeep Adhav - PeerSpot reviewerFawadMirza - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.9
Cisco Ethernet Switches are praised for their reliability, minimal issues, and durable equipment with efficient support.
Sentiment score
5.8
Users are satisfied with NVIDIA Mellanox for its reliable performance and stability, with improvements noted over time.
The switches are very stable, rated ten out of ten.
For more quotes and insights, download the Cisco Ethernet Switches report
I would rate it a seven because the old versions were not stable, but it is becoming stable over time.
For more quotes and insights, download the NVIDIA Mellanox report
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Ethernet Switches face affordability, complexity, compatibility, and support challenges, prompting calls for better integration and user experience.
NVIDIA Mellanox needs improved user-friendliness, better integration, enhanced GUIs, faster support, and occasional bug fixes.
In the data center portion, we need to provide the fiber channel and Nexus switch to use a more reliable solution.
An improvement for all players in the market would be to have a website or service to manage all equipment from all brands, not just Cisco.
For example, on switches, filtering specific sections isn't supported, whereas, on routers, you can do 'show run' with additional commands to filter.
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I think it's okay; it's the best solution for now for AI data centers.
For more quotes and insights, download the NVIDIA Mellanox report
Myint Aung - PeerSpot reviewer
PM
RO
Anil Ergunsah - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Ethernet Switches are costly but valued for quality, reliability, and enterprise discounts despite competitors offering lower prices.
NVIDIA Mellanox offers competitive pricing, strong performance, and cost-effective licensing, making it a highly-rated, affordable enterprise solution.
Cisco Ethernet switches are priced at a rating of nine, indicating they are expensive.
We need to pay for the subscription, as there are extra expenses after purchasing the product.
Regarding the cost, Cisco Ethernet Switches have a competitive price.
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For its performance, it's cheaper.
For more quotes and insights, download the NVIDIA Mellanox report
Pradeep Adhav - PeerSpot reviewerMyint Aung - PeerSpot reviewer
PM
Anil Ergunsah - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Ethernet Switches provide high performance, scalability, and security, featuring power-saving, VLAN support, and rugged durability for efficient networks.
NVIDIA Mellanox excels in performance, flexibility, and integration with AI systems, making it ideal for data centers.
Their stability and durability are essential features we've been looking for many years, and they are still working fine.
Cisco is mainly known for its security, patch management, hardware reliability, durability, scalability, and security features which support my organization's expansion.
The Cisco Ethernet switches are sturdy products that do not require any kind of maintenance.
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The biggest advantage is that the vendor is the only one providing no-drop traffic.
For more quotes and insights, download the NVIDIA Mellanox report
PM
Myint Aung - PeerSpot reviewerPradeep Adhav - PeerSpot reviewerAnil Ergunsah - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Ethernet Switches
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
136
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
NVIDIA Mellanox
Ranking in Ethernet Switches
19th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
4.7
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Ethernet Switches category, the mindshare of Cisco Ethernet Switches is 11.9%, down from 18.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NVIDIA Mellanox is 2.0%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Ethernet Switches Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco Ethernet Switches11.9%
NVIDIA Mellanox2.0%
Other86.1%
Ethernet Switches
 

Featured Reviews

Myint Aung - PeerSpot reviewer
Exceptional network support and AI integration drive performance while suggesting enhancements for future use cases
I work with both HyperFlex and other Cisco products. I prefer to make online support available because I can utilize my CCIE architect, solution consultant, and engineer team along with our account manager and product sales team. We can clarify requirements and decide how to support you. We should arrange a conference call about Cisco Ethernet Switches where I can invite my architect and consultant to clarify more about the features that are most beneficial for improving network efficiency. Today is AI day, and all the new firmware includes AI to optimize the performance, traffic, and security of Cisco Ethernet Switches. It's performing very well. With many solutions and vendors available, you have to decide on one. I am extremely satisfied with the licensing cost for Cisco Ethernet Switches. For the price of Cisco Ethernet Switches, I would rate it a 7. My overall rating for Cisco Ethernet Switches is 10 out of 10.
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Nurudeen Suleiman - PeerSpot reviewer
Automation and integration improve operations efficiently
We wanted to utilize the advanced InfiniBand and Ethernet solutions offered by NVIDIA, but the users are not too familiar with the InfiniBand environment, which is why we are using the Linux Cumulus 5.6, which is usually the normal Ethernet. I am familiar with NVIDIA Mellanox, as I have products from NVIDIA on review here on our website. I use enhanced multi-tenancy features. Currently, within the data center, we have mixtures of both Cisco Nexus switches, NVIDIA switches, and Huawei switches, so eventually, we are changing all the switches to NVIDIA. On a scale of 1-10, I rate NVIDIA Mellanox an eight.
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Comparison Review

it_user82779 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 29, 2014
Benefits of Juniper vs Cisco
Both are decent products. I prefer Juniper for the following reasons: 1) Cleaner separation of data plane from control plane. Higher end Cisco devices are better at this but most of the lower end products still seem to be more integrated than I like. 2) The Hierarchical config design means I can…
Read full review
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
9%
University
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business58
Midsize Enterprise36
Large Enterprise53
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise2
 

