C8455-G2-MX and MX Sizing Guide and Principles

[RWelch]

MX Sizing Guide and Principles Last updated: Oct 29, 2025 

C8455-G2-MX Data Sheet 😊  😊  😊

[RaphaelL]

The good old MX650 that was renamed to C8455 is finaly alive !

[thomasthomsen]

Yeah, but with much worse performance numbers then was presented back then 🙂

Im guessing some software optimizations are in the pipeline.
And it would be nice if the C8100 secure routers could show up as a new MX6x model.
(- it needs to be MX6x because that is where the small license starts on the license sub, for some reason MX75 is not "down there" 🙂 )

[RaphaelL]

I don't know where the next MX will be positionned ( Small or medium ) but it won't be named MXxxxx that's for sure

[RaphaelL]

And as long as these routers ( no longer a security appliance ) will be running MX code , you can say goodbye to performance.

[thomasthomsen]

But since it was first introduced, with bigger numbers, one would think they had time to optimise the code even more. But ... here we are.

[thomasthomsen]

I just want a new small model I can use with the small MX Sub license.
I never understood why the MX75 was not put down into that "tier".
Perhaps there where still to many MX68 in stock that needed to be sold first.

But yeah, a C8100 will of course not be renamed to MX 🙂

[thomasthomsen]

PS: I was just looking at some, "previously released" / old notes I have, numbers for the C8455-G2 (in Cisco persona, or whatever we should call it 🙂 )

It says Threat Protection of around 9.5 Gbps

The same notes says 45Gbps for the 8455-G2 in a DMVPN setup.

21 Gbps for a Application Aware Routing (SD-WAN) scenario.

And up to 11Gbps in a Secure branch scenario with buil-in Secure Firewall.

I just find this interesting. Sure firewalling there can be some code optimization difference, but for "pure VPN" / SD-WAN  the number just seems to far apart ... that is what I feel is strange.

[RWelch]

Cisco 8000 Series Secure Routers Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) if interested.

[RaphaelL]

45Gbps in a DMVPN setup with a 25Gbps interface ?

[thomasthomsen]

Yeah that number also just "jumps" at you 🙂

But Im guessing in some special scenario utilising multiple interfaces for DMVPN ?

Who knows ... its just IPSec numbers.

The same notes mention the C8400 series, as a MPLS CPE, with a couple of features enabled could route 65Gbps.

So the raw power is there, but of course, as always, when you have to do any "real" firewalling, those numbers drop.
Its just strange that the IPSec number drops that much. Perhaps its some strange OS issue where it cannot utilize some multicore chip or something ( just speculation ).

[GIdenJoe]

I'm curious since TLS decryption is available on C8xxx routers in SD-WAN that they will once again try to make that available in MX mode.