Cisco switch comparison
C9200CX-12P-2X2G-E vs WS-C2960X-24PSQ-L
C9200CX-12P-2X2G-E is narrower and has twelve PoE+ access ports, two 10G fiber uplinks and a 240 W budget. WS-C2960X-24PSQ-L has 24 access ports but powers only the first eight, with a 110 W budget and 1G uplinks.
2models compared
53specs published for every model
51confirmed differences
Change comparison
Select different models
At a glance
Key differences
Compare the specifications that shape your deployment.
| Specification | C9200CX-12P-2X2G-E | WS-C2960X-24PSQ-L |
|---|---|---|
Form Factor |
Compact fanless switch | 1RU |
Switch Role |
Campus access switch | Fixed campus access switch with limited Layer 3 routing |
Network License |
Network Essentials | Cisco IOS LAN Base |
Downlink Port Count |
12 | 24 |
Access / Downlink Ports |
12 x 10/100/1000 PoE+ RJ-45 | 8 x 10/100/1000 PoE+ RJ-45 plus 16 x 10/100/1000 RJ-45 |
Uplink Interfaces |
2 x 10G SFP+ plus 2 x 1G copper | 2 x 1G SFP plus 2 x 10/100/1000 RJ-45 |
Detailed comparison
Full specification comparison
| Comparison parameter | ||
|---|---|---|
| Product ID | C9200CX-12P-2X2G-E | WS-C2960X-24PSQ-L |
| Product and ordering | ||
| Product Type | Cisco Catalyst 9200CX Series compact access switch | Cisco Catalyst 2960-X Series LAN Base access switch |
| Form Factor | Compact fanless switch | 1RU |
| Switch Role | Campus access switch | Fixed campus access switch with limited Layer 3 routing |
| Network License | Network Essentials | Cisco IOS LAN Base |
| Configuration, licensing and management | ||
| Management Model | Cisco Catalyst Center, WebUI, CLI, NETCONF, RESTCONF and SNMP | Cisco IOS CLI, SNMP v1/v2c/v3, Cisco Prime Infrastructure and Cisco Network Assistant |
| Ports and interfaces | ||
| Downlink Port Count | 12 | 24 |
| Access / Downlink Ports | 12 x 10/100/1000 PoE+ RJ-45 | 8 x 10/100/1000 PoE+ RJ-45 plus 16 x 10/100/1000 RJ-45 |
| Downlink Type | 1G PoE+ RJ-45 | 10/100/1000BASE-T RJ-45 |
| Uplink Interfaces | 2 x 10G SFP+ plus 2 x 1G copper | 2 x 1G SFP plus 2 x 10/100/1000 RJ-45 |
| Maximum Uplink Speed | 10 Gbps | 1 Gbps |
| Supported Network Modules | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Management Ports | In-band Ethernet management; no dedicated management Ethernet port | 1 x 10/100 Mbps Ethernet (RJ-45) out-of-band management |
| Console Ports | 1 x USB Micro-B console; optional CAB-CON-USBRJ45 adapter for RJ-45 console access | 1 x RJ-45 console plus 1 x USB Type-B console |
| USB Ports | 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A host port | 1 x USB Type-A for external flash storage |
| PoE-capable Ports | 12 | 8 |
| Connector Types | RJ-45; SFP/SFP+; USB | RJ-45 for 10/100/1000 ports; SFP/SFP+ for uplinks |
| Total System Ports | 16 | 28 |
| Performance and scale | ||
| Switching Capacity (Standalone) | 68 Gbps | 216 GbpsSeries-wide LAN Base switching bandwidth (full duplex), not specific to this model |
| Switching Capacity (Stacked) | Not applicable | Not listed |
| Forwarding Rate (Standalone) | 50.59 Mpps | 71.4 Mpps |
| Forwarding Rate (Stacked) | Not applicable | Not listed |
| MAC Address Scale | 32,000 | 16,000 |
| IPv4 Route Scale | 4,000 | 3,000 |
| IPv6 Route Scale | 2,000 | 3,000 |
| Multicast Route Scale | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| VLAN Scale | 4,094 | 4,096 |
| ACL Scale | 1,600 | Not published by Cisco |
| QoS Scale | 1,000 | Not published by Cisco |
| Packet Buffer | 6 MB | Not published by Cisco |
| Jumbo Frame Size | 9,198 bytes | 9,216 bytes |
