When choosing an enterprise switch, network administrators and IT engineers often encounter a situation where they are torn between two models, especially products with similar performance, such as the Cisco 3750X and 3850 series is a typical example. These two switches, as Cisco's classics, have a wide range of applications in the market. So, what is the difference between these two? And how are they related to each other?
Background Comparison of the Two Switches
The Cisco 3750X series of switches, as an upgraded version of the Cisco 3750 series, has been loved by enterprises since its release because of its high performance and high reliability.The Cisco 3750-X is one of the highest-performance products in the Cisco 3750 series, which can provide modular uplink bays, allowing the use of additional Gigabit SFPs or 10 Gigabit SFP+ ports, and the Cisco 3750X can be used to connect to the Cisco 3750 series of switches. The Cisco 3750X is the only member of the Cisco 3750 Series that is capable of meeting 10G requirements. the Cisco 3750X is targeted at small- and medium-sized businesses, especially in environments that require robust network performance and ease of administration.
In contrast, the Cisco 3850 series switches, the next generation of the Cisco 3750 series, are targeted at the higher end of the market. It not only inherits the benefits of the Cisco 3750X, but also innovates and improves on many aspects. the Cisco 3850 series also supports higher bandwidth, adds support for Software Defined Networking (SDN), and offers significant improvements in scalability. This makes the Cisco 3850 series a popular choice for large enterprises and data centres.
Exterior Specification Comparison
The Cisco 3850 series switches and the Cisco 3750X series switches are cosmetically different, with the 3850 series having a silver body colour and the Cisco 3750X series having a green body colour; the Cisco 3850 has its USB port on the front, while the Cisco 3750X series has its USB port on the back; the Cisco 3850 series comes with three hot-swappable fans on the Cisco 3850 series, compared to two on the Cisco 3750X series.
In terms of management ports, the Cisco 3850 supports Gigabit bandwidth management, while the Cisco 3750X supports only Fast Ethernet. While both series have the same 1Gig uplinks (up to 4), the Cisco 3850's uplink module supports up to 4 10Gig interfaces, while the 3750X supports up to 2.
In addition, the Cisco 3850 and Cisco 3750x series switches support up to 2 hot-swappable power supplies, and the power stacking cables are the same between the two series, but the data stacking cables are different between the two series.
Operating System Comparison
In terms of operating systems, the Cisco 3750X runs IOS, while the Cisco 3850 series runs the latest Cisco IOS-XE operating system and supports utilising VRF as an out-of-band management interface. In addition, the Cisco 3850 series has an integrated wireless controller, which is not available on the Cisco 3750X series.
Performance Comparison
In terms of performance and specifications, the Cisco 3850 series has higher throughput, supports more Gigabit Ethernet ports, and has more robust PoE (Power over Ethernet) support, while the Cisco 3750X also supports PoE+ but is slightly less powerful than the Cisco 3850 overall.
Below is a detailed parameter comparison table between the Cisco 3850 series and the Cisco 3750X:
| Category/Model | Cisco 3750 | Cisco 3850 |
| Stacked Bandwidth | 64Gbps | 480Gbps |
| Wireless Controller | No | Yes |
| Number of Ports | 4 | 8 |
| QoS | MLS | MQC |
| Uplink | 4 x 1GE2 x 10GE NM4 x 1 GE or 2 x 10GE SM | 4 x 1GE2 x 1/10GE4 x 1/10GE (Uplink) 48 Port Type |
| stackpower | Yes | Yes |
| Flexible NetFlow | Support | Support |
| Managed Services | Not Supported | Supported |
| Flash Size | 64MB | 2GB |
| Operating System | Cisco IOS Software | Cisco IOS-XE Software |
| USB Port Location | Front | Rear |
| Number of Stacks | 9 | 4 |
| Bandwidth Management | Fast Ethernet Supported | Gigabit Ports Supported |
Comparison of Scalability and Future Development
In terms of future development, the Cisco 3750X series supports Cisco StackWise technology, which allows up to nine switches to be stacked, which is still competitive in small and medium-sized enterprise network environments.
The Cisco 3850 series is even better in this regard! Not only does it support Cisco StackWise-480 technology, the stacking bandwidth can be increased to 480 Gbps, and it can stack up to 12 switches. At the same time, the Cisco 3850 Series also supports modular expansion, which means that enterprises can replace or add modules to support different network requirements. This flexible adaptability is favoured by enterprises.
In today's increasingly information-based world, network technology is moving towards virtualisation and automation, and the Cisco 3850 series, with its support for SDN, is better able to adapt to this trend. The Cisco 3750X, on the other hand, while still performing well, may require more upgrades and adjustments in the face of future changes in network technology.
Finally, we would like to emphasise that there is no uniform standard for choosing the right switch, the key is to make a decision based on your specific needs. If you are still hesitating, why not contact our technical support team, we will provide you with more detailed advice and support to help you make the best choice.
