NVIDIA Spectrum-2 SN3800
The NVIDIA Spectrum-2 SN3800 is a 2U high-density datacenter spine switch providing 64 ports of 100GbE QSFP28 (or 32 ports of 200GbE QSFP56). Delivering 12.8 Tbps of aggregate throughput, the SN3800 consolidates spine tiers in large leaf-spine fabrics, eliminating the need for bulky modular chassis. Powered by the Spectrum-2 ASIC with a 42 MB shared buffer, the switch handles dense RoCE storage traffic and distributed AI training clusters with zero packet loss.
Specifications
| Brand | NVIDIA |
|---|---|
| Family | Spectrum |
| Form factor | 2U fixed switch |
| Released | Mar 2019 |
| Ports | 64x 100GbE QSFP28 ports (or 32x 200GbE QSFP56 ports) |
| Switching capacity | 12.8 Tbps / 8.33 Bpps forwarding capacity |
| Form factor | 2U rack enclosure with front-to-back or back-to-front cooling |
| Buffer | 42 MB fully shared dynamic packet buffer |
| Power supplies | Dual redundant hot-swappable AC or DC power supplies |
Generations
- Next generation: NVIDIA Spectrum-3 SN4600
Works together
How the NVIDIA Spectrum-2 SN3800 connects to servers, storage and the network: 3 ways, with the parts and products on each path.
iSCSI and NVMe/TCP over Ethernet
Keep the speed the same at all three points: a 25GbE server, a 25GbE switch port and a 25GbE array port. Mixed speeds work but the slowest link sets the pace.
Servers
HPE Edgeline EL8000 5U ruggedized edge system
HPE ProLiant DL160 Gen10 1U rack
HPE ProLiant DL180 Gen10 2U rack
HPE Apollo 4200 Gen10 2U rack
HPE Apollo 4510 Gen10 4U rack
HPE ProLiant DL20 Gen10 1U rack
Adapters for the server
MCX556A-ECAT NVIDIA ConnectX-5 VPI Dual-Port 100Gb/s EDR InfiniBand and 100GbE QSFP28 PCIe 3.0 x16 Adapter
MCX623106AN-CDAT NVIDIA ConnectX-6 Dx EN Dual-Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe 4.0 x16 Ethernet Network Adapter
MCX755106AS-HEAT NVIDIA ConnectX-7 Dual-Port 200Gb/s NDR200 InfiniBand and 200GbE QSFP112 PCIe 5.0 x16 Adapter
BCM957504A5041CC Broadcom NetXtreme-E BCM57504 Quad-Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe 4.0 Ethernet Network Adapter
Storage
Lenovo ThinkSystem DM7100H 4U rack
Lenovo ThinkSystem DM5100F 2U rack
Dell PowerStore 1200T 2U rack
Dell PowerStore 3200T 2U rack
Dell PowerStore 5200T 2U rack
Dell PowerStore 9200T 2U rack
Optics
MMA1T00-HS NVIDIA HDR 200Gb/s QSFP56 MPO Optical Transceiver
QSFP-100G-SR4 Arista 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
QSFP-100G-SR4-S Cisco 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
File storage (NFS and SMB)
Front-end ports face the clients; back-end ports (on scale-out systems) connect the nodes to each other and need their own switch pair.
Servers
- HPE Edgeline EL8000 5U ruggedized edge system
- HPE ProLiant DL160 Gen10 1U rack
- HPE ProLiant DL180 Gen10 2U rack
- HPE Apollo 4200 Gen10 2U rack
- HPE Apollo 4510 Gen10 4U rack
- HPE ProLiant DL20 Gen10 1U rack
Adapters for the server
- MCX623106AN-CDAT NVIDIA ConnectX-6 Dx EN Dual-Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe 4.0 x16 Ethernet Network Adapter
- BCM957504A5041CC Broadcom NetXtreme-E BCM57504 Quad-Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe 4.0 Ethernet Network Adapter
540-BDBX Dell NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-6 Dx Dual Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe Adapter
540-BDCF Dell Intel E810-CQDA2 Dual Port 100GbE QSFP28 PCIe Gen4 Adapter
Storage
Dell PowerScale F600 1U rack- Lenovo ThinkSystem DM7100H 4U rack
- Lenovo ThinkSystem DM5100F 2U rack
Dell PowerScale F900 2U rack
Dell PowerScale H700 4U- Dell PowerStore 1200T 2U rack
Optics
- MMA1T00-HS NVIDIA HDR 200Gb/s QSFP56 MPO Optical Transceiver
- QSFP-100G-SR4 Arista 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
- QSFP-100G-SR4-S Cisco 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
Hyperconverged cluster
Plan at least two 25GbE ports per node to two switches; all-NVMe clusters often move to 100GbE.
HCI nodes
HPE SimpliVity 325 Gen10 1U rack
HPE SimpliVity 380 Gen10 G 2U rack
HPE SimpliVity 325 Gen10 Plus v2 1U rack
HPE SimpliVity 380 Gen10 2U rack
Adapters for the server
- MCX623106AN-CDAT NVIDIA ConnectX-6 Dx EN Dual-Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe 4.0 x16 Ethernet Network Adapter
- BCM957504A5041CC Broadcom NetXtreme-E BCM57504 Quad-Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe 4.0 Ethernet Network Adapter
- 540-BDBX Dell NVIDIA Mellanox ConnectX-6 Dx Dual Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe Adapter
- 540-BDCF Dell Intel E810-CQDA2 Dual Port 100GbE QSFP28 PCIe Gen4 Adapter
Optics
- MMA1T00-HS NVIDIA HDR 200Gb/s QSFP56 MPO Optical Transceiver
- QSFP-100G-SR4 Arista 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
- QSFP-100G-SR4-S Cisco 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
Plan and size it
- Draw this setup in the topology planner mrplanb.com
- Add up rack power and space rack-density.com
- iSCSI explained mrplanb.com
- Virtualization storage Ledger: scored storage platforms mrplanb.com
- Network monitoring tools compared mrplanb.com
Check compatibility with NVIDIA
Before you buy, confirm the exact configuration against the vendor's own lists: firmware levels, operating systems, adapters and optics that NVIDIA has tested with the NVIDIA Spectrum-2 SN3800.
- Compatibility NVIDIA Qualified System Catalog (certified GPU servers)
- Specifications NVIDIA Networking documentation (adapters, switches, cables)
- Support NVIDIA Enterprise Support
Equivalent models from other brands
FAQ
How many 25GbE ports can the SN3800 yield via breakout?
Using 4x 25G breakout cables across all 64 QSFP28 ports, it yields up to 256 wire-speed 25GbE interfaces.
Does the SN3800 support Cumulus Linux?
Yes, it is fully supported by Cumulus Linux, NVIDIA Onyx, and Microsoft SONiC.
Buying or selling Spectrum-2 SN3800?
New, refurbished or used. Tell us the quantity and condition and we connect you with a vetted reseller in your region, usually within one working day.
Sources
- NVIDIA Spectrum-2 SN3800 Product Overview, checked 2026-10-27
- NVIDIA Spectrum-2 SN3800 Datasheet, checked 2026-10-27