QSFP-DD vs. SFP
Comparing 2 standards across 15 specifications. 15 key differences identified.
Quad Small Form-Factor Pluggable Double Density (QSFP-DD) is a high-speed transceiver form factor defined by the QSFP-DD MSA and SFF-TA-1002. It incorporates an 8-lane electrical interface via an extra row of electrical contacts, delivering 400 Gbps (8x50G PAM4) and 800 Gbps (8x100G PAM4) while maintaining mechanical backward compatibility with QSFP28 and QSFP+.
Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP, also known as mini-GBIC) is a hot-pluggable network interface transceiver standardized under INF-8074i / SFF-8074. Operating across a single electrical channel, it supports data rates up to 1.25 Gbps for Gigabit Ethernet and 4.25 Gbps for Fibre Channel using duplex LC optical interfaces or RJ45 copper.
Specification Comparison Table
15 Parameters| Parameter / Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Standard / MSA
|
QSFP-DD MSA / SFF-TA-1002 | INF-8074i / SFF-8074 |
|
Physical Form Factor
|
QSFP-DD (Double Density) | SFP (Mini-GBIC) |
|
Electrical Channels
|
8 lanes (via dual-row contact pins) | 1-lane |
|
Max Data Rate (400G Generation)
|
400 Gbps (8x50G PAM4) | — |
|
Max Data Rate (800G Generation)
|
800 Gbps (8x100G PAM4) | — |
|
Optical Connectors
|
MPO/MTP-16, Dual MPO-12, Duplex LC, CS, SN, MDC | — |
|
Electrical Modulation
|
PAM4 (4-level Pulse Amplitude Modulation) | — |
|
Thermal Power Dissipation
|
Up to 12–25 W | — |
|
Backward Compatibility
|
Accepts QSFP+, QSFP28, and QSFP56 modules | — |
|
Max Data Rate (Ethernet)
|
— | 1.25 Gbps |
|
Max Data Rate (Fibre Channel)
|
— | 4.25 Gbps |
|
Optical Connector
|
— | Duplex LC (or RJ45 copper) |
|
Hot Pluggable
|
— | Yes |
|
Typical Power Consumption
|
— | 0.5–1.0 W |
|
Digital Diagnostics Monitoring
|
— | SFF-8472 (DOM / DDM optional) |