4TRD3 Dell CX562A Mellanox ConnectX-5 25GB Network Adapters

Overview of Dell 4TRD3 Dual Port 10/25GbE SFP28 Adapter

The DELL 4TRD3 Mellanox ConnectX-5 CX562A is a high-performance dual-port network interface card engineered for modern data centers requiring ultra-fast connectivity, low latency, and advanced offloading capabilities. Designed under the Open Compute Project (OCP) 3.0 standard, this adapter delivers scalable networking performance for enterprise servers, cloud infrastructure, virtualization platforms, and storage-intensive workloads. This advanced networking solution supports both 10 Gigabit Ethernet and 25 Gigabit Ethernet speeds per port, making it a flexible and future-ready choice for organizations upgrading their IT infrastructure.

General Information

• Brand: Dell 
• Part Number: 4TRD3
• Product Type: Network Interface Card (NIC)

Technical Specifications

• ConnectX-5 Ethernet Adapter
• Form Factor: OCP 3.0 Small Form Factor
• Bus Interface: PCI Express Gen 3.0 x16
• Network Architecture: Dual-port high-speed Ethernet controller
• Design Type: Open Compute Project (OCP) 3.0 standardized adapter

Performance and Data Transfer Capabilities

• 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) per port
• 25 Gigabit Ethernet (25GbE) per port
• Optimized throughput for virtualization and cloud workloads

SFP28 Interface Details

• Ports: 2 x SFP28 high-speed optical ports
• Backward Compatibility: Supports SFP+ and SFP modules
• Cable Support: DAC (Direct Attach Copper) and fiber optic transceivers

The Dell 4TRD3 Mellanox ConnectX-5 2-Port Network Adapter

The category of high-performance Ethernet networking hardware built around the Dell 4TRD3 Mellanox ConnectX-5 CX562A 2-Port 25Gb Network Adapter represents a critical segment of modern data center infrastructure. This class of network interface cards (NICs) is designed to deliver ultra-low latency, high throughput, and advanced offload capabilities that significantly enhance enterprise workloads, virtualization environments, and cloud-scale deployments. The architecture behind Mellanox ConnectX-5 technology integrates tightly with Dell PowerEdge server ecosystems, enabling optimized performance for blade servers, rack servers, and high-density computing environments where bandwidth efficiency is essential.

Mellanox ConnectX-5 Technology

The Mellanox ConnectX-5 architecture is engineered around a high-efficiency packet processing engine that minimizes CPU overhead while maximizing data throughput. This architecture enables direct memory access (DMA) operations that bypass traditional CPU-intensive networking stacks, improving performance for applications requiring consistent low latency. The Dell 4TRD3 variant integrates seamlessly into enterprise-grade Dell infrastructure, ensuring compatibility with PowerEdge M-series blade servers such as M610 and M710 systems. A defining characteristic of this category is its ability to handle multiple network flows simultaneously without compromising performance. This is particularly important in virtualized environments where numerous virtual machines or containers share the same physical NIC resources. The ConnectX-5 architecture ensures predictable latency even under heavy traffic loads, making it suitable for high-frequency trading platforms, real-time analytics systems, and large-scale database clusters.

OCP 3.0 Form Factor Integration for Dell PowerEdge Servers

The OCP 3.0 (Open Compute Project) standard is a modernized hardware interface designed to improve modularity and airflow efficiency in enterprise servers. The 4TRD3 Dell Mellanox CX562A adapter leverages this form factor to seamlessly integrate into compatible Dell PowerEdge blade and rack servers, providing a compact yet powerful networking solution. This integration allows data centers to maximize PCIe lane utilization while maintaining efficient thermal design. The OCP 3.0 edge connector ensures high-speed PCIe Gen4 connectivity between the adapter and the server motherboard, enabling the full potential of 25GbE dual-port throughput without bottlenecks.

Dual-Port 25GbE Connectivity

The dual-port configuration of the Dell 4TRD3 Mellanox ConnectX-5 CX562A adapter provides two independent 25Gb Ethernet interfaces, allowing aggregated throughput of up to 50Gbps in ideal conditions. This design supports redundancy configurations that are essential for enterprise environments requiring high availability. Each port operates independently, enabling flexible network segmentation or combined bonding strategies for enhanced bandwidth utilization. The 25GbE standard itself represents a significant evolution from traditional 10GbE systems, offering a cost-effective upgrade path while maintaining backward compatibility with existing 10Gb infrastructure. This makes the category highly attractive for organizations transitioning toward modern data center architectures without requiring a complete overhaul of their networking backbone.

Remote Direct Memory Access Capabilities

Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) is a core feature of the Mellanox ConnectX-5 architecture. It allows direct memory-to-memory communication between servers without involving the CPU, significantly reducing latency and improving throughput. The Dell 4TRD3 Mellanox ConnectX-5 CX562A adapter supports RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCE), enabling high-performance networking over standard Ethernet infrastructure. This capability is particularly important for high-performance computing (HPC) clusters where inter-node communication speed directly impacts overall system performance. RDMA ensures that data transfer operations are executed with minimal jitter and predictable latency characteristics.

High-Speed Storage Networking

Modern storage architectures rely heavily on high-speed networking to connect distributed storage systems with compute nodes. The Dell 4TRD3 Mellanox ConnectX-5 CX562A adapter supports advanced storage protocols that enable seamless integration with SAN and hyper-converged infrastructure systems. By utilizing 25GbE connectivity, storage operations such as replication, backup, and real-time synchronization can be executed with significantly reduced latency. This ensures that enterprise storage systems remain responsive even under high workloads.

High Availability Networking Design

Reliability is a fundamental requirement for enterprise networking hardware. The dual-port design of the Dell 4TRD3 Mellanox ConnectX-5 CX562A adapter ensures that network redundancy can be implemented at both hardware and software levels. This reduces the risk of downtime and ensures continuous availability of critical services. In data center environments, redundancy is often implemented through link aggregation and failover mechanisms. The adapter supports these configurations, allowing seamless transition between network paths in the event of a failure.

Compatibility with Dell PowerEdge Blade Systems

This category is specifically engineered for integration with Dell PowerEdge blade servers, including M-series systems. The compact mezzanine form factor allows it to be installed directly into server blade slots, maximizing space efficiency while delivering high-speed network connectivity. This integration ensures that enterprises can upgrade network performance without replacing entire server infrastructures, making it a cost-effective solution for performance enhancement.

Transition Path from 10GbE to 25GbE

Organizations upgrading from 10GbE infrastructure benefit significantly from the Dell 4TRD3 Mellanox ConnectX-5 CX562A category due to its compatibility with existing network ecosystems. This allows a gradual migration strategy where 25GbE adapters coexist with legacy systems, reducing deployment complexity.