Why does the MCP1650-H003E26 use 26 AWG copper instead of 30 AWG?

At 3 meters and 50Gb/s PAM4 per lane, the insertion loss budget exceeds what 30 AWG can support without amplification. 26 AWG is a thicker, lower-resistance conductor that keeps signal integrity within passive DAC tolerances at the 3m reach.

What is the maximum reach of this passive HDR DAC?

This specific cable is fixed at 3 meters. For reach beyond 3 meters at HDR rates, you need an active copper cable (such as the MCA1J00 series) or an HDR AOC. Passive HDR DACs are typically capped around 3m due to PAM4 insertion loss limits.

What condition is this MCP1650-H003E26 in?

This is a refurbished unit, fully tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS (https://www.tes-itsolutions.com) for electrical continuity and connector condition before shipment.

NVIDIA Mellanox MCP1650-H003E26 3-Meter HDR Passive Copper Cable QSFP56 200Gb/s: This is a 3-meter QSFP56-to-QSFP56 passive copper Direct Attach Cable (DAC) supporting InfiniBand HDR at 200Gb/s and 200GbE Ethernet. The cable uses heavier 26 AWG copper conductors for extended reach with an LSZH jacket and a black pulltab. This is a passive (un-amplified) DAC, not an active copper or active optical assembly. This is a refurbished unit.

Engineering Context

The MCP1650-H003E26 uses 4x 50Gb/s PAM4 lanes for an aggregate 200Gb/s line rate per the HDR specification. The 26 AWG conductor gauge is heavier than the 30 AWG used in shorter HDR DACs — this lower-resistance copper provides the insertion loss budget required to reach 3 meters at PAM4 signaling. Passive copper retains the latency and power advantages of un-amplified interconnect (zero added latency, roughly 0.1W per end). The LSZH jacket reduces toxic emissions during fire events.

Deployment & Use Cases

Within-rack and adjacent-rack QSFP56 server-to-switch links in InfiniBand HDR clusters. AI/ML compute fabrics on NVIDIA Quantum HDR switches (QM8700 / QM8790) with ConnectX-6 HDR adapters. Short-to-medium reach 200GbE links on Spectrum-2 (SN3000) switches. NVIDIA DGX HDR fabric uplinks reaching adjacent rack rows.

Technical Specifications

OEM: NVIDIA Mellanox
Part Number: MCP1650-H003E26
Form Factor: QSFP56 to QSFP56 (Point-to-Point)
Cable Type: Passive Copper Direct Attach Cable (DAC)
Length: 3m
Data Rate: 200Gb/s (4x 50Gb/s PAM4)
Conductor Gauge: 26 AWG
Jacket: LSZH (Low Smoke Zero Halogen)
Pulltab Color: Black
Protocol: InfiniBand HDR / 200GbE
Replacement Reference: MCA1J00-H003E (active copper alternate)
Condition: Refurbished — Tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS

Compatibility & Hard Constraints

Compatible with NVIDIA Quantum HDR switches (QM8700, QM8790), Spectrum-2 SN3000 series Ethernet switches, and ConnectX-6 HDR / VPI host adapters. Backward compatible with HDR100 (100Gb/s) and EDR (100Gb/s) ports at reduced rate. Not a breakout cable — this is point-to-point QSFP56 to QSFP56. Not a splitter to 2xQSFP28 or 4xSFP56; for 2x100G HDR100 splits, use the MCP7H50 series. Fixed 3m length; cannot be re-terminated. For reach beyond 3m, consider an active copper cable (MCA1J00 series) or an HDR AOC.

Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS

At T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS, every DAC is electrically tested and visually inspected before shipment. We provide expert consultation on InfiniBand HDR fabric topology and ConnectX-6 deployments, with 1–3 day handling time and worldwide shipping.

NVIDIA Mellanox® MCP1650-H003E26 QSFP56 200Gb/s HDR DAC 3m 26AWG LSZH

Name: NVIDIA Mellanox® MCP1650-H003E26 QSFP56 200Gb/s HDR DAC 3m 26AWG LSZH
SKU: MCP1650-H003E26_Refurbished

SKU: MCP1650-H003E26_Refurbished

€100.00

Quantity