Both models provide the same 48-port 1/10/25G SFP28 access pattern, so the decision is primarily platform generation and deployment compatibility. N9K-C93180YC-FX starts at an older NX-OS release and uses the longer chassis; N9K-C93180YC-FX3 starts at NX-OS 9.3(7), uses a shorter chassis and has different power, memory and acoustic characteristics. Validate the target NX-OS release, optics, airflow and rack depth before ordering.
Start with the differences that have the greatest effect on capacity, connectivity, software, power and deployment fit.
500W AC; 930W DC; 1200W HVAC/HVDC; up to 2 supplies
650W AC; 930W DC; 1200W HVAC/HVDC; up to 2 supplies
425 W
600 W
260 W
325 W
Cisco NX-OS 7.0(3)I7(1)
Cisco NX-OS 9.3(7)
32 GB
16 GB
6 cores
4 cores
Review the differences in this order to identify the model that best fits the intended deployment.
Match access media, port count and speed first, then confirm that the uplink design fits the distribution layer.
Total the power required by connected devices and verify the PoE standard, budget, power supplies and redundancy.
Compare forwarding, stacking and scale in the intended topology, then confirm the license tier and software release.
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.
| Comparison parameter | ||
|---|---|---|
| Product ID | N9K-C93180YC-FX | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 |
| Product and ordering | ||
| Product Type | N9K-C93180YC-FX Cisco Nexus 9300 Series fixed data-center switch | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 Cisco Nexus 9300 Series fixed data-center switch |
| Form Factor | N9K-C93180YC-FX 1RU | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 1RU |
| Switch Role | N9K-C93180YC-FX Data-center leaf / top-of-rack switch | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 Data-center leaf / top-of-rack switch |
| Network License | N9K-C93180YC-FX Cisco Data Center Networking Essentials, Advantage or Premier tier | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 Cisco Data Center Networking Essentials, Advantage or Premier tier |
| Configuration, licensing and management | ||
| Management Model | N9K-C93180YC-FX Cisco Nexus Dashboard; Cisco NX-OS CLI and APIs; Cisco APIC in ACI mode | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 Cisco Nexus Dashboard; Cisco NX-OS CLI and APIs; Cisco APIC in ACI mode |
| Ports and interfaces | ||
| Downlink Port Count | N9K-C93180YC-FX 48 | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 48 |
| Access / Downlink Ports | N9K-C93180YC-FX 48 x 1/10/25G SFP28 | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 48 x 1/10/25G SFP28 |
| Downlink Type | N9K-C93180YC-FX 1/10/25G SFP28 | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 1/10/25G SFP28 |
| Uplink Interfaces | N9K-C93180YC-FX 6 x 40/100G QSFP28 | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 6 x 40/100G QSFP28 |
| Maximum Uplink Speed | N9K-C93180YC-FX 100 Gbps | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 100 Gbps |
| Supported Network Modules | N9K-C93180YC-FX Not applicable | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 Not applicable |
| Management Ports | N9K-C93180YC-FX 1 x RJ-45 management port | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 1 x RJ-45 management port |
| Console Ports | N9K-C93180YC-FX 1 x RS-232 serial console | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 1 x RS-232 serial console |
| USB Ports | N9K-C93180YC-FX 1 x USB port | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 1 x USB port |
| PoE-capable Ports | N9K-C93180YC-FX Not applicable | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 Not applicable |
| Connector Types | N9K-C93180YC-FX Model-specific RJ-45, SFP28, QSFP28 and/or QSFP-DD interfaces | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 Model-specific RJ-45, SFP28, QSFP28 and/or QSFP-DD interfaces |
| Total System Ports | N9K-C93180YC-FX 54 | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 54 |
| Performance and scale | ||
| Switching Capacity (Standalone) | N9K-C93180YC-FX 3,600 Gbps | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 3,600 Gbps |
| Forwarding Rate (Standalone) | N9K-C93180YC-FX 1,200 Mpps | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 1,200 Mpps |
| MAC Address Scale | N9K-C93180YC-FX 512,000 | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 512,000 |
| IPv4 Route Scale | N9K-C93180YC-FX 1,792,000 | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 1,792,000 |
| IPv6 Route Scale | N9K-C93180YC-FX 896,000 | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 896,000 |
| Multicast Route Scale | N9K-C93180YC-FX 128,000 | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 128,000 |
| VLAN Scale | N9K-C93180YC-FX 4,096 | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 4,096 |
| ACL Scale | N9K-C93180YC-FX 5,000 | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 5,000 |
| Packet Buffer | N9K-C93180YC-FX 40 MB | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 40 MB |
| IGMP Multicast Groups | N9K-C93180YC-FX 32,000 | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 32,000 |
| Port Channel Support | N9K-C93180YC-FX 512 port channels; up to 32 links per channel | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 512 port channels; up to 32 links per channel |
| PoE and power | ||
| PoE Support | N9K-C93180YC-FX Not supported | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 Not supported |
| PoE Standard | N9K-C93180YC-FX Not applicable | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 Not applicable |
| Default PoE Budget | N9K-C93180YC-FX Not applicable | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 Not applicable |
