I have a few ConnectX-3 cards with dual QSFP+ ports on each and I'd like to have their capacity available for a local LAN party (36 total 1G ports required) without breaking the bank. The problem is the QSFP+ enabled switches common in the US are either much more expensive in the EU or just plainly never sold here.
The bottom line is that we want around 36 1G ports and ideally 3x or 4x 12-ports would do, we already make do with 2x 24-port switches. The uplinks would suffice with 10G speeds to not bottleneck easily, but I'd still need to get the SQFP+'s 40G link split among the 10G links. There are switches that allow 4 SFP+ ports to be used with a QSFP+ breakout cable, so ideally an additional switch with 1 or 2 QSFP+ ports and 8 or more SFP+ ports would work, as well as a switch with 12 or more SFP+ ports that support a QSFP+ to 4x SFP+ breakout cable.
I'd like to keep the costs as low as possible, ideally I'd be between 300 and 500€ for all the switches and cabling. The brand doesn't matter, 2nd hand gear is a given and if possible a low noise solution (or moddable to be) is preferred.
Any recommendations in this quest would be greatly appreciated.
The bottom line is that we want around 36 1G ports and ideally 3x or 4x 12-ports would do, we already make do with 2x 24-port switches. The uplinks would suffice with 10G speeds to not bottleneck easily, but I'd still need to get the SQFP+'s 40G link split among the 10G links. There are switches that allow 4 SFP+ ports to be used with a QSFP+ breakout cable, so ideally an additional switch with 1 or 2 QSFP+ ports and 8 or more SFP+ ports would work, as well as a switch with 12 or more SFP+ ports that support a QSFP+ to 4x SFP+ breakout cable.
I'd like to keep the costs as low as possible, ideally I'd be between 300 and 500€ for all the switches and cabling. The brand doesn't matter, 2nd hand gear is a given and if possible a low noise solution (or moddable to be) is preferred.
Any recommendations in this quest would be greatly appreciated.