Side-by-Side Comparison
Optical Transceivers
QSFP+ vs. SFP28
Comparing 2 standards across 13 specifications. 13 key differences identified.
Comparing:
QSFP+
SFP28
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.
SFP28 (25G Small Form-Factor Pluggable) is a transceiver standard defined under SFF-8402 and IEEE 802.3by. Using a single 25.78125 Gbps NRZ electrical lane within the standard SFP physical cage size, it provides high-density 25 Gigabit Ethernet and 32G Fibre Channel server-to-switch interconnects.
Specification Comparison Table
13 Parameters| Parameter / Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Standard / MSA
|
SFF-8436 / IEEE 802.3ba | SFF-8402 / SFF-8432 / IEEE 802.3by |
|
Physical Form Factor
|
QSFP+ (Quad SFP+) | SFP28 |
|
Electrical Channels
|
4 lanes @ 10.3125 Gbps NRZ | 1-lane (25.78125 Gbps NRZ) |
|
Max Data Rate (Ethernet)
|
41.25 Gbps | 25.78125 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)
|
— | 32 Gbps |
|
Optical Connector
|
— | Duplex LC |
|
Direct Attach Copper (DAC)
|
— | Up to 3m passive (5m with RS-FEC) |
|
Forward Error Correction (FEC)
|
— | Clause 74 (BASE-R) / Clause 108 (RS-FEC) |
|
Backward Compatibility
|
— | SFP+ (10 Gbps) in multi-rate ports |