Questions from the Community

Would you recommend replacing a Cisco Catalyst Switch by a D-link one?
Hello Mesfin It depends on the real scenario, the cisco 2960 is a very good device and they usually have routing functions but there are many different models within the same 2960 line, and on the ...
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Which would you choose - Fortinet Fortiswitch secure access or Cisco Ethernet Switches?
We researched Cisco but ultimately chose Fortinet FortiSwitch Secure Access, mostly because of the price. Fortinet FortiSwitch is an ethernet switch solution that provides security and performance...
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In terms of ethernet switches, would you go with Cisco or Juniper?
Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether Cisco or Juniper Ethernet switches were the better fit for us. We decided to go with Juniper. Juniper ethernet switches are a lesser-known...
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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Mellanox Switches?
The pricing is competitive. For its performance, it's cheaper, so I would rate it a four if cheaper is lower.
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What needs improvement with Mellanox Switches?
The feature we would want to see in future updates of NVIDIA Mellanox is improved accessibility for normal users, as quite a lot of experience is needed before using Mellanox. None of the Mellanox ...
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What is your primary use case for Mellanox Switches?
NVIDIA Mellanox is usually used for numerous purposes, but in our case, we are using it in a data center for high-end servers running 200 gig interfaces, and we are able to link it up with Ansible ...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access vs Cisco Ethernet Switches Logo
Fortinet FortiSwitch - Secure Access vs Cisco Ethernet Switches
Compared 15% of the time
D-Link Ethernet Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches Logo
D-Link Ethernet Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches
Compared 9% of the time
NETGEAR Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches Logo
NETGEAR Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches
Compared 7% of the time
HPE Ethernet Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches Logo
HPE Ethernet Switches vs Cisco Ethernet Switches
Compared 3% of the time
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Arista Networks Platform vs NVIDIA Mellanox Logo
Arista Networks Platform vs NVIDIA Mellanox
Compared 11% of the time
Broadcom StrataXGS vs NVIDIA Mellanox Logo
Broadcom StrataXGS vs NVIDIA Mellanox
Compared 10% of the time
Brocade Ethernet Switches vs NVIDIA Mellanox Logo
Brocade Ethernet Switches vs NVIDIA Mellanox
Compared 7% of the time
Cisco Catalyst Switches vs NVIDIA Mellanox Logo
Cisco Catalyst Switches vs NVIDIA Mellanox
Compared 6% of the time
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches vs NVIDIA Mellanox Logo
Ubiquiti UniFi Switches vs NVIDIA Mellanox
Compared 5% of the time
More NVIDIA Mellanox Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Cisco Ethernet Switches
October 2025
Cisco Ethernet Switches reportDownload Cisco Ethernet Switches product report
Buyer's Guide
Ethernet Switches
September 2025
NVIDIA Mellanox reportDownload NVIDIA Mellanox product report
 

Also Known As

Cisco Industrial Ethernet Switches
Mellanox Switches, Mellanox SN2700
 

Overview

Cisco Ethernet Switches scale to meet the needs of networks of all sizes. They are Secure, Reliable and Seamless.
Cisco

NVIDIA Mellanox empowers data centers with advanced networking capabilities, featuring RDMA, user-friendly interfaces, efficient design, and competitive performance. Designed for Linux-based environments, it ensures robust network automation and AI integration.

Known for its compact hardware, NVIDIA Mellanox delivers dependable networking through its innovative features like no-drop traffic handling and essential data center protocols BGP EVPN and VXLAN. It enhances efficiency with its integration into AI-driven environments and extensive configuration options on Linux. Though the installation and its command-line interface pose challenges for some, its automation capabilities complement complex infrastructures in data centers. Users highlight its scalability in networking, yet seek improvements in documentation, training, and OS transition aspects for smoother integration and enhanced accessibility. Ongoing advancements are anticipated, particularly regarding support response and platform compatibility like Elastic.

What are the key features of NVIDIA Mellanox?
  • RDMA: Enables high-throughput, low-latency networking.
  • No-drop Traffic Support: Maintains data integrity during high loads.
  • BGP EVPN and VXLAN: Essential networking protocols for data centers.
  • Low Power Consumption: Efficient energy usage.
  • AI Environment Integration: Seamlessly aligns with AI workloads.
  • Automation with Ansible: Simplifies network management tasks.
What benefits should users expect?
  • Enhanced Performance: Improves networking efficiency in data centers.
  • Cost-effective: Competitive pricing with robust features.
  • Operational Efficiency: Streamlined processes through automation.
  • Scalability: Supports growth and increased network demands.
  • Energy Savings: Reduces operational costs through low-power design.

In industries operating networking infrastructures, NVIDIA Mellanox offers LAN and AI data center solutions, integral to high-performance computing. Users in sectors utilizing spine-and-leaf topology for top-of-rack and core devices leverage its infinite band speed and EVPN/VxLan capabilities. With support for edge, storage, and border gate switches, it optimizes networking automation beginning with Ethernet-based setups. Organizations gradually enhance complexity as their networking needs evolve.

NVIDIA
 

Sample Customers

Linz AG
CNPC, Korea Consumer Agency, Nutanix, Roxo Systems, StorPool, Atlantic.Net, INFN, StarWind, NYSE Technologies, Creative Consultants, ENKI
Buyer's Guide
Cisco Ethernet Switches vs. NVIDIA Mellanox
September 2025
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