Overview
What is Intel 500 Series Network Adapters?
The Intel 500 Series network adapters are backward compatible with existing 1000BASE-T networks, simplifying the transition to 10Gb Ethernet when more bandwidth is needed. Available in both PCIe and OCP form factors. Available models include the X550, the X540, and…
Review of Intel 500 Series Network Adapters
Intel 500 Series Network Adapters- best 10Gbe cards you can find
Excellent choice for 10GbE CAT6 RJ45 connections - reliable and good driver support
Great Network Adapter!
The card to get if you need 10 GbE on Cat6/7 networks
Great OEM driver compatibility, performance and reliability
Perfect Price/Ratio for 10GbE Networking
Intel Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X540 Review
Great reliability with the cost and power savings
Intel Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X540 Review
Flexible Network Connectivity Management, if you need it
Awards
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Product Details
- About
- Tech Details
What is Intel 500 Series Network Adapters?
Intel 500 Series Network Adapters Technical Details
Operating Systems | Unspecified |
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Mobile Application | No |
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(11)Community Insights
- Business Problems Solved
The default Ethernet adapter has become a go-to solution for users looking to replace failed on-board adapters or add additional NICs. It is commonly used by end-users, servers, and storage devices. The reliability and performance of this adapter have been highly valued by users, even without the use of 10 Gig switches on the other end. In fact, it is being considered for implementation in every desktop on the headquarters LAN as the company transitions to a 10 gig network. In a university setting, particularly on non-blade servers, the Intel 500 Series Network Adapters are widely used to leverage 10Gbe connections. These adapters have proven to be reliable in terms of hardware longevity and software/drivers, while achieving high throughput approaching the expected 10 GbE performance.
Another valuable use case for these adapters is their ability to upgrade machines to 10 GbE speeds while utilizing existing Cat6 cabling and switches. This has been successfully achieved using the Intel X540 adapter. Additionally, the Intel Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X540 is utilized as Storage NICs for entry-level hyper-converged Ethernet solutions, providing suitable 10GbE NIC speed for 2-node clusters with virtual office workloads. One notable advantage of these adapters is their cost-effectiveness as they deliver the best price/performance ratio on the market, especially when directly connected without a switch.
In high-performance environments such as data centers, the Intel Ethernet Converged Network Adapters x540 play a crucial role as the primary connectivity option for hardware-level networking. They serve as the backbone for datacenter and inter-site communication. Moreover, these adapters are part of the standard build of materials for all servers, providing stable and well-supported network interface connections.
The versatility of Intel network adapters is evident in their ability to upgrade several old servers from 1Gbe to 10 Gbe, including NAS servers, internet proxies, and speed test servers. By leveraging the Intel 500 adapter along with additional RAM, users have been able to upgrade existing servers without the need for complete replacement. Finally, these Intel CNAs have been instrumental in simplifying data centers by converging Storage Area Network devices with the remaining infrastructure. This reduces complexity and administrative effort while maintaining performance and reliability.
Reviews
(1-11 of 11)Review of Intel 500 Series Network Adapters
- Stable drivers on both Linux and Widows
- 10GbE over existing Cat6/Cat7
- Low latency
- Price could be more competitive.
- Overheating issue, these cards run hot so make sure you have cooling for your severs.
- 10Gbe
- Stable driver
- RJ45 ports
- Supported by Windows and Linux
- Could be cheaper
- Gets extremely hot
Excellent choice for 10GbE CAT6 RJ45 connections - reliable and good driver support
- 10 GbE speeds - very fast - measured.
- Reliable.
- Driver Support.
- Expensive (especially when purchased through Dell server configuration).
Great Network Adapter!
- Stable network adapter
- Well supported with drivers for all operating systems
- Good product support from Intel or OEMs
- Uses RJ45 ports, allowing you to use existing Cat6/7 infrastructure.
- Widely supported by OSs, as to be expected with Intel adapters.
- Relatively low cost upgrade for a massive speed boost.
- There are cheaper alternatives, although admittedly not by much.
- Performance
- Reliability
- Enterprise Support
- Reduction in infrastructure and administrative cost, effort and complexity
- Driver support / availability
- Sales and support outside of OEM offerings
For retail sales and support, the cost / benefit may not be worth the effort as there are more competitive options out there (such as broadcom).
Perfect Price/Ratio for 10GbE Networking
- 10GbE on RJ45
- Easy to maintain
- Easy to install
- Missing RDMA support
Intel Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X540 Review
- Throughput
- Fit - Low Form Factor
- Manageability
- The packaging could be eco-friendlier
Great reliability with the cost and power savings
- Backward compatibility
- 10gbe
- great I/O virtulization
- Cost and power usages is lower
- Not compatible with Mac OS
- Had a little issue with the physical install
- Heatsink sometimes does get very hot
Intel Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X540 Review
- Relaibility. Because we can trust the hardware.
- Easy installation
- Hardware good dimensioned.
- Tech Support
- Maybe improved Power consumption
- Better cost
Flexible Network Connectivity Management, if you need it
- Flexible connectivity options
- Manageability
- Various form factors for different hardware applications
- It could be simplified for new users to learn
- More complex than standard adapters
- Extra administrative overhead might not be worth the added value over standard adapters