Intel E810 - Live Prices and Driver Support

Quick answer

The Intel E810 is a SFP28 25/100GbE adapter from Intel, on Not sourced this session - Intel's ark.intel.com product pages did not render for our sourcing pass (see the sources block below). Check the exact part number's own product page before buying if slot width matters to your build., using the ice driver that ships in the mainline Linux kernel. It is not marked end-of-life by its maker. 5 listings in stock, from $177.99.

Prices updated · live figures update every 4-5 hours

InterfaceSFP28
Portssingle and dual port variants (25G SFP28 SKUs; a separate 100G QSFP28 SKU also exists and is in the table below)
BusNot sourced this session - Intel's ark.intel.com product pages did not render for our sourcing pass (see the sources block below). Check the exact part number's own product page before buying if slot width matters to your build.
Linux driver (in-kernel)ice
MakerIntel
LifecycleNot marked EOL

Both kinds of listing are in stock for this card right now. The cheapest Supermicro card is $496.99; the cheapest third-party board asserting the same silicon is $177.99, a 64% differencechipset attribution is the seller's. Which is right for you is a judgement about how much the maker's own board is worth to you, not a question we can answer from a listing.

Intel E810 listings in stock

CardPortsInterfaceConditionPrice
Intel E810
H!Fiberseller claims this chipset
1SFP28New$177.99Buy
Intel E810
10Gtekseller claims this chipset
1SFP28New$194.99Buy
Intel E810
ipolexseller claims this chipset
2QSFP28New$405.99Buy
Intel E810
10Gtekseller claims this chipset
2QSFP28New$479.99Buy
Intel E810
Supermicro
2SFP28New$496.99Buy

Direct-attach cables that pair with it

Passive direct-attach copper, by length. A DAC is a fixed-length cable with the transceivers moulded on - you buy the whole run at once rather than a cable plus two modules.

LengthBrandTypePrice
0.3m10GtekSFP28 passive$13.99Buy
0.5mH!FiberSFP28 passive$11.99Buy
0.5mH!FiberSFP28 passive$12.99Buy
0.5m10GtekSFP28 passive$13.99Buy
0.5m10GtekSFP28 passive$13.99Buy
1m10GtekSFP28 passive$14.39Buy
1m10GtekSFP28 passive$15.99Buy
1m10GtekSFP28 passive$15.99Buy

Modules and optics, with seller claims

Every "compatible with" phrase below is the seller's own wording, recorded as a claim and badged. We have not tested any module against any switch.

ModuleTypeBrandSeller compatibility claimsPrice
SFP28 25GBASE-SR module25GBASE-SR10Gteknone stated$19.99Buy
SFP28 25GBASE-SR module25GBASE-SR10Gteknone stated$19.99Buy
SFP28 25GBASE-SR module25GBASE-SR10Gteknone stated$19.99Buy
SFP28 AOCAOC10Gteknone stated$19.99Buy
SFP28 25GBASE-LR module25GBASE-LR10Gteknone stated$22.99Buy
SFP28 AOCAOCipolex25GBase Active Optical Cable, 25Gbps SFP28, SFP28-25G-AOC5Mseller claim$31.99Buy
SFP28 AOCAOC10Gteknone stated$35.99Buy
SFP28 AOCAOC10Gteknone stated$37.99Buy

What the Intel E810 is

Intel E810 is the card most third-party boards in the 25/40/100GbE tier are built around, and our own tracked listings show exactly that pattern: four tier-2 boards asserting the controller against one first-party Supermicro card. That is not a knock on the category - it is the same third-party-undercut economics the 10GbE cluster already documents for X520 and X710, one generation up.

We could not source Intel's own PCIe generation or formal end-of-life figures for this card in this sourcing pass - ark.intel.com did not render for us, returning a 404-style redirect on every product page we tried, including the bare ARK homepage. That is a tooling gap on our end this session, not evidence Intel has discontinued the part or hidden the spec; we are stating the gap rather than guessing a PCIe figure from the 700-series family pattern.

What we could confirm: the Linux kernel's ice driver, a separate driver module from the i40e driver that covers Intel's older 700-series (X710, XXV710). That distinction matters in practice - troubleshooting advice written for i40e-era cards does not transfer to E810, and a kernel old enough to lack ice support will not recognise this card even if it recognises an X710.

Our tracked listings split 25G SFP28 and 100G QSFP28 SKUs, the same shape as ConnectX-5. This page's cable tables default to the 25G SFP28 side; a 100G E810 build needs the cabling guide's QSFP28 section instead.

Driver and operating system support

The Linux kernel's own ice driver documentation is titled for the Intel Ethernet Controller "800 Series" - the family E810 belongs to - though the rendered page does not spell out "E810" verbatim the way the i40e page names XXV710 directly. Stated as that limit rather than stretched into a direct quote naming this exact part. That matters more than any marketing claim, because a card whose driver is in the mainline kernel is a card your Linux-based NAS or hypervisor recognises without you doing anything.

