Arista Networks Platform vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] comparison

Arista and Dell Technologies are both solutions in the Data Center Networking category. Additionally, 100% of Arista users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Dell Technologies users who would recommend it.

Arista Networks Platform

Read 31 Arista Networks Platform reviews

3,893 Views
1,363 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Dell PowerConnect Switches ...

Read 34 Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] reviews

90% willing to recommend

Arista Networks Platform

Dell PowerConnect Switches ...

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Arista Networks Platform and Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco, Dell Technologies, Juniper and others in Data Center Networking.

To learn more, read our detailed Data Center Networking Report (Updated: March 2026).

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Data Center Networking

March 2026

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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

Arista Networks Platform

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Ethernet Switches (13th), Data Center Networking (5th)

Dell PowerConnect Switches ...

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

8.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

Nimit Puvar

A VP Enterprise Sales at Ashtech Infotech (India) Pvt.Ltd.

Automation and visibility have simplified data center operations and improved network control

I see some areas for improvement, particularly with pricing. I think that not all features that are needed are already in Arista. AI power is required nowadays. AI would be needed for understanding data traffic flowing in my network. Sometimes I have a vision of what data traffic is flowing in my network and I want to capture that data. Using AI, I can understand how my entire organization operates and what kind of applications are being used, what the peak times are, where there is a bottleneck if any exists. This kind of report should automatically generate and provide clear-cut visibility.

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LarsEvans

Chief Technology Officer / Chief Information Security Officer at Lorton Data, Inc.

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

"What we like most is its performance to price ratio."

"The feedback from customers using Arista Networks Platform APs that we deployed has positively impacted our organization, as they have provided good service and a good customer experience compared to what they used before."

"Arista Networks offers similar features to Cisco."

"The most valuable feature is the Linux shell, which is useful for troubleshooting or capturing traffic."

"It's an extremely reliable platform for the network switches we use."

"The solution is scalable."

"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."

"Arista's customer service is excellent."

More Arista Networks Platform pros

"The most valuable feature is stability."

"The most valuable feature of this product is its reliability."

"PowerConnect Switches' stability is satisfactory."

"Dell seems to accommodate everyone when it comes to managing these switches."

"There is high reliability since we have used them for close to twenty years and only had possibly one failure."

"The Dell EMC Networking N1500 Switches are a great solution and are great switches for access switch on LAN which they have combined for data, high-performance access-point, IT surveillance, and cameras."

"If you need some advanced features and reliable core networking components at an affordable price, these switches are for you."

"We evaluated numerous options before choosing Dell including Fortinet, HP and Cisco, but really it was this solution that worked given our budget and for installation, it was a good solution in terms of technical support, scalability, availability and a lot of things, and it satisfied our requirements."

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] pros

Cons

"Its price can be better."

"Currently, Arista is too costly for its customers."

"The documentation did not explain that we could not vary the speed between ports that are in the same block. For example, we cannot have 1G and 10G on the neighboring ports; all four ports have to be 1G or 10G, which was very annoying for us when we realized that we needed to change the configuration and the cabling that we had already prepared."

"The stability of this solution needs to be improved as part of the next upgrade."

"I know that Arista is more expensive than the Catalyst or Nexus."

"In my opinion, the solution for network monitoring is quite expensive."

"The intent-based networking management, together with the provider of these solutions that are already free, would be beneficial."

"They should have a more stable code."

More Arista Networks Platform cons

"The CLI for Dell PowerConnect Switches is sometimes confusing, especially with the LAN, but for the GUI it is simple."

"Dell is sometimes slow to provide updates to firmware."

"The configuration should be improved."

"Technical support tends to give conflicting advice on how to configure the product."

"Their hardware is not reliable, it's faulty."

"The solution's ROI for generic networking is not extraordinary."

"The network features are not good."

"The product price is an area of concern where improvements are required."

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I rate the product price a seven on a scale of one to ten where ten is high price and one is low price."

"Specific tools definitely require a license for the subscription. But we are not using these tools in our environment. In terms of licensing, you need to spend approximately $10,000 per month."

"Network devices are generally expensive. However, during the evaluation, Arista was the most inexpensive vendor."

"Cost wise, Arista Networks Platform is more expensive than other networking solutions."

"It is pretty pricey for a networking platform. It is on par with Cisco."

"There is an annual license required to use the Arista Networks Platform."

"I remember that when our customers were offered the Arista Networks Platform, they used a checklist to compare the prices between Arista and Cisco for their requirements, and found that the prices were almost the same."

"The price of the Arista Networks Platform could be less expensive for the hardware and license."

More Arista Networks Platform pricing and cost advice

"On a scale of one to ten, if one means it is a cheap solution, and ten means it is a very expensive tool, I rate the product's price as seven. The tool is a bit pricey."

"The solution is less expensive and more cost-efficient."

"PowerConnect Switches are priced well."

"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."

"Cheaper than its competitors"

"The initial cost was high but since they have lasted for over ten or twenty years they are worth it."

"The price of these switches is okay."

"Its price is okay. Sometimes, it is lower than a Cisco solution."

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Construction Company

16%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Energy/Utilities Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	12

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	21
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	6

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Arista Networks Platform?

I do not handle the pricing for Arista Networks Platform as other departments handle the costing. I am a network engineer in my company.

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What needs improvement with Arista Networks Platform?

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What is your primary use case for Arista Networks Platform?

We are still using Arista Networks Platform as system integrators. We sold the product and my customer is using this product. Mostly we sold Arista Networks Platform in data centers where customer ...

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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...

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Comparisons

Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Arista Networks Platform

Compared 16% of the time

Juniper EX Series Ethernet Switches vs Arista Networks Platform

Compared 8% of the time

Cisco Ethernet Switches vs Arista Networks Platform

Compared 7% of the time

Aruba Switches vs Arista Networks Platform

Compared 5% of the time

Cisco Nexus vs Arista Networks Platform

Compared 5% of the time

More Arista Networks Platform Competitors

Cisco Catalyst Switches vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 31% of the time

NETGEAR Switches vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 17% of the time

HPE ProCurve vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 16% of the time

Dell PowerSwitch N-Series vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 10% of the time

Cisco Nexus vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 8% of the time

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Arista Networks Platform

April 2026

Download Arista Networks Platform product report

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

April 2026

Download Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] product report

Also Known As

7000 Series

PowerConnect Switches

Overview

Arista Networks Platform is a stable and reliable solution for data center features, specifically for non-blocking switches used for spine-leaf connectivity with servers hooked to these switches. It also provides multi-layer switches for client networks, particularly in the banking sector.

Arista products are preferred for their stability, good hardware, ease of adoption and configuration, responsive and helpful support, and high throughput ratings. The solution has helped prevent screen loss and business outages in the media industry and is designed for next-generation data centers.

Arista

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

American Internet Services

Amerijet Holdings Inc., CGD Securities, MavenWire, Tulane University

Buyer's Guide

Data Center Networking

March 2026

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