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 34 Arista Networks Platform reviews

4,742 Views
1,707 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, Arista, Dell Technologies and others in Data Center Networking.

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

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Data Center Networking

April 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

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Ethernet Switches (8th), Data Center Networking (3rd)

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

Dibyendu Das

Director at a tech company with 11-50 employees

Ultra-low latency networking has delivered reliable video workflows and critical operations

The support of Arista Networks Platform is quite complex; it is not very easy to configure. It needs a lot of network expertise for token sheddings and different kinds of configurations. It is very difficult to configure because Arista Networks Platform does not have a flexible GUI like Huawei or Netgear; everything is a very CLI kind of mainframe architecture. Scalability at every single step has a huge upgrade cost which is required for port mapping, connectivity, and transceivers certified by Arista Networks Platform, then the fabric upgrades from a software firmware level. Arista Networks Platform should improve commercial aspects to be affordable. There is no path for growth with a perfect score because the focus is more on reducing costs globally.

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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

"We use Arista products not only because they are so stable, easy to adopt and configure, but also because they have high throughput ratings (e.g. 40 / 100 / 400 gigabits), making them very scalable."

"The solution is very stable."

"We find the CloudVision switching feature of this solution really useful."

"The solution is scalable."

"Arista Networks Platform has really boosted our organization to the extent that our organization does not want to think about any other platform except Arista in terms of access points and switches."

"Technical support has been very good."

"The solution has good load latency. They're the market leader in this aspect right now."

"Arista Networks Platform offers a clean dashboard page with only useful options that do not include unnecessary tabs or features that customers mostly don't want to use."

More Arista Networks Platform pros

"The product is cheap."

"It's much less expensive than Cisco, and yet it has the same functionalities."

"Dell PowerConnect Switches are easy to configure and fully integrate into our Cisco switches without any problem."

"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."

"The technology is good and the interface is simple. We haven't had any bugs, disconnections or delays."

"The features I've found most valuable are that the product is very easy to configure and inexpensive."

"The most valuable feature is its ability to multitask."

"The security is the most valuable aspect of this solution. It also has good storage and resource handling."

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] pros

Cons

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

"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 overall price of the Arista Networks Platform is expensive. It should be reduced."

"From VMware, I think the cost of the tools is very high."

"They need to enhance their code and their EOS. They need to improve some security features, and there are quite a number of bugs in their system."

"Its price can be better."

"The cost of Arista Networks Platform is high; it is more expensive than other networking solutions."

More Arista Networks Platform cons

"I would rate it a seven out of ten. Not a ten because I have to do a lot of testing on it."

"You have to build the stackable interface by yourself in Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL], making it an area that can be considered for improvement."

"A big issue with this product is that when our customer migrated the data center, one cluster blocked the whole network and because we had a new approach, some commands were not compatible with the new version."

"An area for improvement would be that it's very hard to configure if you're not familiar with the UI or CLI of the product. The UI itself could also be improved."

"It would be great to have modules that integrate with SDN solutions such as Cisco ACI, Arista SDN, Huawei Agile, and IBM."

"There should be more port options in this switch. Currently, it has 24 or 48 ports. However, some of our customers require only 8 ports, but I have to put a switch with 24 ports. They should provide smaller solutions and complimentary access point for companies like ours with a low quantity of work. The main issue with this product is branding. They should improve their branding and promote their brand more in Mexico. Customers are more aware of brands like Cisco as compared to Dell."

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

"I expect it to be a zero-touch or a plug-and-play device. To some extent, it is, but we need to know the architecture, and we need to know what exactly we are doing. It is not so easy to implement. It depends on what exactly we are doing and it is still not a plug-and-play or zero-touch device. In the upcoming version, they can make it zero-touch, where we can just power it on and start using it. They can have some templates for different scenarios, such as when you are using it for the data center or adding it to your existing infrastructure."

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"The customer price for an Arista router is approximately $7,000 USD, while Cisco's is around $18,000."

"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."

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

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

"If one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the product price as seven out of ten."

"Arista Networks Platform was cheaper than Cisco. I have heard that the product is affordable for enterprise-sized companies."

"Arista is very expensive. Not everybody is in a position to spend $70,000 to $80,000 for one switch."

More Arista Networks Platform pricing and cost advice

"This solution is much cheaper than comparable products by Cisco."

