C9300-48UXM-E
Campus access switch
WS-C3850-12X48U-L
Stackable campus access switch with limited Layer 3 routing
Cisco switch comparison
C9300-48UXM-E vs WS-C3850-12X48U-L
A key difference between Cisco C9300-48UXM-E and WS-C3850-12X48U-L is Switch Role: C9300-48UXM-E — Campus access switch; WS-C3850-12X48U-L — Stackable campus access switch with limited Layer 3 routing. They also differ in Network License (Network Essentials vs Cisco IOS LAN Base) and Access / Downlink Ports (36 x 100M/1/2.5G plus 12 x 100M/1/2.5/5/10G Cisco UPOE RJ-45 vs 12 x 100M/1/2.5/5/10G multigigabit + 36 x 10/100/1000 RJ-45). Consider how switch role affects the deployment, then review the remaining differences before choosing the exact Product ID. The table below shows 69 specifications available for both models. Confirm licenses, accessories, power supplies and regional suffixes before ordering.
2models compared
69specs shown for every model
57differences found
Change comparison
Select different models
At-a-glance comparison
Key performance and configuration differences
Start with the differences that have the greatest effect on capacity, connectivity, software, power and deployment fit.
C9300-48UXM-E
Network Essentials
WS-C3850-12X48U-L
Cisco IOS LAN Base
C9300-48UXM-E
36 x 100M/1/2.5G plus 12 x 100M/1/2.5/5/10G Cisco UPOE RJ-45
WS-C3850-12X48U-L
12 x 100M/1/2.5/5/10G multigigabit + 36 x 10/100/1000 RJ-45
C9300-48UXM-E
Modular uplink bay
WS-C3850-12X48U-L
Optional modular uplinks: up to 8 x 10G SFP+ or 2 x 40G QSFP+
C9300-48UXM-E
40 Gbps
WS-C3850-12X48U-L
Up to 40 Gbps
C9300-48UXM-E
580 Gbps
WS-C3850-12X48U-L
472 Gbps
Buying decision
How to choose between C9300-48UXM-E and WS-C3850-12X48U-L
Review the differences in this order to identify the model that best fits the intended deployment.
-
01
Ports and uplinks
Match access media, port count and speed first, then confirm that the uplink design fits the distribution layer.
-
02
PoE and power
Total the power required by connected devices and verify the PoE standard, budget, power supplies and redundancy.
-
03
Performance and software
Compare forwarding, stacking and scale in the intended topology, then confirm the license tier and software release.
Before ordering
Confirm the exact Product ID, license tier, power supplies, accessories and regional requirements.
Free product-selection help
Need help deciding between these Cisco models?
Send your port, performance, license, quantity or deployment requirements. A CCIE-level network engineer will review the shortlist and help identify the better-fit Product ID.
Detailed comparison
Full specification comparison
| Comparison parameter |
Cisco
WS-C3850-12X48U-L
Catalyst 3850 Series Switches
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Product ID | C9300-48UXM-E | WS-C3850-12X48U-L |
| Product and ordering | ||
| Product TypeDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E Cisco Catalyst 9300 Series modular-uplink stackable access switch | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Cisco Catalyst 3850 Series stackable enterprise-class access switch |
| Form Factor | C9300-48UXM-E 1RU | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 1RU |
| Switch RoleDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E Campus access switch | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Stackable campus access switch with limited Layer 3 routing |
| Network LicenseDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E Network Essentials | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Cisco IOS LAN Base |
| Configuration, licensing and management | ||
| Management ModelDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E Cisco Catalyst Center, WebUI, CLI, NETCONF, RESTCONF and SNMP | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Cisco IOS XE CLI, SNMP v1/v2c/v3, Cisco Prime Infrastructure |
| Ports and interfaces | ||
| Downlink Port Count | C9300-48UXM-E 48 | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 48 |
| Access / Downlink PortsDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 36 x 100M/1/2.5G plus 12 x 100M/1/2.5/5/10G Cisco UPOE RJ-45 | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 12 x 100M/1/2.5/5/10G multigigabit + 36 x 10/100/1000 RJ-45 |
| Downlink TypeDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 2.5G/10G multigigabit Cisco UPOE RJ-45 | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 100M/1/2.5/5/10G multigigabit and 10/100/1000BASE-T RJ-45 |
| Uplink InterfacesDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E Modular uplink bay | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Optional modular uplinks: up to 8 x 10G SFP+ or 2 x 40G QSFP+ |
| Maximum Uplink SpeedDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 40 Gbps | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Up to 40 Gbps |
| Supported Network ModulesDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E C9300-NM-4G, C9300-NM-4M, C9300-NM-8X, C9300-NM-2Q, or C9300-NM-2Y | WS-C3850-12X48U-L C3850-NM-4-1G, C3850-NM-2-10G, C3850-NM-4-10G, C3850-NM-8-10G, C3850-NM-2-40G |
