The Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX3 is a 1RU leaf switch with 48 downlink ports running at 1, 10 or 25 Gbps and six uplink ports running at 40 or 100 Gbps. Cisco rates the platform at 3.6 Tbps of switching capacity and 1.2 billion packets per second. Those two figures match the 93180YC-FX exactly. Generation, not capacity, separates them.
Ports, interfaces and what this switch presents
Forty-eight SFP28 downlinks run at 1, 10 or 25 Gbps and six QSFP28 uplinks run at 40 or 100 Gbps. That is the standard shape of a 25 Gigabit leaf: a rack of servers terminates on the downlinks at whichever of the three rates their adapters and optics support, and the uplinks carry the aggregate to the spine. Because the downlink rate is set per port by the optic and the configuration rather than fixed in the chassis, a rack can be brought from 10 Gigabit to 25 Gigabit adapter by adapter, without the access switch becoming the thing that has to be replaced first.
| Downlink ports | 48 x 1/10/25 Gbps SFP28 |
|---|---|
| Uplink ports | 6 x 40 or 100 Gbps QSFP28 |
| Switching capacity | 3.6 Tbps |
| Forwarding rate | 1.2 billion packets per second |
| Form-Factor | 1RU |
| MACsec | Supported on all ports, with no speed condition |
Power and airflow are ordered against this platform specifically. Cisco lists the NXA-PAC-650W-PE and NXA-PAC-650W-PI alternating-current supplies, the NXA-PDC-930W-PE and NXA-PDC-930W-PI direct-current supplies and the N9K-PUV-1200W dual-direction supply, with the NXA-FAN-35CFM-PI and NXA-FAN-35CFM-PE fan modules. Those part numbers belong to this switch and should not be carried across from another platform in the family, because both the wattage and the airflow rating differ between them.
Switching capacity and forwarding rate
Cisco rates the Nexus 93180YC-FX3 at 3.6 Tbps of switching capacity and 1.2 billion packets per second, and publishes exactly the same two figures for the Cisco Nexus 93180YC-FX.
That is the fact this page exists to state, so it is worth stating without softening. A buyer who assumes a later suffix brings a higher throughput number is wrong on Cisco's own published figures, and the assumption is expensive because it usually arrives attached to a budget. The two platforms are rated identically on capacity and identically on forwarding rate. They are not comparable performance; they are the same published performance. Anyone quoting you a throughput improvement between these two part numbers is quoting something Cisco does not publish.
What the FX3 is chosen for instead is platform currency. It is the switch Cisco still ships, which matters when a procurement policy requires hardware that remains on the vendor's current catalogue, when a fabric is being extended and the new members should match what will be available for the next expansion, or when an internal hardware standard is written against a platform rather than against a serial number. Those are real reasons. Throughput is not one of them.
MACsec on this platform
Cisco states MACsec support for the Nexus 93180YC-FX3 on all ports, with no speed condition attached. That is a genuine, sourced difference between this switch and the 93180YC-FX, whose identical-sounding MACsec claim carries a qualifier at 10 Gigabit and above and a feature-license condition in Cisco's own footnote. If link-layer encryption is part of the design, that difference is worth more than any throughput comparison between the two, precisely because there is no throughput difference to weigh it against.
The qualifier belongs to each platform separately and does not generalise across the family. Read the statement for the part number you are buying rather than for the series.
Where the 93180YC-FX3 sits in the Nexus 9300 line
The comparison that matters is with the platform it succeeds, and the useful part of it is how little of the table differs.
| Nexus 93180YC-FX3 | Nexus 93180YC-FX | |
|---|---|---|
| Downlink ports | 48 x 1/10/25 Gbps SFP28 | 48 x 1/10/25 Gbps SFP28 |
| Uplink ports | 6 x 40 or 100 Gbps QSFP28 | 6 x 40 or 100 Gbps QSFP28 |
| Switching capacity | 3.6 Tbps | 3.6 Tbps |
| Forwarding rate | 1.2 billion packets per second | 1.2 billion packets per second |
| Form-Factor | 1RU | 1RU |
| MACsec terms | All ports, no speed condition | Ports at 10 Gbps and above, feature license required |
| Cisco catalogue position | Cisco still ships this model | Refurbished supply; see the model page |
Four of those seven rows are identical, and that identity is the finding rather than a gap in the table. The two rows that do differ are the MACsec terms and which of the two Cisco still ships. Neither is a performance row. If the deciding factor is catalogue position or the MACsec licensing terms, the answer is this switch; if it is anything to do with throughput, the two are interchangeable on Cisco's figures and the decision should be made on price and availability.
