Big news for anyone needing faster network speeds without the high power bill: Intel quietly revealed its new line of networking cards based on the E610 chipset at HPE Discover 2025. These new network interface cards (NICs) promise low-power 10GbE and 2.5GbE connectivity, offering a compelling upgrade path for servers, workstations, and maybe even some advanced home setups, all while sipping power compared to older options. The key takeaway? You can get faster wired speeds more efficiently than ever before with these latest Intel chips.
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Walking the floor at HPE Discover, some new network adapters from Intel caught our eye. These aren’t the high-end, bleeding-edge speed demons you might expect, but rather new solutions for the more common 10 Gigabit Ethernet and 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet markets, powered by the brand-new Intel E610 chipset. This new series focuses on bringing modern speeds with a focus on lower power consumption, which is a big deal for businesses and enthusiasts alike.
Low-Power Speed: The Intel E610 Takes On 10GbE
Among the new products was a PCIe Gen4 x4 adapter designed for dual 10 Gigabit Ethernet connections. What makes this stand out? It uses the new Intel E610 chipset and delivers impressive performance while keeping power usage remarkably low.
This dual-port card isn’t just limited to 10GbE; it’s versatile, also supporting 5GbE, 2.5GbE, and standard 1GbE speeds. But the real jaw-dropper is its power rating: just 5.1W when running at full dual 10GbE speeds! For comparison, many existing 10GBASE-T adapters can draw significantly more power, making this a significant step forward for energy efficiency in high-speed wired networking.
Intel E610 XT2 dual 10GbE network card displayed at HPE Discover
Stepping Up from 1GbE with Quad 2.5GbE
Intel didn’t stop at 10GbE. We also spotted the Intel E610-IT4, a different flavor of the E610 chipset, presented in the modern OCP NIC 3.0 form factor. If you’re not familiar, the OCP NIC 3.0 is a standard designed for easier server integration, often featuring a convenient pull tab. You can read more about OCP NIC 3.0 form factors to see how they fit into modern server designs.
Close-up view of the low-power Intel E610 XT2 dual 10GBASE-T adapter
This E610-IT4 card sports four 2.5GbE ports. Power consumption here is rated up to 8.6W peak, with a typical draw around 7.2W. While slightly higher than the 10GbE dual-port card, this is still quite efficient for four ports running at 2.5GbE, especially within the compact OCP NIC 3.0 SFF (Small Form Factor) slot.
Many users are looking to upgrade from older 1GbE four-port cards, like the ubiquitous Intel i350 series, to something faster. With networks increasingly needing more bandwidth for things like faster storage access or multiple high-bandwidth devices, a quad 2.5GbE solution is a very welcome addition to Intel’s lineup.
Intel E610-IT4 quad 2.5GbE OCP NIC 3.0 card with pull tab
Why This Matters (And Why It Was Quiet)
It’s a bit surprising that Intel launched these new, low-power networking chips and resulting cards without much fanfare. These E610-based NICs fill an important space in the market, offering modern speeds and key efficiency benefits that many users, from small businesses to homelab enthusiasts, are looking for.
Another angle showing the ports on the Intel E610 IT4 quad 2.5GbE network adapter
The introduction of the Intel E610 chipset brings genuinely lower power options to common 10GbE and 2.5GbE network cards. This is excellent news for anyone building or upgrading systems where power efficiency is key, offering modern performance without excessive heat or electricity costs. While the quiet launch is curious, the cards themselves are certainly interesting additions to the networking landscape. We’re definitely keen to get our hands on them for a closer look and see how they perform in the real world.
