10GB SFP+ card with RJ-45 tranceiver or a 10GB pcie card?

[airgap]

I tried to search in the forum for such question but I didn't find anything. If I missed it please show and I will close this thread and post there.

I just want to know what is the better choice?

Buying a SFP+ card and a RJ-45 tranceiver ( these are just as examples to illustrate ):
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IR7SUEK/?tag=snbforums-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M5LIUK5/?tag=snbforums-20

or just buying a card with already 10GbaseT interface:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072N84DG6/?tag=snbforums-20

I know fiber would be always the best choice but I want to use copper and yes at least cat6a cable.

So what is the better one and why? Any experiences?

Hope I posted it in the correct main thread - I saw "NICs" so I thought that should be right

 

[TheLostSwede]

Not exactly an apples to apples comparison, as the SFP+ card is a two port card.

I have been using a pair of Aquantia, now Marvell cards for close to five years and besides some early firmware related issues, they've been rock solid.

There should be some cheaper options than the Asus card, although all of them seem to be priced very close to each other on Amazon, with Syba being the cheapest, but also the one with the smallest heatsink. Note that the controller on these cards to get hot, a decent heatsink is a plus.
Where I live the TP-Link version of the Asus card can be had for around US$85.

The AQC107 cards are getting a bit "old" by now, but it doesn't seem like there are any cards based on the new AQC113 controller from Marvell in retail as yet, only a couple of motherboards with it integrated.
This one should be available soon?

VISION 10G LAN Card Key Features | Motherboard - GIGABYTE Global

Lasting Quality from GIGABYTE.GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ motherboards bring together a unique blend of features and technologies that offer users the absolute ultimate platform fo...

www.gigabyte.com

I'm not sure why you're saying fibre would be the best choice, since like for like speed is all that matters no? Fibre cables are just harder to deal with and costs more. The only potential advantage is that SFP+ switches are cheaper, but you still need to factor in the more expensive cables.

 

[airgap]

Thank you for your reply. The gigabye 10G looks beautiful hope it's as good as its looks.

I'm not sure why you're saying fibre would be the best choice, since like for like speed is all that matters no? Fibre cables are just harder to deal with and costs more.

Fibre has very low latency and it consumes less power which results in less heat on the card. Many people report about a good amount of heat on the cards like the ASUS. Sure the power consumption is not the only factor for the heat but it plays a role. Did you notice the heat sink comparisson between the cards with 10GBaseT and the SFP+ cards?

 

[TheLostSwede]

Fibre has very low latency and it consumes less power which results in less heat on the card. Many people report about a good amount of heat on the cards like the ASUS. Sure the power consumption is not the only factor for the heat but it plays a role. Did you notice the heat sink comparisson between the cards with 10GBaseT and the SFP+ cards?

I would say that depends on the card.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VLC7LT3/?tag=snbforums-20
This one even has a fan.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R9PNZ3M/?tag=snbforums-20

 

[airgap]

I just wanted to ask what you guys think of:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08D71PVXG/?tag=snbforums-20

 

[L&LD]

@airgap, not in a million years.

 

[airgap]

not in a million years.

Hahahaha ... is there a good factual reason? or just not your cup of tea? OK may be tplink is not the best company out there but even "not so good companies" sometimes bring something to the market which might be ok. Sure not the best but may be ok or good enough!?

 

[John Davis]

@airgap, not in a million years.

Because it’s to-link or because it’s aqc107 based?

if you can live with aqc107S spotty support there’s not a lot between ASUS/QNAP/tp-link

in the end though if you want solid support and capability go for an intel based card

 

[L&LD]

Factual? Well, here's a quick search on these forums (which is factual enough for me).

WiFi router or repeater with 10G lan port

Hi everybody :) I am looking for a router or repeater which has a 10G lan port. I want to install a 10G network interface in my computer and would be awesome to make that setup work. WiFi6 is mandatory and 6e would be even nicer. Any recommendations? Experiences? Thanks :)

www.snbforums.com

Intel is the only way to go. Price shopping in this segment isn't recommended.

 

[airgap]

@L&LD
Well...that was my own topic hehe but yes the last reply from TheLostSwede was interesting, but the pcie-card would not face directly the internet I would need it to connect to my router.

@John Davis
OK sure intel is in most of the times the way to go but what is better choice in your experience? Buying a card with 10GBaseT connector or an sfp+ card and buy a 10GBaseT transceiver? The later option will be way more expensive I guess because I have to buy a card and the corresponding good tranceiver. any suggestions?

 

[John Davis]

Intel is the only way to go. Price shopping in this segment isn't recommended.

if you don't mind using supermicro's x540 based cards rather than 'real intel' even price is a non-issue - I can get their version of the x540-t2 for LESS than one of those asus/tplink/gigabyte acq107 cards.

Admittedly the supermicro doesn't have a pretty annodised heatsink though ( and it needs an pcie x8 slot since they're only pcie2.0 not pcie3.0)

 

[TheLostSwede]

Hahahaha ... is there a good factual reason? or just not your cup of tea? OK may be tplink is not the best company out there but even "not so good companies" sometimes bring something to the market which might be ok. Sure not the best but may be ok or good enough!?

No, it's the same as all the other cards, based on Aquantia/Marvell, so no reason to avoid those cards.
That's the cheapest card available locally for me, although I haven't tested them, but they do at least have a decent size heatsink.
Most cards are pure reference designs anyhow.
Their routers on the other hand...

This looks like a better deal in the US though.

ASUS ROG AREION 10G Express Ethernet PCIe Card RJ-45 - Newegg.com

Buy ASUS ROG AREION 10G Express 10Gbps Ethernet PCIe expansion Card RJ-45 with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

 

[TheLostSwede]

if you don't mind using supermicro's x540 based cards rather than 'real intel' even price is a non-issue - I can get their version of the x540-t2 for LESS than one of those asus/tplink/gigabyte acq107 cards.

Admittedly the supermicro doesn't have a pretty annodised heatsink though ( and it needs an pcie x8 slot since they're only pcie2.0 not pcie3.0)

The x8 slot is a big no no for most consumers, since most motherboards only offer a single x16 slot, with the secondary one often being x4, or you end up taking eight lanes from the GPU, which is less than ideal for most people.

Decent price on those cards though, but they are most likely being discontinued any time soon.