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

"Cheaper than its competitors"

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

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

"Pricing for Dell PowerConnect Switches is quite competitive compared to Cisco and HP pricing. Dell has cheaper pricing and the company is trying to push for sales for its switching infrastructure because right now, the current market is dominated by Cisco. In the US market, there's Cisco, HP, Juniper, and Arista which you can buy for data center switching meant for different kinds of enterprises and ISPs. Dell PowerConnect Switches, on the other hand, is a product for people who need smaller setups or individual switches, especially those looking for a cheaper product and basic switching, though you can also buy a complete suite packaged with the switches."

"Dell PowerConnect switches are cheaper than Cisco switches. Cisco's higher capacity switches (100 or 200 gigs) are super-expensive. With the higher capacity, the price of the switches and the price of the architecture go high. Dell is cheaper and modular. So, I don't need to invest 100% upfront. I can invest as I progress. That is an option because the chassis will not be populated with all the pluggables. I have a choice because it is modular. I can go for 25 gigs today, and after four months, I can go for 100 gigs, and after that, I can go for 200 gigs. I have a choice when it is not a fixed switch."

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

Construction Company

16%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Energy/Utilities Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	16
Midsize Enterprise	7
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?

As for the licensing model of Arista Networks Platform, I would describe it as moderate—neither too expensive nor too cheap compared to Cisco.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Arista Networks Platform?

I found that Arista Networks Platform could improve by introducing a feature that combines configuration for both switches and access points into a single portal. Currently, you need to juggle betw...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Arista Networks Platform?

I currently use Arista products, including Arista wireless solutions like CVQ and Agni solutions, which come with a AAA server, as well as ClearPass from Aruba. I am using Arista Networks Platform ...

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...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Dell PowerConnect Switches?

Dell PowerConnect Switches are primarily used at the distribution layer, but as the product evolved, higher models became available. These newer models can function closer to the core network or th...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 15% of the time

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Compared 8% of the time

Cisco Ethernet Switches vs Arista Networks Platform

Compared 6% 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 29% 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 13% of the time

ExtremeSwitching vs Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

Compared 8% of the time

More Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Arista Networks Platform

May 2026

Download Arista Networks Platform product report

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL]

May 2026

Download Dell PowerConnect Switches [EOL] product report

Also Known As

7000 Series

PowerConnect Switches

Overview

Arista Networks Platform offers ultra-low latency and scalability with high bandwidth while simplifying network management through its intuitive dashboard. It enables robust support for EVPN and VXLAN, making it a top choice for modern data centers requiring efficient and effective networking solutions.

Designed to minimize complexity, Arista Networks Platform integrates seamlessly with a single operating system, providing streamlined operations. With automation capabilities via EOS and CloudVision, it enhances visibility and provisioning. Platinum and titanium power supplies contribute to reduced carbon footprints, aligning with sustainability goals. While configuration complexity and high pricing pose challenges, it remains a preferred choice for data center networking, offering premium performance and cost-effectiveness. It excels in environments like smart cities and finance, providing stability and scalability essential for demanding applications.

What are the key features of Arista Networks Platform?

Ultra-Low Latency: Ensures prompt data transmission and network responsiveness.
Scalability: Easily adapts to growing network demands and data loads.
High Bandwidth: Supports increased data transfer rates for efficient network operations.
Intuitive Dashboard: Enhances manageability and monitoring with streamlined interfaces.
EVPN and VXLAN Support: Provides flexible and robust networking options.
Platinum and Titanium Power Supplies: Reduce carbon footprint while ensuring reliable performance.
EOS and CloudVision Automation: Improves visibility, provisioning, and network operation efficiency.

What benefits should users look for in Arista Networks Platform?

Cost-Effectiveness: Balances premium performance with investment value.
Reduced Complexity: Streamlined integration simplifies network management.
Improved Visibility: Enhanced automation capabilities offer better monitoring and control.
High Throughput: Supports demanding applications with reliable data handling.
Sustainability: Eco-friendly power options align with environmental goals.

Arista Networks Platform is widely implemented across industries such as finance and smart cities, supporting critical applications in network security and scalable infrastructure. It is instrumental in data center networking, video production workflows, and robotic automation. Users benefit from its spine-leaf architectures and wireless connectivity, particularly in sectors requiring high throughput and reliability.

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

April 2026

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