| Maximum PoE Budget | N9K-C93180YC-FX Not applicable | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 Not applicable |
| Default Power Supply | N9K-C93180YC-FX Power supply selected separately from the compatible options | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 Power supply selected separately from the compatible options |
| Power Supply Slots | N9K-C93180YC-FX 2 | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 2 |
| Power Supply OptionsDifferent | N9K-C93180YC-FX 500W AC; 930W DC; 1200W HVAC/HVDC; up to 2 supplies | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 650W AC; 930W DC; 1200W HVAC/HVDC; up to 2 supplies |
| Maximum System PowerDifferent | N9K-C93180YC-FX 425 W | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 600 W |
| AC Input Voltage | N9K-C93180YC-FX 100 to 240 V | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 100 to 240 V |
| DC Input Voltage | N9K-C93180YC-FX -48 to -60 V | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 -48 to -60 V |
| AC Input Frequency | N9K-C93180YC-FX 50 to 60 Hz | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 50 to 60 Hz |
| Power Input Type | N9K-C93180YC-FX Hot-swappable AC and model-dependent DC/HVAC/HVDC supplies | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 Hot-swappable AC and model-dependent DC/HVAC/HVDC supplies |
| Typical Power ConsumptionDifferent | N9K-C93180YC-FX 260 W | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 325 W |
| Power Redundancy | N9K-C93180YC-FX N+1 power-supply redundancy with supported dual-supply configurations | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 N+1 power-supply redundancy with supported dual-supply configurations |
| Stacking and resiliency | ||
| Stacking Technology | N9K-C93180YC-FX No physical switch stacking; vPC provides multichassis link resiliency | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 No physical switch stacking; vPC provides multichassis link resiliency |
| Stack Bandwidth | N9K-C93180YC-FX Not applicable | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 Not applicable |
| Maximum Stack Members | N9K-C93180YC-FX Not applicable | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 Not applicable |
| StackPower | N9K-C93180YC-FX Not applicable | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 Not applicable |
| Fan Modules | N9K-C93180YC-FX 4 hot-swappable fans | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 4 hot-swappable fans |
| Memory and software | ||
| Operating System | N9K-C93180YC-FX Cisco NX-OS; Cisco ACI mode on supported models | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 Cisco NX-OS; Cisco ACI mode on supported models |
| Minimum Software ReleaseDifferent | N9K-C93180YC-FX Cisco NX-OS 7.0(3)I7(1) | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 Cisco NX-OS 9.3(7) |
| DRAMDifferent | N9K-C93180YC-FX 32 GB | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 16 GB |
| Flash Memory | N9K-C93180YC-FX 128 GB | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 128 GB |
| CPUDifferent | N9K-C93180YC-FX 6 cores | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 4 cores |
| Physical and environmental | ||
| Dimensions (H × W × D)Different | N9K-C93180YC-FX 44 × 439 × 571 mm | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 44 × 439 × 496 mm |
| WeightDifferent | N9K-C93180YC-FX 7.9 kg | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 9.52 kg |
| Operating Temperature | N9K-C93180YC-FX 0 to 40 °C | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 0 to 40 °C |
| Storage Temperature | N9K-C93180YC-FX -40 to 70 °C | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 -40 to 70 °C |
| Storage Humidity | N9K-C93180YC-FX 5% to 95% | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 5% to 95% |
| Operating Humidity | N9K-C93180YC-FX 5% to 95% | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 5% to 95% |
| Operating Altitude | N9K-C93180YC-FX 0–4,000 m | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 0–4,000 m |
| MTBFDifferent | N9K-C93180YC-FX 238,470 hours | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 303,190 hours |
| Warranty | N9K-C93180YC-FX 1-year limited hardware warranty | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 1-year limited hardware warranty |
| Acoustic RatingDifferent | N9K-C93180YC-FX 57 dBA at 40% fan speed; 68.9 dBA at 70%; 77.4 dBA at 100% | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 63.4 dBA at 50% fan speed; 74.3 dBA at 70%; 83.4 dBA at 100% with port-side exhaust |
| Environmental Compliance | N9K-C93180YC-FX RoHS compliant | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 RoHS compliant |
| Safety Certifications | N9K-C93180YC-FX UL 60950-1; CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 60950-1; EN/IEC 60950-1 | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 UL 60950-1; CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 60950-1; EN/IEC 60950-1 |
| EMC Certifications | N9K-C93180YC-FX FCC Part 15 Class A; CISPR 22/32 Class A; EN 55022/55032 Class A | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 FCC Part 15 Class A; CISPR 22/32 Class A; EN 55022/55032 Class A |
| Mounting | N9K-C93180YC-FX 19-inch rack mount | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 19-inch rack mount |
| Airflow | N9K-C93180YC-FX Orderable port-side intake or port-side exhaust airflow | N9K-C93180YC-FX3 Orderable port-side intake or port-side exhaust airflow |
“Not listed” means that no confirmed value is currently available for that model and parameter.
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 switches