| Management PortsDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 1 x 10/100/1000BASE-T dedicated management port | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 1 x RJ-45 out-of-band management Ethernet port |
| Console Ports | C9300-48UXM-E 1 x RJ-45; 1 x USB Mini-B console | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 1 x RJ-45 console plus 1 x USB Mini-B console |
| USB PortsDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A host port | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 1 x USB Type-A external-storage port |
| PoE-capable Ports | C9300-48UXM-E 48 | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 48 |
| Connector TypesDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E RJ-45; SFP/SFP+/SFP28/QSFP; USB | WS-C3850-12X48U-L RJ-45 for 10/100/1000 and Multigigabit ports; SFP/SFP+ for uplinks and fiber; copper Cisco StackWise-480 stacking; Cisco StackPower cabling; RJ-45 management and console |
| Total System PortsDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 56 | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Not applicable |
| Performance and scale | ||
| Switching Capacity (Standalone)Different | C9300-48UXM-E 580 Gbps | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 472 Gbps |
| Switching Capacity (Stacked)Different | C9300-48UXM-E 1,060 Gbps | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Not published by Cisco |
| Forwarding Rate (Standalone)Different | C9300-48UXM-E 431.54 Mpps | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 460 Mpps |
| Forwarding Rate (Stacked)Different | C9300-48UXM-E 788.69 Mpps | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Not published by Cisco |
| MAC Address Scale | C9300-48UXM-E 32,000 | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 32,000 |
| IPv4 Route ScaleDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 32,000 | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 24,000 |
| IPv6 Route ScaleDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 16,000 | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Not published by Cisco |
| Multicast Route ScaleDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 8,000 | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Not published by Cisco |
| VLAN ScaleDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 4,094 | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 4,000 |
| ACL ScaleDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 5,120 | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Not published by Cisco |
| QoS ScaleDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 5,120 | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Not published by Cisco |
| Packet BufferDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 16 MB | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Not published by Cisco |
| Jumbo Frame Size | C9300-48UXM-E 9,198 bytes | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 9,198 bytes |
| Flexible NetFlow EntriesDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 64,000 | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 48,000 |
| Switched Virtual Interfaces | C9300-48UXM-E 1,000 | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 1,000 |
| PoE and power | ||
| PoE SupportDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E Cisco UPOE | WS-C3850-12X48U-L All 48 downlink ports are Cisco UPOE-capable; maximum 28 simultaneous UPOE connections, further limited by installed PoE budget |
| PoE StandardDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E Cisco UPOE; IEEE 802.3bt Type 3 capable | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Cisco UPOE (up to 60W per port); IEEE 802.3af/at compatible |
| Default PoE BudgetDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 490 W | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 630 W |
| Maximum PoE BudgetDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 2,880 W | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 1,730 W |
| Default Power SupplyDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E PWR-C1-1100WAC-P | WS-C3850-12X48U-L PWR-C1-1100WAC |
| Power Supply Slots | C9300-48UXM-E 2 | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 2 |
| Power Supply OptionsDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 350W, 715W, 1100W and supported 1900W AC/HVDC power supplies | WS-C3850-12X48U-L PWR-C1-350WAC, PWR-C1-715WAC, PWR-C1-1100WAC, PWR-C1-440WDC |
| Maximum System PowerDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 291.6 W | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 194.8 W |
| AC Input VoltageDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 115 to 240 V | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 100 to 240 V |
| AC Input FrequencyDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 47 to 63 Hz | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 50 to 60 Hz |
| Power Input TypeDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E AC input; supported AC/HVDC options depend on power-supply model | WS-C3850-12X48U-L AC |
