Intel X710

This is an interesting product at STH. Technically it is a current-generation product that is qualified by a number of server vendors, and it does exactly what it states it will. At the same time, aside from vendor qualifications, we have difficulty justifying this card over an X710-T4L card even though we have not tested the latter. Again, we have a number of systems that integrate the newer controller though, so it is not that we have no experience with the new chip, it is just not with the specific model.

Three quarters ago we looked at the Intel X710-T4 quad-port 10Gbase-T NIC and we noted something that we were unable to test in our review. Specifically, there was a new version of the card out, called the Intel X710-T4L, that had a unique feature. That feature: support for 2.5Gbase-T and 5Gbase-T as well as 1/10Gbase-T. Today we are testing the X710-T4L to see how it performs. There is actually quite a bit more going on with the platform codenamed “Campbell Pond” than the specs would indicate versus the X710-T4.

From a performance perspective, the Intel X710-DA2 OCP NIC 3.0 performs just as we would expect. We have been using Intel’s X700 series NICs for over six years now (see Intel Fortville Lower Power Consumption and Heat as an example) so the driver support is very good. There was a Fortville re-spin to fix an early bug, but cards like this OCP NIC 3.0 form factor are all built many years after that occurred. It is something we do not worry about these days.