Understanding Arista DCS7050CX3 vs DCS7050SX3: A Detailed Comparison

Arista, a cloud networking company, has a great range of several switches for data center and enterprise networks. Two popular members of the Arista family are the DCS7050CX3 and the DCS7050SX3. Both are 1RU switches that run Arista EOS, forward at 800 ns and carry a 32 MB packet buffer. They differ in what the front panel holds: the CX3 is built around 100G ports, the SX3 around 25G and 10G ports. This page compares the two models Townsend lists most, the 7050CX3-32S and the 7050SX3-48YC8, with the figures taken from Arista's 7050X3 data sheet, and adds the end-of-sale dates Arista has published for the SX3.

Arista's 7050X3 series page lists the 7050CX3-32S and the 7050SX3-48YC8 among its models, and the Arista 7050 page lists the 7050 models Townsend carries.

The two models side by side

Typical power in Arista's table is measured at 25°C ambient with 50 percent load on all ports and excludes transceivers. Arista's overview adds that the 7050CX3-32S and 7050CX3-32C draw under 7 W per 100GbE port typically.

Port types and speeds

The 7050CX3-32S has 32 QSFP100 ports and two SFP+ ports. Each QSFP port runs in one of five modes: 100GbE, 40GbE, 4x10GbE, 4x25GbE or 2x50GbE. With breakout cables that is up to 128 ports of 10GbE or 25GbE, or 64 ports of 50GbE, per Arista's overview. That makes it a switch for a data center moving servers to 25G while keeping 40G and 100G uplinks.

The SX3 is built around SFP ports. On the 7050SX3-48YC8 the 48 SFP ports run at 25G or in a mix of 10G and 1G, and the eight QSFP100 ports are 100GbE or 40GbE uplinks. The 7050SX3-48C8 has 48 SFP+ ports at 10G or 1G with the same eight QSFP100 ports. Arista says the 7050SX3 systems "ensure seamless migration from 1/10G to 25G".

Where each one fits, in Arista's words

Arista describes the CX3 as suited to high performance leaf or collapsed spine tiers, with airflow choices front to back or back to front. It describes the SX3 as enabling high density 25G in a compact 1RU form factor without network oversubscription. The short version: choose the CX3 when the dense port count is at 100G, and the SX3 when the servers are on 25G, 10G or 1G links with 100G uplinks.

Power and cooling

Both models take two hot-swappable power supplies in a 1+1 arrangement, with Arista quoting power supply efficiency over 94 percent for the family, and offer front-to-rear and rear-to-front airflow. The part number letter carries the airflow: -F is front to rear and -R is rear to front. If you are not sure which you need, read airflow suffixes explained.

The watt figures answer which one uses less power. The SX3 does draw less than the CX3: Arista's table gives the 7050SX3-48YC8 a typical 124 W and a maximum of 301 W, against 168 W and 343 W for the 7050CX3-32S. The difference is 44 W typical and 42 W at maximum, and the SX3 carries 56 ports against the CX3's 34.

The SX3 end-of-sale dates

Arista announced end of sale for the 7050SX3-48YC8 and the 7050SX3-48C8 on July 1, 2026, in Arista notice 24134.

Arista names the DCS-7050SX3-48YC8C as the alternative for the 48YC8 and the DCS-7050SX3-48C8C for the 48C8. The notice covers the -F, -R and DC versions of both models. It does not name the 7050CX3-32S, so check Arista's notices before assuming the CX3 follows the same dates. The full detail is in our 7050SX3-48YC8 end-of-sale page.

Common questions

Do both models support Layer 3? Yes. Arista's data sheet lists wire speed Layer 2 and Layer 3 forwarding across the whole 7050X3 series.

Which one uses less power? The 7050SX3-48YC8 and 7050SX3-48C8 draw less than the 7050CX3-32S on both typical and maximum figures, per the table above.

Can the SX3 take 100G? Yes, on its eight QSFP100 uplink ports, which run at 100GbE or 40GbE. For dense 100G, the CX3's 32 QSFP100 ports are the better fit.

Where to look next

The Arista 7050X3 page holds every 7050X3 listing, including the newer DCS-7050SX3-48YC8C that Arista names as the replacement. For the wider family, see the 7050X3 and 7280R3 families explained. Every unit we ship is tested in-house first and carries our warranty. If the part number you need is not listed, request a quote.