NVIDIA Mellanox MCX353A-TCBT ConnectX-3 VPI Single-Port QSFP Adapter (IB FDR10 40Gb/s, 10GbE): This is a single-port Virtual Protocol Interconnect (VPI) network adapter built on the ConnectX-3 ASIC. The QSFP port runs InfiniBand FDR10 at 40 Gb/s (4 lanes x 10 Gb/s, 64b/66b encoding) or Ethernet 10GbE. The host interface is PCIe 3.0 x8 at 8GT/s and the card ships with a tall PCIe bracket. This is a refurbished unit, not a new-sealed factory part.
Engineering Context
FDR10 is a Mellanox-specific InfiniBand variant that runs at the same 40 Gb/s line rate as QDR but uses the more efficient 64b/66b encoding from the FDR family, reducing protocol overhead from 25% (QDR 8b/10b) to ~3%. Effective payload throughput is therefore higher than QDR even at identical raw rates. VPI lets the adapter run InfiniBand or Ethernet without changing hardware — protocol selected per port via mlxconfig. Despite the QSFP cage, this SKU is rated for 10GbE only on the Ethernet side; it does not support 40GbE auto-bonding. PCIe 3.0 x8 at 8GT/s provides 64 Gb/s of host bandwidth.
Deployment & Use Cases
HPC nodes attaching to existing FDR10 or QDR InfiniBand fabrics where higher payload efficiency is desired without a full FDR upgrade. Storage initiators for SRP/iSER over InfiniBand. Lab and academic clusters. 10GbE host connectivity over QSFP-to-SFP+ adapter cables. Mixed-protocol pilots where a node may switch between IB and Ethernet during testing.
Technical Specifications
OEM: NVIDIA Mellanox
Part Number: MCX353A-TCBT
Controller: ConnectX-3 (VPI)
Ports: 1x QSFP
InfiniBand Rate: FDR10 — 40 Gb/s (64b/66b)
Ethernet Rate: 10GbE
Host Interface: PCIe 3.0 x8 (8GT/s)
Bracket: Tall (full-height)
Form Factor: Standard PCIe HHHL
Protocols: InfiniBand, Ethernet, RoCE v1, SR-IOV
Condition: Refurbished — Tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
Compatibility & Constraints
Requires a PCIe 3.0 x8 (or wider) slot — runs at reduced bandwidth in PCIe 2.0 slots. Compatible with Mellanox SwitchX/SwitchX-2 FDR/FDR10 switches and standards-compliant InfiniBand fabrics. FDR10 mode requires switches that explicitly support FDR10; on QDR-only switches the link will fall back to QDR (40 Gb/s, 8b/10b). Does NOT support full FDR (56 Gb/s) — pair with an MCX353A-FCBT if 56 Gb/s is required. Does NOT support 40GbE Ethernet — limited to 10GbE on the Ethernet side. Single-port only. Driver support: MLNX_OFED (Linux), WinOF (Windows Server), inbox InfiniBand drivers for VMware ESXi 6.x.
Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS bench-tests every ConnectX-3 VPI adapter for IB link training, PCIe enumeration, and firmware integrity. T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS ships globally with 1–3 business day handling and provides expert support on FDR10 fabric configuration.