| Flexible NetFlow Entries | 16,000 | Not listed |
| Switched Virtual Interfaces | 512 | Not listed |
| PoE and power | ||
| PoE Support | PoE/PoE+ | PoE+ on the first 8 ports |
| PoE Standard | IEEE 802.3af / 802.3at | IEEE 802.3af PoE and 802.3at PoE+ |
| Default PoE Budget | 240 W | 110 W |
| Maximum PoE Budget | 240 W | Not applicable |
| Default Power Supply | 315W internal AC | Internal fixed auto-ranging AC power supply |
| Power Supply Slots | 0 | Not applicable |
| Power Supply Options | Fixed internal or external compact power design | Not applicable |
| Maximum System Power | 40.2 W | 33 W |
| AC Input Voltage | 100 to 240 V | 100 to 240 V |
| AC Input Frequency | 50 to 60 Hz | 50 to 60 Hz |
| Power Input Type | Fixed internal 315W AC power supply | AC |
| Heat Dissipation | 137 BTU/h | Not listed |
| Power Redundancy | No second power-supply bay; no power-supply redundancy | Not supported |
| Stacking and resiliency | ||
| Stacking Technology | Standalone; no switch stacking | Standalone; no switch stackingThe fanless WS-C2960X-24PSQ-L does not support FlexStack stacking (Cisco 2960-X Series FAQ). |
| Stack Bandwidth | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Maximum Stack Members | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| StackPower | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Fan Modules | Fanless; no fan modules | Fanless design |
| Memory and software | ||
| Operating System | Cisco IOS XE | Cisco IOS |
| Minimum Software Release | Cisco IOS XE 17.9.1 or later | Cisco IOS 15.0(2)EX |
| DRAM | 4 GB | 0.5 GB |
| Flash Memory | 8 GB | 0.125 GB |
| CPU | Not listed | APM86392 600 MHz dual-core |
| Physical and environmental | ||
| Dimensions (H × W × D) | 44 × 269 × 244 mm | 43.9 × 444.5 × 280.2 mm |
| Weight | 2.99 kg | 5.8 kg |
| Operating Temperature | -5 to 45 °C; -5 to 40 °C | -5 to 45 °C |
| Storage Temperature | -40 to 70 °C | -25 to 70 °C |
| Storage Humidity | Not listed | 10% to 95% |
| Operating Humidity | 5% to 90% | 10% to 95% |
| Operating Altitude | Up to 3,048 m | Up to 3,000 m |
| MTBF | 704,430 hours | 462,680 hours |
| Warranty | Cisco Enhanced Limited Lifetime hardware warranty (E-LLW) | Cisco Enhanced Limited Lifetime Warranty (E-LLW) |
| Acoustic Rating | 0 dBA; fanless | Fanless (no acoustic noise) |
| Environmental Compliance | RoHS compliant | Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) including EU Directive 2011/65/EU |
| Safety Certifications | UL/CSA 60950-1; EN/IEC 60950-1 | UL 60950-1, CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 60950-1, EN 60950-1, IEC 60950-1, AS/NZS 60950-1 (Second Edition) |
| EMC Certifications | FCC Part 15 Class A; EN 55032 Class A; CISPR 32 Class A; ICES-003 Class A | FCC Part 15 Class A, EN 55022 Class A, CISPR 22 Class A, EN 61000-3-2, EN 61000-3-3, VCCI Class A, ICES-003 Class A |
| Mounting | 19-inch rack mount | 19-inch rack mount |
| Airflow | Fanless passive cooling | Fixed, nonreversible front-and-sides-to-back airflow; WS-C2960X-24PSQ-L is fanless |
Specifications from Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series Switches Data Sheet and Cisco Catalyst 2960-X and 2960-XR Series Switches Data Sheet (checked 2026-10-11).
“Not published by Cisco” and “Not listed” indicate that a confirmed direct comparison is unavailable. These rows are not counted as confirmed differences.
Continue to the product pages
Product details
Specifications, documentation and purchasing information for each model.
Related comparisons