Have questions about the 10Gbbit network?
Have questions about the 10Gbbit network?
Looking for a 10GbE network card (PCIe) to fit your setup. Your desktop has a GTX 1080 Ti with an NVMe SSD and USB card, while your main server needs a PCIe card. You mentioned you're open to removing one PCIe card from either device. For your main system, an X470 and R7 2700X are suitable, and you'll add more servers later. You also need a 10GbE switch for backing up over 100GB daily and ESXi running multiple VMs.
You're planning to include additional servers to form an ESXi cluster.
Check the MikroTik switches for port details. L3, PoE, and port count are listed there.
Intel's X540-T2 is a well-regarded card with broad compatibility across most operating systems. Options like Mellanox Connect-X, Intel X, or Aquantia-based chipsets (best supported on Windows) should function well. For SFP+ or QSFP devices, I'm limited in my support.
Are there any X540 models with Ethernet built-in? (Since you're hesitant about SFP, I'll focus on those that come with it.)
Suggested cards include: Mellanox Connect-X2 Intel X540-T1/T2 Broadcom BCM57810S switches, MikroTik CRS305-1G-4S+IN, Ubiquiti ES-16-XG.
I believe a quad cluster might work, and I don't think I'll need a POE unit.