10gig SPF for Windows 11 desktop

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mkissin

389 posts

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#300760 3-Oct-2022 08:54

Hi all

As a learning exercise and a bit of fun, I'm trying to get a 10gig ethernet connection to my windows 11 desktop.

I have the infrastructure all sorted, with LC terminated multimode fiber, and a switch with SFP+ ports (the UniFi 8-port aggregation switch), however I need an SFP+ network card to actually take the module in the PC.

Any recommendations? Preferably one that will take the UniFi SPF+ module too (I have read there may be compatibility weirdness occasionally).

mentalinc

3235 posts

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#2976549 3-Oct-2022 09:12

Suggest connext-x3 from ebay. Comes with Drivers as well if you need the extra outside the standard windows drivers.

They work well, and just get the SFP you need to plug into them.

CPU: AMD 5900x | RAM: GSKILL Trident Z Neo RGB F4-3600C16D-32GTZNC-32-GB | MB: Asus X570-E | GFX: EVGA FTW3 Ultra RTX 3080Ti| Monitor: LG 27GL850-B 2560x1440

Quic: https://account.quic.nz/refer/473833 R473833EQKIBX

dt

1152 posts

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Inactive user

#2976558 3-Oct-2022 09:51

mellanox are pretty decent for their price and can be picked up very cheap second hand.

Mehrts

1063 posts

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#2977386 4-Oct-2022 17:28

I was using a couple of Mellanox ConnectX-2 SFP+ cards under Windows 10 for a while. They were completely plug and play with regard to windows providing the drivers. No performance bottlenecks at all, achieving the full 1GB/s read/write speeds.

I imagine W11 is the same too.

mkissin

389 posts

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#2977388 4-Oct-2022 17:48

Thanks for the recommendations.
I went ahead and bought a Mellanox MCX311A-XCAT from eBay, so in about 6 weeks I’ll give it a go, lol

mkissin

389 posts

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#2981922 12-Oct-2022 12:15

Just to update this.

The card arrived this morning. I plugged it into a slot, inserted the SFP+ module and connected my fiber patch lead and....a 10gig link came up.

No drivers or setup required. A+++, would upgrade again.

Thanks again averyone!

wratterus

1687 posts

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#2981952 12-Oct-2022 13:36

That was rapid shipping. Mind posting the link to the specific one you bought?

mkissin

389 posts

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#2981960 12-Oct-2022 13:56

Not at all. This is the auction I clicked buy-now on:

MCX311A-XCAT CX311A MELLANOX CONNECT-3 10GBE SINGLE PORT SERVER ADAPTER | eBay

Notably, this card came with both the normal and half height bracket. Many cards seem just come with the low profile one (pulled from a server, obviously), and it's apparently a nightmare to find a separate full size bracket after the fact.