If the rack is copper rather than fibre, the platform to look at instead is the Cisco Nexus 9348GC-FXP, a 48-port copper access switch with a much smaller fabric behind it, sized for 1 Gigabit access rather than 25.
Buying refurbished while Cisco still ships new
This is the same part number and the same hardware, sold refurbished rather than new. The process is the same on every unit: inbound test on receipt, disassembly, cleaning, inventory, pick, assembly, configuration and an outbound test before it ships. Whole systems, this switch included, carry a 2-year Enterasource warranty, and delivery is free FedEx Ground to the lower 48 states. No Cisco warranty transfers with second-hand hardware and we make no claim that it does.
On a platform Cisco still ships, the refurbished case is a narrower one than elsewhere in this range, so it is worth stating exactly. You are buying identical hardware on a shorter lead time and at a different price, and you are giving up the new-unit vendor warranty in exchange for ours. That trade suits an expansion of an existing fabric or a lab and staging build better than it suits a first deployment under a warranty-led procurement policy. We would rather say which of those you are in than sell you the wrong one.
Licenses, subscriptions and what ships with the unit
Software licenses and subscriptions are not included unless the listing states otherwise, and an entitlement bought by the original owner belongs to that owner's account rather than to the chassis. The licensing question on this switch is narrower than on the platform it succeeds, because Cisco attaches no separate feature-license condition to MACsec here, but the general position is unchanged: the hardware arrives, the software rights are a separate order line, and a second-hand chassis does not carry the first owner's entitlements. Tell us what the deployment needs before you order and we will confirm in writing what the unit we ship actually carries.
Condition, testing and what is in the box
The switch ships tested and configured to the state you specify. Rails, optics, power supplies and fan modules are separate line items unless the listing includes them, and on this platform the fan and the power supply must share an airflow direction, so we confirm that pair rather than assuming it. If what we can source differs in any respect from what was quoted, we tell you before it ships rather than after.
For the rest of the range see Cisco Nexus 9000, or the wider catalogue at Cisco networking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 93180YC-FX3 deliver more throughput than the platform it succeeds?
No, and Cisco's own figures are the reason. Cisco publishes 3.6 Tbps of switching capacity and 1.2 billion packets per second for this switch, and publishes the same two numbers for the 93180YC-FX. There is no throughput difference between them to quantify. The FX3 is chosen for catalogue position and for its MACsec terms, and a quote that promises a performance gain between these two part numbers is promising something the vendor does not publish.
What does MACsec on all ports mean here, and how does it differ from the FX?
Cisco states MACsec support on all ports of this switch with no speed condition. On the 93180YC-FX the equivalent statement is qualified to ports running at 10 Gigabit and above, and Cisco adds in a footnote that enabling the capability requires a feature license. So on a mixed-rate rack, a port configured at 1 Gigabit is inside the statement here and outside it there. Read the terms per part number.
What do 1, 10 or 25 Gigabit multi-rate downlinks mean for choosing optics?
Each downlink port takes an SFP28 optic and negotiates at the rate that optic and the configuration support, so the port does not fix the rack to a single speed. In practice that means you can buy the switch once and change server speeds later by changing optics and adapters, which is the main reason multi-rate access ports are worth paying for on hardware expected to outlast two server refresh cycles.
What do 40 or 100 Gigabit uplinks mean for the spine?
The six QSFP28 uplinks let the same switch attach to a 40 Gigabit spine or a 100 Gigabit spine without changing the access layer, which is what makes a staged fabric upgrade possible. A rack can join an existing 40 Gigabit fabric now and move to 100 Gigabit when the spine is refreshed, by changing the uplink optics rather than the leaf switch.
What condition are these switches in and how are they tested?
Every unit is tested on receipt, then disassembled, cleaned, inventoried, picked, assembled, configured and tested again before it ships. The part number and the hardware are what Cisco shipped. Whole systems come with an Enterasource warranty, stated in full on the listing, and ship free by FedEx Ground to the lower 48 states. We do not publish a burn-in duration, a pass rate or a certification name that we cannot evidence.
How do pricing and lead time work on this switch?
Tell us the build you need, including airflow direction, power supply type and uplink optics, and we will quote availability and price against that exact specification. We source these rather than holding every variant in stock, so the meaningful answer on timing comes with the quote. If the unit we can source differs from the one specified, you hear about it before anything is committed.
