E810-CQDA2 System Compatibility

[sk_plc2]

Dear Community and Intel Employees,

about a year ago, another discussion was started about this topic:

https://community.intel.com/t5/Ethernet-Products/Intel-Ethernet-E810-system-compatibility/m-p/1314525

We now have exactly the same problem. We bought one E810-CQDA2 for evaluation, and it is not working in a Z590 motherboard. The motherboard is MSI MPG Z590 Gaming Force and the CPU is a Core i5-11600K.

Note that the card is working in none of the PCIe x16 slots - regardless of Gen4 or Gen3 - regardless of whether they are connected to the CPU or the chipset. The card is not even enumerated. Linux and Windows simply don't see the card.

We have two Z390 motherboards: ASUS PRIME Z390-A and ASUS WS Z390 PRO. The E810 card is working fine is any of the slots.

I know that the E810 is intended for server use. But that doesn't clarify what motherboards are compatible. Which chipsets are compatible and which are not? And why would the chipset matter if the PCIe lanes come from the CPU directly? Does compatibility also depend on the CPU? If so, which CPUs are compatible?

For example, we would consider buying a Supermicro X12SCA-5F or X13SAE-F. It has a W580 or W680 chipset respectively. Would those boards work? If they would work, would it also be possible to use a  Core i5-11600K or Core i5-12600K respectivly? Or does it have to be Xeon series CPU?

Is a C-series chipset plus a Xeon processor required?

Please advise! Which CPU/chipset combinations are compatible?

Kind Regards,

  Sven Köhler

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello Sven,

Thank you for posting in Intel Ethernet Communities. 

Can you confirm if you already contacted MSI to check if the card is compatible/validated on their motherboard?

We tried checking List of Compatible Devices as per link below. 

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MPG-Z590-GAMING-FORCE/support#testReport

Based on list of Network Adapters, the E810-CQDA2 is not listed as compatible network adapter for this system. 

https://storage-asset.msi.com/file/test_report/TR22_233399.pdf

We highly suggest checking with the system manufacturer regarding the compatibility as this will be based on the motherboard. They are responsible in testing and validating the compatible components on their system. 

Feel free to let us know if you have questions or clarifications. 

Awaiting to your reply. 

We will follow up after 3 business days in case we don't hear from you. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel® Customer Support

[sk_plc2]

I have found an E810 based Supermicro card in the compatibility list of the Supermicro X12SCA-5F. I'll guess we'll take a leap of faith and test that board then.

The compatibility list of the X13SAE-F is virtually empty as far as networking products are concerned. 

So are there no guarantees that E810 cards run with W or even C series chipsets?

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello Sven,

Thank you for the swift reply. 

Unfortunately, we cannot further comment on your question as this is best to be answered by the board manufacturer since the testing and validation should be performed by the manufacturer. 

We highly suggest contacting board manufacturer to check if the Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter E810-CQDA2 is fully compatible on their board. We tried checking list of compatible network cards for X12SCA-5F and we found the Standard low profile 2 port 100GbE with QSFP28, based on Intel E810-CAM2 is listed. 

https://www.supermicro.com/en/support/resources/aoc/display?id=5A067F36E41B98A3A663787BAF09E8F4&Category=MB&prid=87893&function=networking

The adapter listed on their site could be an Original Equipment Manufacturer(OEM) Network adapter hence, we highly suggest confirming this with SuperMicro. With that being said, we'd like to set your expectation that we have a limited support for OEM adapters as they might have altered the features, incorporated customizations, or made other changes to the software or software packaging they provide. To avoid any potential installation incompatibilities on the OEM cards, Intel recommends to check with OEM and use the software provided via the manufacturer.

Supermicro Support and Services

https://www.supermicro.com/en/support

We are also sharing with you the link below for specifications of Intel® Ethernet Network Adapter E810-CQDA2. If you scroll down to Compatible Products, you will see the list of compatible servers for this adapter. Intel performed the test and validation based on the servers listed.

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/192558/intel-ethernet-network-adapter-e810cqda2.html

Feel free to let us know if you have questions or clarifications.

Awaiting to your reply. 

We will follow up after 3 business days in case we don't hear from you. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel® Customer Support

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello Sven,

Good day!

This is just a follow up to check if you read our previous reply. If yes, please confirm and let us know if you have additional questions or assistance needed on this matter.

Hoping to hear from you soon.

Should there be no response from you, I’ll make sure to reach out after 3 business days. 

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel® Customer Support

[Caguicla_Intel]

Hello Sven,

How are you doing? I hope this message finds you well!

Please be informed that we will now close this request since we haven't received any response from our previous follow ups. Just feel free to post a new question if you may have any other inquiry in the future as this thread will no longer be monitored.

We are also sharing link below for 'How Do I Contact Third Party Manufacturer to Check Compatibility of Intel® Ethernet Cards'. Although the issue description is different from yours, this is still applicable on your case as this discusses compatibility of Ethernet card on a Third Party board.  

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000088366/ethernet-products/legacy-ethernet-products.html

Thank you for choosing Intel and stay safe!

Best regards,

Crisselle C.

Intel® Customer Support