NVIDIA ConnectX-5 MCX555A-Ecat 100Gb/s InfiniBand Ethernet Adapter
The NVIDIA ConnectX-5 is a high-performance dual-port network card offering 100Gb/s InfiniBand and Ethernet connectivity. Engineered for demanding data center environments, this advanced nic card delivers exceptional throughput, ultra-low latency, and sophisticated offload capabilities for HPC, cloud, AI, and storage applications.
MCX555A-Ecat Core Features & Benefits
- Blazing Speed: Supports up to 100Gb/s per port for both InfiniBand and Ethernet networks.
- Intelligent Offloads: Hardware acceleration for NVMe-oF, MPI, RDMA, and TCP/IP reduces CPU overhead.
- Enhanced Scalability: Features like Multi-Host and Socket Direct enable flexible server configurations.
- Future-Proof Design: PCIe Gen4 support ensures compatibility with next-generation server platforms.
- Robust Virtualization: SR-IOV and ASAP² technology provide superior performance in virtualized environments.
MCX555A-Ecat Technical Specifications
Attribute | Specification |
Interface | PCIe 3.0/4.0 x16 |
Port Speeds | 100/50/40/25/10/1 GbE; 100Gb/s InfiniBand |
Form Factors | HHHL, OCP 2.0 Type 1/2, Socket Direct |
Offloads | NVMe-oF, RDMA (RoCE), TCP/UDP/IP, VXLAN/NVGRE/GENEVE |
Virtualization | SR-IOV (up to 512 VFs), ASAP² |
OS Support | Linux, Windows, VMware, FreeBSD |
Ideal Applications
This high-performance network card is engineered for a wide range of demanding use cases:
- High-Performance Computing (HPC): Accelerates MPI applications and scientific simulations.
- AI & Machine Learning: Provides the high-speed interconnect needed for multi-GPU training clusters.
- Cloud Data Centers: Enables efficient network virtualization and high-density tenant isolation.
- Storage Networking: Ideal for NVMe-oF storage arrays and hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI).
- Financial Services: Meets the low-latency requirements of automated trading systems.
Model Selection Guide
Part Number | Ports | Form Factor | Key Differentiator |
MCX555A-ECAT | Single | HHHL | Base model, Gen3 |
MCX556A-EDAT | Dual | HHHL | Enhanced performance, PCIe Gen4 |
MCX545B-ECAN | Single | OCP 2.0 Type 1 | For open compute servers |
MCX556M-ECAT-S25 | Dual | Socket Direct | For dual-socket servers without x16 slots |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the primary advantage of using this network interface card?
A: Its key advantage is the combination of extreme bandwidth (100Gb/s) and sophisticated hardware offloads, which drastically reduce CPU utilization and latency for data-intensive workloads.
Q: Can I use this NIC in an existing Gen3 server?
A: Absolutely. The ConnectX-5 nic card is fully backward compatible with PCIe Gen3 systems, ensuring a smooth upgrade path.
Q: Does it support both InfiniBand and Ethernet simultaneously?
A: The card can be configured for either InfiniBand or Ethernet operation per port, providing exceptional deployment flexibility.
Company Profile
We are a seasoned provider with over a decade of expertise in the networking hardware industry. Our large-scale manufacturing facilities and robust technical team allow us to offer competitive pricing and superior service for top-tier brands like NVIDIA Networking (Mellanox), Ruckus, Aruba, and Extreme.
Our extensive $10M inventory includes a wide selection of original new equipment, from switches and network cards to wireless solutions. We are committed to providing reliable supply, accurate delivery, and round-the-clock technical consultation to our global clientele.