We state in-kernel driver names as documented facts because they are - they come from the kernel's own driver documentation, not from a forum thread reporting that something worked. Where community experience is the only evidence available for something, we say so rather than dressing it up.

This card is not marked end-of-life by its maker, which is the main practical argument for it over the older generation in the same interface family.

Windows support is a separate question from Linux support and varies by card age. Check the maker's current driver page for your specific part number before buying if Windows is the target, because an in-kernel Linux driver tells you nothing about it.

OEM-branded versions and firmware

This is the most third-party-heavy card in our tracked catalogue: four of the five listings we hold are boards from 10Gtek, H!Fiber and Ipolex asserting an Intel E810 controller, and only one - a Supermicro AIOM card - is a named-maker board we could verify as first party. Every third-party claim is badged tier 2 in the tables above; we have not opened any of these boards to confirm the chip inside.

The general shape of the crossflash question is the same across every card in this category: an OEM board carries the server maker's firmware, that firmware sometimes behaves differently from the silicon vendor's, and there is a community practice of replacing it. We link the maintained community documentation rather than reproducing the procedure here. A stale copy of a flashing guide is actively dangerous, and the people who maintain the canonical versions do so because the details change.

If you are buying an OEM-branded card specifically because it is cheaper, factor in the possibility that you will need to do this. If that prospect does not appeal, the vendor-branded card at a higher price is buying you the absence of that job.

What to plug into it

This is a SFP28 card, so the port is a cage rather than a socket and you choose what goes in it. For two machines near each other, a passive direct-attach copper cable is the cheapest, coolest and simplest answer, and it is what most builds using this card should use.

For longer runs you need optics - a module at each end plus a fibre between them - or an active optical cable, which packages the same thing as a single sealed object. Both cost more than direct-attach copper and both go much further.

The compatibility question belongs here rather than being buried. Third-party module sellers list the equipment they claim compatibility with, and those are claims we record and badge rather than verify. Vendor coding is a documented phenomenon: cards and switches can and do refuse modules that do not identify as approved parts. A direct-attach cable avoids the entire question, which is another reason it is the default recommendation for a two-machine build.

Where to go next

The cabling guide covers every SFP28 DAC, AOC and optic in one place · The 25/40/100GbE hub compares every card in this cluster and the switched-versus-point-to-point arithmetic · 10GbE vs 25GbE is the step-up decision, priced both ways · used servers almost always have a spare PCIe slot for one · NAS devices is usually what sits at the other end · rack disk shelves are the other common thing on the far end of a fast link.

Frequently asked questions

Is a third-party Intel E810 board safe to buy?

We cannot verify the chipset claim ourselves - we have not opened any of these boards - so every 'Intel E810 controller' claim on a non-Intel-branded listing is recorded as a seller assertion and badged as one. It is the same trap the 10GbE cluster documents for third-party X520/X710 boards: often genuine, sometimes the better buy, but the claim is the seller's, not ours.

What driver does the E810 use on Linux?

ice - a separate driver module from i40e, which covers Intel's older 700-series cards (X710, XXV710). Confirmed from the Linux kernel's own driver documentation, titled for the 800 Series family E810 belongs to.

What PCIe slot does the E810 need?

We do not have a sourced figure for this session - Intel's own ARK product pages did not render for us. Check the exact part number's product page or box label before assuming your slot is wide enough, particularly for the 100G QSFP28 SKU.

Is the E810 end-of-life?

Not sourced either way this session - we could not reach Intel's lifecycle/PCN pages. Do not assume either status from this page; check Intel's current documentation directly if that matters to your purchase timeline.

25G or 100G E810 - which does this page cover?

Both exist in our tracked catalogue and both appear in the live table above. The cabling sections on this page default to the 25G SFP28 side; a 100G QSFP28 build needs the cabling guide's QSFP28 section for matching cables.

Why are almost all the E810 listings third-party boards?

That is simply what verified in the catalogue at seeding time - four of five listings are 10Gtek/H!Fiber/Ipolex boards asserting the E810 controller, one is a first-party Supermicro card. It may reflect how this generation reaches the secondary market more than anything about the chip itself; check the live table for the current mix.

Sources

Specification claims on this page were checked against the pages below on 4 August 2026. Where a widely-repeated figure did not survive that check, we report what the source says now and say so in the text rather than repeating the familiar number.

