Intel: PCIe network cards with two 10 Gbit/s ports available
The first Ethernet cards with two 10 Gbit/s ports and low power consumption from Intel are now available.
(Image: Intel)
Intel is shipping the first network cards with chips from the E610 family. The variants with the designation E610-XT2, for example, provide two Ethernet sockets (RJ45) with up to 10 Gbit/s (10GbE) each and are backward compatible with 5GbE, 2.5GbE, and 1GbE. Several variants are already available in German stores.
The E610-XT2 models are available in two versions. One is a PCI Express plug-in card connected via four PCIe 4.0 lanes, and the other is a server module that meets the Open Compute Project 3.0 (OCP 3.0) specification for high port density and easy maintenance. Such modules can be replaced during operation and are therefore hot-swappable.
Private users can upgrade their own desktop PCs or servers with the PCIe version. According to Intel, the passively cooled card consumes a maximum of 5.2 watts of electrical power. The use of standard Ethernet cables from CAT5e enables cost-effective cabling.
Remote maintenance
To further reduce administration costs and enable remote server management, the cards feature a baseboard management controller (BMC pass-through). The network card forwards instructions to and from the BMC, which can operate independently of hardware and software even in the event of a server failure.
In combination with other management functions such as Security Protocol and Data Model (SPDM) and Platform Level Data Model (PLDM), Intel aims to ensure secure and consistent communication.
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Higher prices than expected
The listings at retailers and consequently also in the price comparison are confusing. These are marked as "bulk" goods, sometimes in "multi" or 5-packs with the product number being E610XT2M5. However, retailers apparently only buy these 5-packs and sell the cards individually. Galaxus, for example, confirms individual sales in the questions section. This means that the prices are unexpectedly high – beyond Intel's recommendation.
Other variants, such as Intel's E610-XT4 network adapter, offer four Ethernet ports with 10 Gbit/s each, but consume over 10 watts of electrical power. They also require eight PCIe 4.0 lanes for full speed.
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