Why Different Brands of 10GBASE-T SFP+ Transceivers Have Different Power Consumption?

10GBASE-T SFP+ transceivers can meet the needs of 10G networks. These 10G copper SFP modules are able to use Cat6a or Cat7 Ethernet cables for transmission, which not only saves costs but also provides enough flexibility. There are many types of SFP+ 10GBASE-T modules produced by different manufacturers on the market, and these copper SFP+ modules have differences in power consumption. What is the reason behind this? This article aims to provide a deep understanding of this topic.

10G Copper SFP Module and Power Consumption Overview

What is 10G SFP Copper Optical Module?

10GBASE-T is an Ethernet specification that uses twisted pair (Cat6a or Cat7) for 10G transmission. The 10GBASE-T optical module is a type of 10G transceiver that supports this standard. It complies with the SFF-8431 and SFF-8432 MSA standards and can reach a transmission distance of 30m-80m. At present, in most data centers, the link distance between devices is between 10m and 100m. Usually, the use of 10G copper SFP modules can make up for the insufficient transmission distance of SFP+ 10G DAC. They are mainly used in switches, network cards, and other products. Compared with ordinary 10G fiber modules, SFP+ 10GBASE-T modules have lower power consumption and stable performance. They can utilize existing network cables to establish 10G transmission networks, which are widely used in 10G Ethernet.

What Does "Power Consumption" Mean? Why is it Important?

Power consumption means the electrical energy consumed by a device when it is running, measured in watts (W). For 10G copper transceivers, power consumption directly affects several aspects. First, the higher the power consumption, the more heat is generated by the module, which puts higher requirements on heat dissipation and may require additional thermal design, increasing the space occupied by the device and the overall cost. Second, high power consumption also affects the stability of the device. Under long-term high-load operation, high temperature may accelerate the aging of the module, shorten its service life, or even cause failure. Finally, in large-scale deployment scenarios, choosing low-power modules can significantly reduce the overall electricity expenditure while meeting the current trend of energy saving in green data centers. Therefore, power consumption has become one of the most important indicators for measuring the performance and applicability of SFP+ 10GBASE-T modules.

Why Do 10Gb Copper SFP Optical Transceivers Vary in Power Consumption?

The main reason for the different power consumption of 10Gb copper SFP optical transceivers from different brands is the difference in the chip solutions. SFP+ 10GBASE-T modules need to convert 10G SFI signals into 10GBASE-T signals internally, which relies on a dedicated PHY chip. The PHY chips chosen by different brands vary in terms of vendor, model, and process, with some adopting more advanced processes and others still using more outdated ones. Generally speaking, the more advanced the chip process, the higher the energy-efficiency ratio, and the lower the power consumption of the module in the signal conversion process. At the same time, different chip manufacturers vary in their degree of optimization in circuit design, signal processing algorithms, power management, and other aspects. These factors collectively determine the module's power performance.

10G SFP+ RJ45 Modules Power Consumption Comparison Across Brands

To give you a more intuitive understanding of the differences in power consumption among 10G SFP+ RJ45 modules from different vendors, QSFPTEK conducted a test. The test environment was set up according to the following block diagram, with all necessary equipment properly configured. During this test, we replaced different 10GBASE-T SFP+ transceivers and different lengths of network cables to conduct the test. The following lists the typical power consumption of copper SFP+ modules from several mainstream brands, ranked from the smallest to the largest power consumption.

From the above comparison, it is evident that the power consumption of different chip solutions varies significantly. The power consumption arranged by chip solution is: Marvell 88X3310P>Realtek RTL8261BE>Marvell AQR113C>Broadcom BCM84851>Marvell 88X3310>Broadcom BCM84881>Broadcom BCM84891L.

QSFPTEK not only provides many SFP+ 10GBASE-T models, but also shows advantages in power consumption. 

Conclusion

In summary, there are differences in power consumption among 10GBASE-T SFP+ transceivers from different brands, mainly due to different chip solutions. The measured data shows that QSFPTEK's 10G SFP+ RJ45 modules offer lower power consumption across multiple models. This provides users with a better option for building energy-efficient data center networks. Therefore, when purchasing SFP+ 10GBASE-T modules, in addition to considering price and performance parameters, power consumption is also a key factor.