DAC Twinax Cables - 10G / 40G / 100G Direct-Attach Copper

In-rack SFP+/QSFP+ uplinks at the cost of a long patch cable

About DAC Twinax Cables (SFP+ / QSFP+)

DAC (Direct-Attach Copper) twinax cables are the cheapest, lowest-latency way to interconnect switches and servers in the same rack. Pro Disk Network stocks SFP+ 10G, QSFP+ 40G, QSFP28 100G, and QSFP-DD 400G DAC cables coded for every major switch platform: Cisco Nexus / Catalyst, Aruba CX, Arista 7000, Juniper QFX, Mellanox / NVIDIA Spectrum, and Dell PowerSwitch.

DAC cables consume zero optical budget, draw less than 0.5W per end, and have a typical latency of under 50 ns end-to-end (vs ~250ns for an SFP+ optic+fiber). They are ideal for top-of-rack to leaf-spine uplinks within 5-7m, server-to-ToR uplinks, and any short-reach in-row interconnect.

Most-Stocked Part Numbers

OEM Part	Type	Reach
SFP-H10GB-CU3M (Cisco)	SFP+ 10G passive DAC	3m
SFP-H10GB-CU5M (Cisco)	SFP+ 10G passive DAC	5m
SFP-H10GB-ACU7M (Cisco)	SFP+ 10G active DAC	7m
JL292A (Aruba)	SFP+ 10G DAC	1m
QSFP-H40G-CU5M (Cisco)	QSFP+ 40G DAC	5m
QSFP-100G-CU3M (Cisco)	QSFP28 100G DAC	3m

Featured DAC Twinax Cables (SFP+ / QSFP+) Products

Browse all 86 DAC Twinax Cables (SFP+ / QSFP+) SKUs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between passive and active DAC cables?

Passive DAC is a simple twinaxial copper cable - no electronics. Works up to ~5m at 10G, ~3m at 25G. Active DAC has built-in signal-conditioning ICs that extend the usable reach to 7-15m. Active draws more power (about 0.5W more per end) and costs more.

Will a Cisco-coded DAC cable work in an Arista switch?

Not without re-coding. Switch vendors program their DAC cables with vendor-specific EEPROM data. We sell DACs pre-coded for the specific switch platform - tell us the switch model when ordering and we will ship the right coding.

When should I choose DAC over optical SFP+?

DAC is the right choice when (1) reach is under 7m, (2) latency matters (ToR uplinks, HPC, storage clusters), (3) cost matters - DAC is 70-85% cheaper than equivalent SFP+ optic + fiber. Use optics when reach exceeds 7m or you need to route through structured cabling.

Do you stock breakout DAC cables (40G to 4x10G, 100G to 4x25G)?

Yes - QSFP+ 40G-to-4x SFP+ 10G breakout DAC (Cisco QSFP-4SFP10G-CU3M, Arista CAB-Q-S-3M), and QSFP28 100G-to-4x SFP28 25G breakout DAC (Cisco QSFP-4SFP25G-CU3M). Available in 1m, 3m, and 5m.