Raritan PX4 intelligent rack PDU, 12 to 100 A, up to 48 outlets

The tightest metering in the category at 0.5%, and the only line citing IEC 62053-21 by name

Raritan PX4 intelligent rack PDU, 12 to 100 A, up to 48 outlets is one of 5 power distribution units tracked in the SecondWatt catalogue, each with specifications, lead times and indicative secondary-market pricing.

Raritan PX4 dossier: 12 to 100 A intelligent rack PDU with 0.5% metering accuracy citing IEC 62053-21, hot-swappable controller and observed pricing.

PX4 is Raritan's current intelligent rack PDU generation, launched on 1 May 2023 alongside the Server Technology PRO4X, which is Legrand's second rack PDU brand launched the same day. It spans 12 to 100 A across single and three phase at 100 to 415 V, in 0U, 1U, 2U and 3U form factors, with up to 48 outlets mixing HDOT C13 and HDOT Cx combination outlets that accept C14 and C20 plugs. The specification that separates this line is measurement. Raritan publishes 0.5% metering accuracy citing IEC 62053-21 and IEC 61557-12 by name, and one model spec sheet states Class 0.5 energy metering with per-line and per-circuit-breaker tracking. Against 1% Class 1 on Eaton's G4 and 3% on an APC AP8858 metered unit, that is a six-fold accuracy range across products a buyer might otherwise treat as equivalent, and it is what decides whether the data can support chargeback billing. Two generation facts belong on any listing. PX3-iX is not a separate tier; it is a PX3 chassis fitted with the newer iX7 controller. And Raritan announced end of life for the PX3-5000 series on 8 December 2025, with last orders in June 2026 and end of service life in June 2028, naming PX4 replacement part numbers. The PX4 controller itself is hot-swappable, which is the direct answer to the firmware-obsolescence problem that ends most rack PDUs.

Why it matters

This is the reference point for what metering accuracy actually costs. A buyer comparing a Raritan PX4 against an APC metered unit is comparing 0.5% against 3%, and no tier name in the category communicates that. Publishing the accuracy figure and the standard cited next to every listing is the practical fix.

Who buys it

Colocation providers billing customers on measured consumption, and enterprises running capacity-planning programmes that need per-outlet data they can defend. The 0.5% accuracy claim is bought by people who invoice against it, which is a narrower buyer than the category as a whole.

Role in the data center

Cabinet power distribution where measured consumption is billed or formally reported, and high-density racks needing three-phase 400 or 415 V feeds at up to 100 A.

Key specifications

Technical summary

Input voltage: 100, 120, 200, 208, 230, 240, 400 and 415 V, single and three phase Current: 12 A to 100 A depending on model Outlets: up to 48, mixing HDOT C13 and HDOT Cx combination outlets accepting C14 and C20 plugs Metering accuracy: 0.5%, citing IEC 62053-21 and IEC 61557-12; Class 0.5 with per-circuit-breaker tracking Network: SNMP v2c and v3, Modbus TCP, REST and Redfish APIs, SSH, TLS, HTTPS, MQTT, IPv4 and IPv6 Cascade: 32 PDUs under one Ethernet port, plus a Link feature for up to 8 units Environmental sensors: up to 32 sensor functions or 12 sensor packages, plug and play Display: multi-colour LCD with auto-flip orientation; form factors 0U, 1U, 2U and 3U Operating temperature: up to 60 degrees C standard Controller: hot-swappable iX controller, with iX12 confirmed on a current model Certifications: UL and cUL, IEC 62368, FCC Part 15 Class A, CE, UKCA Warranty: 2 years standard, extendable to 5 through service tiers

Configurations and options

The colocation build is a 0U vertical unit with HDOT Cx combination outlets, which reduce the number of distinct SKUs a site has to stock because one outlet accepts both C14 and C20 plugs. Mass firmware update over USB is published, which matters when a fleet has to be patched quickly.

Compatibility and dependencies

PX4 adds a hardware cryptographic security module and secure boot that Raritan's own security note describes as PX4 only, so a PX3 unit cannot be brought to the same security posture by firmware alone. Two Raritan documents give different cascade figures, 32 under one Ethernet port against 16 over USB on a model spec sheet, so the applicable limit depends on the cascade method.

