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Green circuit board with two silver QSFP28 ports and gold PCIe x16 edge connector

Mellanox Technologies

Mellanox Technologies MCX516A-CDAT network card, 100GbE dual-port QSFP28, PCIe Gen 4.0 x16

SKU CH-FP7Z-33FRE MPN MCX516A-CDAT

Dual-port QSFP28 network adapter delivering 100GbE over PCIe Gen 4.0 x16 with 750ns latency and 200Mpps throughput

  • Product weight0.5
  • Dual 100GbE ports deliver 200 million messages per second
  • PCIe Gen 4.0 x16 supports 16.0GT/s SERDES for high throughput
  • RDMA and DPDK offloads cut CPU load with 197Mpps packet processing
  • Hardware T10-DIF and NVMe target offloads accelerate storage workloads
  • Low-profile 2.71 x 5.6 inch card fits dense server chassis

Dual-port 100GbE connectivity

The Mellanox MCX516A-CDAT is a ConnectX-5 Ex EN network adapter built for data-centre servers that need two 100GbE links. It fits a PCIe Gen 4.0 x16 slot and supports 10, 25, 40, 50 and 100 Gb/s speeds. The card targets cloud, storage and telco platforms requiring high message rates and hardware offloads. It is not for desktops or workstations lacking a Gen 4.0 x16 slot or QSFP28 cabling.

Low-profile card with QSFP28 cages

The board measures 2.71 in by 5.6 in and uses a tall bracket for standard server chassis. Two QSFP28 cages accept both copper and optical modules for flexible reach. The PCIe interface runs at 8.0 or 16.0 GT/s across Gen 3.0 and Gen 4.0. Buyers without QSFP28 infrastructure or a compatible x16 slot cannot use this adapter.

Hardware offloads cut CPU load

ConnectX-5 Ex delivers 750ns latency and up to 200 million messages per second, reaching 197Mpps with DPDK on PCIe Gen 4.0. Storage workloads gain T10-DIF signature handover, an embedded PCIe switch and NVMe over Fabric target offload. Open vSwitch acceleration reduces CPU consumption for telecom and cloud traffic. The card draws power from the slot; no external connector is present.

How it compares

Measured against everything we stock in Ethernet Cards & NICs, at today’s prices. Recalculated every night.

Price $937.99
Pricier than about 91% of the 1,505 comparable items (median $90.99).

Specifications

Product
Brand nameMELLANOX TECHNOLOGIES
Size & build
Shipping weight0.23 kg
Package size193 × 157 × 38 mm

Questions about this item

What maximum data rate does the PCIe 4.0 x16 interface support on this card?

The PCIe Gen 4.0 x16 slot runs at 16.0 GT/s per lane, providing enough bandwidth for the dual 100 Gb/s Ethernet ports.

What bracket size and slot width does the MCX516A-CDAT require?

The card measures 2.71 in by 5.6 in with a tall bracket and occupies a single PCIe x16 slot.

How is the ConnectX-5 Ex installed, and what step is often missed?

Insert the card into a PCIe 4.0 x16 slot, secure the tall bracket, attach QSFP28 cables or modules, then load the Mellanox OFED driver to enable RDMA and offload features.

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