Intel X520-DA2 Dual-Port 10GbE SFP+ Adapter

Brand: Intel | Category: Transceivers & Cables

SKU: INTELX520DA2DUALPORT10GBEADAPTER | Part #: X520-DA2 | MPN: X520-DA2

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In high-density data centre environments where every millimetre of rack space matters, the Intel X520-DA2 arrives as a low-profile PCIe card that slots into confined mounting bays without demanding external bracket modifications or creative cable routing workarounds. The form factor is engineered for systems where dual 10 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity must coexist with storage controllers, GPU accelerators, or other bandwidth-hungry hardware on the same motherboard. The two SFP+ ports accept either copper DAC (Direct Attach Cable) connectors or optical transceiver modules, giving network engineers flexibility to choose their media type based on distance, cost, and existing fibre infrastructure. This adaptability is what separates practical hardware from theoretical specifications—you buy the X520-DA2 once and configure it for your specific cabling ecosystem, whether that ecosystem spans 1 metre or 100 metres of connectivity.

Intel engineered the X520-DA2 around a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface, which delivers sufficient bandwidth for dual 10 Gbps streams without oversubscription or packet loss under sustained traffic loads. At 10 Gbps per port, this adapter targets network engineers and infrastructure architects who are consolidating server connectivity, implementing redundant uplinks, or feeding high-throughput workloads like database replication, virtualised storage, or media rendering pipelines. The part number X520-DA2 has become a standard reference in enterprise procurement because it sits at the inflection point between cost-justified performance and carrier-grade reliability—not overkill for a two-server failover pair, but not underpowered for a 40-node cluster. Power consumption remains modest at approximately 10 watts, meaning thermal planning is straightforward and data centre PDU load calculations do not spike unexpectedly when these cards are deployed in volume.

Where the Intel X520-DA2 gains traction in real deployments is in virtualised infrastructure, particularly in organisations running VMware, Hyper-V, or KVM environments that require advanced VLAN segmentation and quality-of-service enforcement across multiple tenant boundaries. The adapter's embedded support for virtualization features means that hypervisor-level network policies execute at line rate without CPU overhead, a critical detail that storage architects and cloud platform engineers care about intensely. Combined with the adapter's QoS capabilities, traffic destined for latency-sensitive applications (financial transactions, real-time analytics feeds, live video streaming) can be prioritised in hardware, ensuring that bulk backup traffic on the same physical link does not starve interactive workloads. This is the kind of capability that looks good in a specification sheet, but only matters when your business depends on sub-millisecond response times.

The Intel brand heritage in 10 Gigabit Ethernet adapters spans two decades, and the X520 series specifically carries the weight of millions of deployed units across Fortune 500 data centres, hosting providers, and research institutions. Driver support across Windows Server, Linux distributions (RHEL, Ubuntu, CentOS), and BSD variants is mature and stable—you are not experimenting with beta firmware or waiting for hardware vendor patches to stabilise your network stack. Environmental operating specifications of 0°C to 55°C give you a safe margin in properly air-conditioned data centre racks while also supporting edge deployments in un-chilled network closets or outdoor cabinet installations where ambient temperature management is imprecise. RoHS, CE, and FCC certifications confirm compliance with international standards, removing friction from procurement cycles in regulated verticals like finance, healthcare, and government contracting.

Omnixon Global maintains inventory of the Intel X520-DA2 (part number X520-DA2) across our Dubai hub and regional distribution partners, supporting immediate fulfillment for organisations across the GCC, South Asia, and Europe who require dual-port 10 GbE connectivity without lengthy lead times. Whether you are refreshing a small cluster, building redundancy into an existing network fabric, or outfitting a new data centre build, our technical team can assist with compatibility validation, SFP+ transceiver selection, and bulk pricing for multi-unit deployments. Submit a request for quotation with your exact requirements—port count, transceiver type, firmware version, and delivery geography—and we will provide a transparent proposal within 24 hours.

Interface & Connectivity Specifications

• Two SFP+ ports supporting 10 Gigabit Ethernet, compatible with both copper DAC and optical transceiver modules across all recognised standards
• PCIe 3.0 x8 host interface, delivering 8 GT/s bidirectional bandwidth per direction with no packet loss under sustained dual-port load
• Low-profile form factor designed for dense server and storage appliance integration without external bracket requirements or cable path obstructions
• Advanced VLAN tagging, QoS classification, and flow-based traffic steering at hardware line rate, eliminating CPU cycles for network policy enforcement
• Virtualisation-aware features including VMDq, RSS, and SR-IOV support for hypervisor and container orchestration platforms
• Approximately 10 watts steady-state power consumption with thermal design suitable for fanless or passive cooling environments
• Operating temperature range 0°C to 55°C, with RoHS, CE, and FCC regulatory approvals for global deployment