| Heat DissipationDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 995 BTU/h | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Not published by Cisco |
| Power RedundancyDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E Dual redundant field-replaceable power supplies | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Optional second modular power supply (1+1); Cisco StackPower; optional external Cisco XPS-2200 |
| Stacking and resiliency | ||
| Stacking TechnologyDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E StackWise-480 | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Cisco StackWise-480 |
| Stack Bandwidth | C9300-48UXM-E 480 Gbps | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 480 Gbps |
| Maximum Stack MembersDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 8 | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 9 |
| StackPowerDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E Cisco StackPower | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Supported (Cisco StackPower) |
| Fan ModulesDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 3 field-replaceable fans with N+1 redundancy | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 3 field-replaceable fans |
| Memory and software | ||
| Operating System | C9300-48UXM-E Cisco IOS XE | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Cisco IOS XE |
| Minimum Software ReleaseDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E Cisco IOS XE 16.6.2 | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Cisco IOS XE 3.7.1E or later |
| DRAMDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 8 GB | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 4 GB |
| Flash MemoryDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 16 GB | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 2 GB |
| CPUDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E x86 CPU complex | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Not published by Cisco |
| Physical and environmental | ||
| Dimensions (H × W × D)Different | C9300-48UXM-E 44 × 445 × 564 mm | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 44.5 × 445 × 488 mm |
| WeightDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 9.34 kg | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 8 kg |
| Operating Temperature | C9300-48UXM-E -5 to 45 °C; -5 to 40 °C | WS-C3850-12X48U-L -5 to 45 °C; -5 to 40 °C |
| Storage Temperature | C9300-48UXM-E -40 to 70 °C | WS-C3850-12X48U-L -40 to 70 °C |
| Storage HumidityDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E Not listed | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Not published by Cisco |
| Operating HumidityDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 5% to 90% | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 10% to 95% |
| Operating AltitudeDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E Up to 3,048 m | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Up to 3,000 m |
| MTBFDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E 202,160 hours | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 202,030 hours |
| WarrantyDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E Cisco Enhanced Limited Lifetime hardware warranty (E-LLW) | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Cisco Enhanced Limited Lifetime Warranty (E-LLW) |
| Acoustic RatingDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E LpA 45 dBA typical; 48 dBA maximum (ISO 7779/9296, 25°C) | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 43 dB typical, 45 dB maximum (LpA per ISO 7779) |
| Environmental ComplianceDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E RoHS compliant | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) 5 |
| Safety CertificationsDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E UL/CSA 60950-1; EN/IEC 60950-1 | WS-C3850-12X48U-L UL 60950-1 Second Edition, CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 60950-1 Second Edition, EN 60950-1 Second Edition, IEC 60950-1 Second Edition, NOM |
| EMC CertificationsDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E FCC Part 15 Class A; EN 55032 Class A; CISPR 32 Class A | WS-C3850-12X48U-L FCC Part 15 Class A, AS/NZS CISPR22 Class A, CISPR22 Class A, EN55022 Class A, ICES-003 Class A, VCCI Class A, EN61000-3-2, EN61000-3-3, KN22 Class A, KCC, CNS13438 Class A, EN55024, CISPR24, KN24 |
| Mounting | C9300-48UXM-E 19-inch rack mount | WS-C3850-12X48U-L 19-inch rack mount |
| AirflowDifferent | C9300-48UXM-E Front-to-back airflow | WS-C3850-12X48U-L Front/side chassis intake toward rear fan and power-supply modules; exact path depends on installed supplies |
“Not listed” means that no confirmed value is currently available for that model and parameter.
Price, stock & lead time
Get pricing for the exact models you compared
Use the exact Product ID when requesting a quote, because suffixes can identify different licenses, regions or configurations. Open an available product page for details and pricing, or request a project quote from our team.
Browse all Cisco switchesRelated comparisons