Mellanox MCX311A-XCAT 10 Gigabit Ethernet PCIe Adapter Card ConnectX-3 CX311A $12 obo + $15 Shipping

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aero

Active Member
Apr 27, 2016
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Take a look on eBay for Solarflare brand cards, they're very good. SFN5122f for instance.
 

aero

Active Member
Apr 27, 2016
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When purchased new they come with both the full height and low profile brackets. So you should be able to find either.
 

i386

Well-Known Member
Mar 18, 2016
4,217
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@aero
Most of the mellanox cards sold on ebay are oem cards, pulled from servers (that don't need nics that fast or that were upgrade to 40+ gbe). They don't come with both brackets :(
 

mixmansc

Member
Feb 15, 2016
46
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I can confirm 100% that this bracket #MTM003170

Mellanox MTM003170 FRU Tall Bracket for 1-port SFP+ adapter. Fits MNPA19

works perfectly fine with the ConnectX-3 MCX311A-XCAT. As I mentioned on the last page, it is NOT a fully perforated bracket but it fits and the card plugs into a slot properly, etc. Also I can confirm that the screws from the SFF bracket also fit the full size brackets. These are cheaper and in stock. Again from the previous page, this bracket is intended for the ConnectX-2 MNPA19 cards but it works perfect on the ConnectX-3 card just as well. I bought 8 of them directly from Mellanox and they came in this morning and I tested to make sure they fit the ConnectX-3 cards I bought.

These are for the single SFP+ port cards ONLY. They will not work for a dual port card or a card with some other type of port. Also as you can see in this picture, the bracket for the older card has two holes for LED's while the newer card only has a single LED and that single LED does not line up exactly with the hole in the bracket. It is however close enough to the holes that you can still see the activity LED from the back of the machine well enough. In this picture you can see the tiny LED just to the right of the hole in the bracket. Mellanox shows this bracket as in stock, ships the same day and is $4.30 each. On my order of 8 the shipping was another $12....

IMG_1854.jpg
 
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saivert

Member
Nov 2, 2015
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Norway
Since you guys are struggling so much to get proper brackets I take it the card itself is good?
Should be way easier to configure SR-IOV on this. I'm still on the fence about buying one as I have other items on the shopping list too.
My main issue is heat as I mentioned previously. Needing active cooling on the ConnectX-2 for it not to hang my system is not ideal. The tiny fan I use now is not inaudible even with a resistor to lower the voltage. Cheap chinese fan that rattle and wear out fast.
 

craneopbru

New Member
Oct 12, 2015
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Take a look on eBay for Solarflare brand cards, they're very good. SFN5122f for instance.
The benefit of going with that card is the availability of Mac drivers. Although the one that i just ordered is showing absolutely abysmal transfer speeds in a Mac Pro - about 2 Gb/s. I also find that it's somewhat picky about transceivers; it refuses to recognize any of my FibreStore transceivers.
 

mtekk

New Member
May 22, 2015
21
5
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Minnesota
For those who ordered the MTM007160 (which doesn't fit) from Mellanox, check your inboxes. Apparently, Mellanox is offering exchanges for the MTM007160 replacing with the MTM004898 (the non-perforated one that does fit).
 

homelabusr

Member
Feb 7, 2017
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Doesn't fit.
Got an email from mellanox saying they can initiate a return and replace with the non-perforated one.

I have not contacted Mellanox yet. Will probably try on Monday although it is a holiday so they may not be available.. Guess other people who ordered the bracket will have to confirm what part # they get and if it fits properly.