PEX40GQSFPI StarTech 1-Port 40GBE QSFP+ NIC Intel XL710 QSFP+ LAN Card

Overview of StarTech PEX40GQSFPI Intel XL710 Ethernet Card

The StarTech PEX40GQSFPI 1-Port 40GbE QSFP+ Network Card built with the Intel XL710 controller architecture represents a powerful and enterprise-grade solution for modern high-speed networking environments that demand exceptional bandwidth, reliability, and scalability. The Intel XL710 chipset is designed specifically for high-performance server networking and converged infrastructure, enabling advanced data transmission capabilities with optimized packet processing and efficient hardware offloading. This network interface card provides a maximum data transfer rate of up to 40Gbps through its QSFP+ interface, ensuring sufficient bandwidth for demanding enterprise applications, virtualization environments, and high-density data center deployments.

PCIe 3.0 x8 Host Interface and Server Integration Efficiency

The PCIe 3.0 x8 interface integrated into the StarTech PEX40GQSFPI provides a high-bandwidth communication channel that enables the network adapter to deliver line-rate performance at full 40GbE speeds. This interface ensures that network packets are transferred quickly between the NIC and system memory, reducing latency and improving overall system responsiveness. PCI Express Gen3 architecture provides a reliable and scalable interconnect that supports enterprise server platforms including Dell PowerEdge, HPE ProLiant, Lenovo ThinkSystem. The high transfer rate capability ensures that the network adapter can handle simultaneous traffic streams without performance degradation, which is critical for data center workloads, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise networking environments that rely on consistent network throughput.

Hardware Offload Engines and CPU Utilization

The Intel XL710 controller includes advanced hardware offload technologies that significantly reduce CPU utilization by transferring packet processing tasks directly to the network adapter hardware. These offload capabilities include checksum offload, segmentation offload, and advanced packet classification mechanisms that ensure efficient network traffic handling without placing excessive load on the server processor. Hardware-based traffic processing allows servers to dedicate more CPU resources to application workloads rather than network management tasks, improving overall system efficiency and performance. The XL710 architecture also supports advanced traffic steering technologies that distribute network workloads across multiple processor cores, ensuring balanced processing and improved scalability.

Dynamic Device Personalization and Packet Processing Acceleration

Dynamic Device Personalization technology supported by the Intel XL710 controller enhances packet processing efficiency by allowing the network adapter to adapt dynamically to different networking protocols and workloads. This capability ensures optimized handling of storage traffic, virtualization traffic, and application data streams, improving overall network performance. The adapter also supports Data Plane Development Kit optimization, enabling high-performance packet processing in software-defined networking environments and network function virtualization deployments.

QSFP+ Fiber Connectivity and High-Bandwidth Optical Network

The StarTech PEX40GQSFPI network adapter features a single QSFP+ fiber optic port that provides high-speed connectivity for modern enterprise networks and data center infrastructure. QSFP+ technology supports transmission speeds up to 40Gbps, making it suitable for high-performance networking environments that require ultra-fast communication between servers, switches, and storage systems. The adapter supports both multimode and single-mode fiber connectivity, allowing organizations to deploy network connections across short and long distances depending on infrastructure requirements. Fiber optic connectivity ensures improved signal integrity, reduced electromagnetic interference, and reliable data transmission, which is essential for maintaining stable network performance in high-density data center environments.

Flexible Transceiver and Network Infrastructure Integration

The QSFP+ interface supports industry-standard MSA-compliant transceivers, allowing network administrators to select compatible modules that meet specific deployment requirements. This flexibility enables organizations to deploy network connections using direct attach copper cables, active optical cables, or fiber optic transceivers depending on distance and performance needs. The adapter’s compatibility with existing network infrastructure simplifies deployment and ensures seamless integration with enterprise switches, routers, and network equipment from leading manufacturers.

Advanced Cloud Infrastructure Networking Support

The Intel XL710 controller integrated into the StarTech PEX40GQSFPI network interface card is specifically designed to support virtualization and cloud computing environments by providing advanced network virtualization acceleration technologies. The adapter supports Single Root I/O Virtualization, enabling multiple virtual machines to share a single physical network interface while maintaining independent communication channels. This capability improves resource utilization, reduces infrastructure costs, and enhances network performance in virtualized environments. The XL710 controller supports up to 128 virtual functions, enabling efficient network segmentation and improved scalability for cloud infrastructure deployments.

Overlay Network Acceleration and Software-Defined Networking

The network adapter supports hardware offloading for overlay network protocols including VXLAN, NVGRE, and Geneve, enabling efficient network virtualization and segmentation in software-defined networking environments. These offload capabilities reduce CPU overhead and ensure efficient processing of virtual network traffic, improving overall network performance. The adapter’s support for network virtualization overlays ensures compatibility with modern cloud orchestration platforms and virtualization hypervisors, enabling organizations to deploy scalable and flexible network infrastructure.

Enterprise Storage Networking and Converged Integration

The StarTech PEX40GQSFPI network adapter supports unified networking capabilities, allowing organizations to deploy converged network infrastructure that supports LAN, storage, and virtualization traffic over a single network interface. The adapter supports storage protocols such as iSCSI and NFS, enabling efficient communication between servers and storage systems. This capability simplifies network architecture, reduces infrastructure complexity, and improves overall system efficiency. The adapter also supports jumbo frames up to 9K, improving storage performance by reducing protocol overhead and increasing data transfer efficiency.

Data Center Bridging and Traffic Prioritization Technologies

The network adapter supports advanced traffic management technologies including VLAN tagging, link aggregation, and flow control, enabling efficient traffic segmentation and bandwidth allocation. These features ensure that critical workloads receive priority network resources, improving performance and reliability. VLAN tagging allows administrators to segment network traffic logically, improving security and performance in multi-tenant environments.

Reliability and Power Efficiency for Continuous Operation

The StarTech PEX40GQSFPI network adapter is designed with enterprise-grade reliability and thermal efficiency, ensuring stable operation under continuous workloads. The adapter operates within a wide temperature range and supports efficient thermal management, ensuring consistent performance even in high-density server environments. The Intel XL710 controller is designed for energy-efficient operation, reducing power consumption while maintaining high network performance. The adapter’s durable construction and enterprise-grade components ensure long-term reliability and stable operation in mission-critical infrastructure.

Enterprise Operating System and Deployment Flexibility

The network adapter supports a wide range of enterprise operating systems, including Windows Server, Linux, and VMware ESXi, ensuring flexible deployment across diverse server environments. This broad compatibility ensures seamless integration into existing infrastructure and simplifies network deployment. The adapter also supports PXE boot functionality, enabling network-based system deployment and management.

Future-Proof Network Infrastructure and Scalability for Growth

The StarTech PEX40GQSFPI network interface card provides scalable network connectivity that supports future infrastructure expansion and increasing network demands. The adapter’s high bandwidth, advanced virtualization support, and flexible connectivity options ensure that organizations can expand their network infrastructure without replacing existing hardware. The adapter’s compatibility with modern server platforms and enterprise networking standards ensures long-term investment protection and reliable network performance.