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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 107 Cisco Nexus reviews
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  • 1,041 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: September 2025).
Buyer's Guide
LAN Switching
September 2025
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Helped 868,787 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
7.5
Number of Reviews
107
Ranking in other categories
LAN Switching (4th), Data Center Networking (4th)
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

Mohammed Faisal Ikram - PeerSpot reviewer
Has experienced high costs in core deployments but continues to appreciate strong support and switching performance
Cisco Nexus may not be very popular because of the requirements that we come across, as it will go into the core data centers, whereas we work with most of the corporate sectors, so Cisco Nexus is not a frequent seller, and you'll find more edge switches selling in the market. It might be pretty expensive for other companies. I don't think there are any other particular disadvantages of Cisco Nexus besides their pricing.
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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

"This product has improved the way our organization functions in the way that the rack-based design allowed us to eliminate chassis-based designs. The chassis design is more complicated to manage and maintain in field operations."
"We got increased bandwidth, faster performance, and newer software which has improved our organization."
"The ability to tenant-out the traffic and segment it, without having to get into separate physical hardware or trying to figure out VDCs manually, has been really powerful and extremely useful for us."
"This solution has given us the ability to use Cisco ISE for security."
"The integrations are valuable."
"We've found their tech support to be excellent, especially in their willingness to resolve issues promptly."
"The initial setup is easy."
"Cisco Nexus has improved the way our organization functions through the troubleshooting. We had issues where we've seen our links saturated. We were able to determine what was being processed on the link."
More Cisco Nexus pros
"There is high reliability since we have used them for close to twenty years and only had possibly one failure."
"The setup is straightforward. It takes minimum time for deployment."
"This solution comes with a lifetime warranty."
"The most valuable features are the jumbo frames and the stacking."
"The tool is reliable, and it stands up well. The solution works fine and lasts a long time."
"The most valuable feature is stability."
"This is a very reliable solution."
"The product is reliable."
More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] pros
 

Cons

"The flexibility and configuration could be better."
"The product lacks options for integration with other market products that would allow us more flexibility."
"Data center access is stable and high speed but it is not compatible with Cisco's server hardware devices. The solution can be technically improved and can have features like automation, better visibility, better functionality, and cheap pricing."
"The cost of the support can be improved. We had critical operations, and we needed 24/7 support for 365 days, which was quite expensive. We had to go for a very costly support contract, which was really a concern. The availability of spare parts, especially in a remote location such as Egypt, can also be improved."
"Our only complaint is about the licensing because it can always be a little more cost-effective."
"The solution has room for improvement in terms of the learning curve."
"We have encountered some software bugs."
"Don't discard Cisco Nexus because of the price."
More Cisco Nexus cons
"More stable firmware releases would be an improvement because we have had them randomly power on and off."
"The configuration should be improved."
"When it comes to the configuration, there should be documentation and interactive help available to assist people who have experience with products from other vendors."
"You have to build the stackable interface by yourself in Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL], making it an area that can be considered for improvement."
"A user can take care of the product's installation part, but it may not seem to be an easy process."
"Not a ten because I have to do a lot of testing on it. The correlation is okay."
"The network features are not good."
"Scalability, especially with the power connect series is something that you have to take into account before starting the project because any changes to an ongoing project can be difficult."
More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Every Cisco product is more expensive than competitors on the market, which is just a fact, but from my perspective, it is worth it."
"Our licensing fees are paid annually."
"Cisco Nexus is not a cheaply priced product."
"The price of the product is reasonable."
"We consider Juniper switches to be more affordable."
"Our licensing fees are approximately $2,000 USD per year."
"I thought that it would be less expensive."
"This solution should be made more affordable."
More Cisco Nexus pricing and cost advice
"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."
"In my opinion, it is a product that is priced somewhere in the middle, making it a well-priced solution in the middle. It is not a very cheap product."
"Cheaper than its competitors"
"The initial cost was high but since they have lasted for over ten or twenty years they are worth it."
"If you want to purchase a new Dell PowerConnect Switch, you will pay up to $1,600, but I bought them used. I bought the four Dell PowerConnect Switches that I used for $1,000."
"PowerConnect Switches are priced well."
"The solution is less expensive and more cost-efficient."
"The product has a low price for the features it provides."
More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
6%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Government
8%
Energy/Utilities Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise17
Large Enterprise82
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business21
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise6
 

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 37% of the time
Arista Networks Platform vs Cisco Nexus Logo
Arista Networks Platform vs Cisco Nexus
Compared 15% 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
Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs Cisco Nexus Logo
Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs Cisco Nexus
Compared 6% 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 100% of the time
More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] Competitors
 

Product Reports

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