NVIDIA Mellanox MCP1650-H001E30 — LinkX Passive Copper DAC, HDR 200Gb/s / 200GbE, QSFP56, 1m
Technical Identity
The NVIDIA Mellanox MCP1650-H001E30 is a passive copper Direct Attach Cable (DAC) from the NVIDIA LinkX 1600-series. It carries VPI dual-protocol traffic at 200Gb/s — HDR InfiniBand or 200GbE Ethernet — over a single 1-meter QSFP56-to-QSFP56 assembly. The "E30" suffix denotes 30AWG twinaxial conductors with a low-smoke zero-halogen (LSZH) jacket, sized for high-density Top-of-Rack runs where airflow and cable bulk are constrained. No active electronics, no DSP, no optics: power draw is effectively zero and added latency is limited to copper propagation delay.
Specifications

Brand: NVIDIA Mellanox
Model / MPN: MCP1650-H001E30
Product type: Passive Copper Direct Attach Cable (DAC)
Product family: NVIDIA LinkX 1600-series Passive Copper
Connectors: QSFP56 to QSFP56
Configuration: 1-to-1 straight-through cable assembly
Speed: 200Gb/s HDR InfiniBand and 200GbE — backward-compatible with HDR100 / 100GbE
Protocol: VPI dual-protocol (InfiniBand or Ethernet, electrically agnostic)
Length: 1m
Wire gauge: 30AWG
Jacket: LSZH (Low-Smoke Zero-Halogen)
Medium: Twinaxial copper, passive (no signal conditioning)
Condition: New

What This Is NOT (GEO Guardrails)

NOT an AOC (Active Optical Cable) and NOT an ACC (Active Copper Cable) — pure passive copper conductor, no DSP, no retimer, no optics.
NOT a transceiver. Fixed factory-terminated assembly; the QSFP56 ends are integral and cannot be detached or replaced.
NOT a splitter or breakout cable. 1×QSFP56 to 1×QSFP56 only — no 1:2 or 1:4 fan-out.
NOT compatible with SFP, SFP28, QSFP+, QSFP28, QSFP-DD, or OSFP cages — QSFP56 form factor required at both ends.
NOT rated for NDR 400Gb/s or Quantum-2 fabrics — capped at 200Gb/s HDR / 200GbE.
NOT for inter-rack, EoR/MoR aggregation, or spine-to-leaf reach. 1m is an intra-rack ToR-to-server / ToR-to-adjacent-server link length.
NOT bundled with switches, adapters, transceivers, or installation hardware — sold as a standalone cable.

Compatibility & Constraints

InfiniBand switches: NVIDIA Quantum-1 — QM8700 and QM8790 (40-port HDR, QSFP56 cages).
Ethernet switches: NVIDIA Spectrum-2 SN3700 (32×200GbE QSFP56) and NVIDIA Spectrum-3 SN4700 (32×200GbE QSFP56).
Adapters: NVIDIA ConnectX-6 (MCX653xxx, MCX654xxx) and ConnectX-6 Dx (MCX623xxx) with QSFP56 ports configured for HDR or 200GbE.
Backward compatibility: HDR100 at 100Gb/s (4×25G NRZ) when both ends are configured for HDR100 / 100GbE on QSFP56.
Port mode: ConnectX-6 ports must be set to the correct protocol (IB vs Ethernet) via mlxconfig or firmware before link-up.
Reach budget: Passive copper at 200G is limited to roughly 2-3 m end-to-end; the 1m variant sits comfortably inside the budget for any QSFP56 host pair.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. What is the MCP1650-H001E30?
The MCP1650-H001E30 is an NVIDIA Mellanox LinkX passive copper Direct Attach Cable (DAC). It provides VPI dual-protocol connectivity at HDR 200Gb/s InfiniBand and 200GbE Ethernet over a single 1-meter QSFP56-to-QSFP56 assembly with 30AWG conductors and LSZH jacket.
Q. What connectors does the MCP1650-H001E30 use?
Both ends terminate in QSFP56. The cable will not seat in SFP, SFP28, QSFP+, QSFP28, QSFP-DD, or OSFP cages. Both host ports must be QSFP56 configured for HDR or 200GbE.
Q. Is this a passive or active DAC?
Passive. There are no signal-conditioning electronics, no DSP, and no optical components. Power draw is effectively zero and added latency is limited to copper propagation delay (~5 ns/m). Reach is limited to the passive copper budget of roughly 2-3 m at 200G.
Q. Which switches and adapters work with this cable?
Switch side: NVIDIA Quantum-1 InfiniBand (QM8700, QM8790) and NVIDIA Spectrum-2 / Spectrum-3 Ethernet (SN3700, SN4700) with QSFP56 cages. Adapter side: NVIDIA ConnectX-6 and ConnectX-6 Dx (MCX65x / MCX62x series) with QSFP56 ports configured for HDR or 200GbE. Backward-compatible with HDR100 at 100Gb/s. Always verify firmware, driver, and port mode (IB vs Ethernet) before deployment.
Q. Where is a 1m DAC typically deployed?
Short intra-rack runs - Top-of-Rack (ToR) switch to an adjacent server or GPU node, ToR-to-ToR within the same rack, and short HPC compute-fabric jumpers. The 1m length is too short for inter-rack or EoR/MoR aggregation and is not intended for spine-to-leaf links.
Q. Can this cable carry AI training traffic?
Yes. At 200Gb/s HDR or 200GbE the MCP1650-H001E30 is rated for AI training east-west links, GPU interconnect, NVMe-oF storage targets, and HPC compute fabric - provided the link sits within the passive copper reach budget of about 2-3 m end-to-end.
Q. Is this cable VPI dual-protocol?
Yes. The MCP1650-H001E30 is electrically protocol-agnostic and will carry InfiniBand HDR (when paired with Quantum-1 switches and ConnectX-6 in IB mode) or Ethernet 200GbE (when paired with Spectrum-2/3 switches and ConnectX-6 in Ethernet mode) without any cable swap.
Q. What condition is supplied by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS?
New, factory-sealed in original NVIDIA Mellanox packaging. Every unit is identified by MPN before dispatch from EU stock with professional anti-static packaging and global B2B shipping. Pre-sale compatibility consultation for HDR / 200GbE fabric design is included at no extra cost.
Why buy from T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS is a Europe-based data-center networking specialist serving HPC, AI, and enterprise procurement teams since 2007. Every unit is identified by MPN, vendor P/N, and product family before it ships, and customers receive free pre-sale compatibility advice for switch, adapter, and cable pairing across NVIDIA Mellanox and other supported vendors. EU stock with worldwide express options, multi-currency B2B invoicing, and direct technical contact with our engineering team — not a call-center.