Side-by-Side Comparison
Optical Transceivers
QSFP+ vs. SFP+
Comparing 2 standards across 13 specifications. 13 key differences identified.
Comparing:
QSFP+
SFP+
Quad Small Form-Factor Pluggable Plus (QSFP+) is a 40 Gbps transceiver standard defined by SFF-8436. Integrating four 10 Gbps electrical channels into a compact form factor, it supports 40 Gigabit Ethernet (40GbE), InfiniBand QDR/FDR, and 4x10G breakout configurations using MPO/MTP-12 or duplex LC connectors.
Enhanced Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP+) is a standardized 10 Gbps transceiver form factor defined by SFF-8431 and SFF-8432. Retaining the physical dimensions of standard SFP, it supports 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE), 8G/16G Fibre Channel, and OTU2 over a single 10.3125 Gbps serial electrical lane.
Specification Comparison Table
13 Parameters| Parameter / Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Standard / MSA
|
SFF-8436 / IEEE 802.3ba | SFF-8431 / SFF-8432 |
|
Physical Form Factor
|
QSFP+ (Quad SFP+) | SFP+ (Enhanced SFP) |
|
Electrical Channels
|
4 lanes @ 10.3125 Gbps NRZ | 1-lane (10.3125 Gbps NRZ) |
|
Max Data Rate (Ethernet)
|
41.25 Gbps | 10.3125 Gbps |
|
Max Data Rate (InfiniBand)
|
56 Gbps (FDR) | — |
|
Optical Connectors
|
MPO/MTP-12 (SR4) or Duplex LC (LR4 / BiDi) | — |
|
4x10G Breakout Mode
|
Supported (1x MPO to 4x duplex LC) | — |
|
Typical Power Consumption
|
1.5–3.5 W | — |
|
Max Data Rate (Fibre Channel)
|
— | 16 Gbps |
|
Optical Connector
|
— | Duplex LC |
|
Direct Attach Copper (DAC)
|
— | Supported (Twinax up to 7m passive) |
|
Digital Optical Monitoring (DOM)
|
— | SFF-8472 standard |
|
Backward Compatibility
|
— | Accepts 1G SFP in dual-rate ports |