Pricing and availability

Published price range: $1,355 - $3,414 per unit new. Trend: flat Lead time, new: Distributor stock, with end-of-life PX3 SKUs on backorder. Lead time, used or refurbished: Days to 2 weeks through refurbished IT channels for prior generations.

Lifecycle and maintenance

A rack PDU has almost no wearing parts in the power path, so service life is set by firmware support rather than hardware fatigue. Warranty terms cluster at two to five years: Raritan two extendable to five, Eaton three on the G4 against two on the G3, CyberPower three, and Vertiv five if registered within 120 days. What actually ends a unit's life is the controller: when a manufacturer stops issuing firmware, a networked PDU becomes an unpatchable device on a production network. That is why controller replaceability matters more than any mechanical specification here, and why Eaton publishing an upgrade path from its G3 network card to the G4 module, and Raritan shipping a hot-swappable controller, are the most commercially significant features in this category.

Common failure points

• Firmware obsolescence — An unsupported controller cannot be patched, leaving published vulnerabilities open on a networked device
• Firmware licensing — Network management card firmware sits behind a paid subscription at one major manufacturer since Q3 2023
• Controller or network card failure — The PDU keeps distributing power but disappears from the management system
• Outlet retention wear — Contacts lose retention force and a cord drops out under vibration or during cable work
• Breaker nuisance tripping — A branch breaker trips below nameplate under normal load
• Residual configuration — A used unit arrives carrying the previous owner's accounts, directory settings and network configuration

Inspection checklist

Metering tier — establish which of the 5 rungs the unit actually occupies, because basic, metered inlet, metered by outlet, switched and switched metered by outlet are different products Metering accuracy — published accuracy spans 0.5% on a Raritan PX4 to 3% on an APC AP8858, a 6-fold difference that decides whether the data can support chargeback billing Accuracy standard cited — confirm whether the datasheet names IEC 62053-21 and a class, because 1% corresponds to Class 1 and only Class 0.5 is utility grade Firmware version and support — confirm the unit can still receive firmware, since a networked PDU that cannot be patched is a permanent exposure Firmware licensing — Schneider moved network management card firmware to paid subscription in Q3 2023, so budget for a licence rather than assuming free updates Known vulnerabilities — CVE-2021-22825 names APC AP7xxx and AP8xxx rack PDUs directly, so check the inherited firmware against the vendor advisory Network card replaceability — establish whether the controller is field-replaceable, because a dead card on a fixed-controller unit scraps the whole PDU Inlet and plug — match the plug to the rack whip: L6-30P, L21-30P, IEC 60309 and CS8365C are not interchangeable Outlet count and mix — record C13, C19 and combination outlets separately, because dollars per outlet is the category price unit Outlet retention — check locking outlets and retention clips, since a worn outlet that drops a cord under vibration defeats the purpose Breaker condition — exercise every branch breaker and check for nuisance tripping, which is the most common in-service complaint Form factor and length — a 0U vertical unit is sized to a specific cabinet height, and a 1683 mm strip will not fit a shorter rack Daisy chain and link — confirm the cascade limit, which runs 16, 32, 40 or 50 units depending on manufacturer and document Environmental sensors — confirm which sensor ports and probes are included, because probes are frequently kept by the seller Certification — confirm UL 62368-1 rather than the withdrawn UL 60950-1, which was superseded on 2020-12-20

Procurement channels

New stock through IT distribution including CDW, SHI and specialist resellers, with several PX4 SKUs quoted rather than priced. The refurbished channel carries prior generations rather than PX4: one specialist lists refurbished PX2 and PX3 units at 3.31 to 5.35 USD per outlet, and a warranted refurbished specialist carries Raritan inventory without a visible PX4 price.

Regional notes

Global product with 100 to 415 V input options and UL, cUL, CE and UKCA marks, so the same platform serves North American and European racks with different plug and voltage configurations. Legrand runs Raritan and Server Technology as parallel brands in this tier.