  1. NVIDIA (Mellanox) - ConnectX-3 EN product line and lifecycle status (nvidia.com, 2026)
    Used for: that ConnectX-3 has reached end-of-life status with NVIDIA, and the MCX311A / MCX312A / MCX314A part-number family. EOL means no new firmware or driver work from the maker; it does not mean the card stops working, and the page says so in those terms.
  2. The Linux kernel project - mlx4, mlx5, ixgbe and i40e in-tree Ethernet drivers (kernel.org, 2026)
    Used for: that mlx4 (ConnectX-3), mlx5 (ConnectX-4 and later), ixgbe (Intel 82599/X520, X540, X550) and i40e (X710) ship in the mainline Linux kernel. This is why an end-of-life card can still be a sane purchase, and it is a documented fact rather than a forum claim.
  3. DatacenterDisk - Live catalogue - NIC, DAC and transceiver listings (datacenterdisk.com, 2026-08-11)
    Used for: every price on this page, read from our catalogue at request time. Seeded 11 August 2026: 24 network cards across 6 models, 24 DAC cables, 8 transceivers. Every card is split tier 1 (the listing is that part) or tier 2 (a third-party board asserting that silicon).
  4. DatacenterDisk - Sourcing note - power figures and compatibility claims (datacenterdisk.com, 2026-08-11)
    Used for: We publish no per-port wattage for either cabling path. The relationship - 10GBASE-T draws more power and runs hotter than SFP+ direct attach - is documented at product level and is stated here. The magnitude is not, because we have not fetched and logged a source we can cite for it. Separately: every 'compatible with' phrase shown on this site is stored as a seller claim at tier 2 and badged wherever it renders. We have not tested any module against any switch.
  5. NVIDIA - ConnectX-5, ConnectX-4 Lx and ConnectX-4 EN user manuals - end-of-life status (networking-docs.nvidia.com, 2026-09-13)
    Used for: that NVIDIA's own manuals state "The ConnectX-5 product line has moved to end-of-life" and "The ConnectX-4 Lx product line has moved to end-of-life" in those exact words (connectx5enhw and connectx4lxhw respectively, both dated 2026). The standard ConnectX-4 EN manual (connectx4enhw) carries an "EOL'd Ordering Part Numbers" table for every MCX413A/414A/415A/416A SKU but not the same plain-English banner sentence - stated as that asymmetry rather than smoothed into one claim. Also the per-SKU PCIe generation and lane count (PCIe 3.0 x8 or x16 depending on SKU; PCIe 3.0/4.0 on ConnectX-5 Ex variants) from the same manuals.
  6. NVIDIA - Linux Kernel Upstream Release Notes - driver and firmware support table (networking-docs.nvidia.com, 2026-09-13)
    Used for: that ConnectX-4, ConnectX-4 Lx and ConnectX-5 all use the mlx5 driver family per NVIDIA's own "Supported Uplinks to Servers" table, dated June 2026 - current documentation, confirming the in-kernel driver is still maintained for hardware NVIDIA itself calls end-of-life for ordering. Also that NVIDIA's current DOCA-Host device list (docs dated September 2026) includes ConnectX-5 and ConnectX-4 Lx but not the standard ConnectX-4 - a real difference in ongoing software-package support between the two, stated as found rather than smoothed over.
  7. The Linux kernel project - i40e and ice in-tree Ethernet driver documentation (kernel.org, 2026-09-13)
    Used for: that the i40e driver explicitly lists Intel Ethernet Controller XXV710 as supported hardware alongside X710/XL710/X722 (same page also notes XXV710's speed cannot be forced via ethtool - auto-negotiation only). The companion ice driver page (device_drivers/ethernet/intel/ice.html) is titled for the "800 Series" - the family E810 belongs to - without naming E810 verbatim in the rendered portion, which is stated as the limit of what this specific page confirms rather than stretched into a direct quote. Intel's own ARK product pages did not render in this sourcing pass (see the 100GbE and NIC pages' own note); PCIe generation and EOL status for XXV710 and E810 parts are marked not sourced for that reason.
  8. Arista Networks - 7050X and 7050X3 Series switch specifications, and End-of-Sale advisories (arista.com, 2026-09-13)
    Used for: the 7050X family's own published figures: "10GbE Typical Power: 1.2W per port", and for the 7050QX-32S specifically "Typical Power Draw: 150W (4.5W per port)" - the only per-port power figures this cluster publishes, because they are the only ones a vendor datasheet actually rendered and stated. Also Arista's own End-of-Sale advisory archive (arista.com/en/support/advisories-notices/endofsale), which carries a dated 2016 end-of-sale notice for "Select Models of the Arista 7050SX, 7050TX and 7050QX Series" and, separately, 2026-dated end-of-sale notices for the newer 7050SX3-48YC12 and 7050SX3-48YC8/48C8 models - a used 7050-family switch may be running silicon its own maker has since end-of-saled, stated with the notice's own date rather than ours.
  9. DatacenterDisk - Live catalogue and sourcing note - 25/40/100GbE cluster (datacenterdisk.com, 2026-09-13)
    Used for: every price in this cluster's tables, read from our catalogue at request time. Seeded 13 September 2026: 12 NICs across 3 models (ConnectX-5, ConnectX-4, Intel E810), 40 DAC cables (25G/40G/100G including breakout), 18 transceivers, 11 used-enterprise and current-SMB switches. Two vendor documentation gaps stated plainly rather than filled: NVIDIA/Mellanox's per-model switch datasheets (SN2010/SN2100/SN2410/SN2700) did not render in this sourcing pass beyond a series-level marketing page, so those four switches carry no sourced power, acoustic or EOL figures; Intel's ark.intel.com did not render at all in this pass, so XXV710 and E810 PCIe generation and formal EOL status are marked not sourced rather than assumed from the 700/800-series family pattern.
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