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Dell 470-AAVJ SFP+ 10GbE Copper Twinax Cable 3M

Dell's 3-meter SFP+ Twinax DAC cable delivers 10GbE copper connectivity between switches and servers with zero transceivers and near-zero latency.

$84.18*
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*Price sourced from Amazon.com. Last updated:Jul 16, 2026.Price and availability are subject to change.

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Overview

The Dell 470-AAVJ is a 3-meter SFP+ to SFP+ 10GbE Copper Twinax Direct Attach Cable — a passive copper interconnect that handles 10 Gigabit Ethernet connectivity between network ports without optical transceivers or fiber. In a datacenter context, this means a single cable replaces what would otherwise be two SFP+ transceivers plus a fiber run between adjacent racks or top-of-rack switches and servers. The passive design draws negligible power, introduces minimal latency compared to copper-based alternatives with active electronics, and operates maintenance-free for the life of the deployment. At 3 meters, it covers the distance between a top-of-rack switch and the servers beneath it — the most common 10GbE DAC use case in enterprise and mid-market server rooms.

This cable is engineered and coded for Dell hardware — specifically cited as compatible with Dell PowerEdge R220 servers and Dell networking switches. The SFP+ module firmware identifies the cable as Dell-originated, which matters because many switch vendors (Cisco, HPE, Juniper) implement compatibility checks that will log warnings or disable ports for non-OEM cables. In an all-Dell or Dell-primary environment, the 470-AAVJ is an excellent, cost-effective 10GbE fabric building block. For cross-vendor environments, buyers should verify compatibility before deploying at scale. The cable's passive construction means there is no active circuitry to fail and no driver or firmware update path to manage — it connects, links up, and stays linked.

Key Features

Direct attach cable

SFP+ TO SFP+ DIRECT Attach Cable DAC - 9

SFP+ (M) to SFP+ (M) 10 ft twinaxia for PowerEdge R220

Specifications

Brand
Dell
Model
470-AAVJ
Cable Type
SFP+ 10GbE Copper Twinax
Length
3M (10 ft)
Connector Type
SFP+ (M) to SFP+ (M)
Compatibility
PowerEdge R220

Pros & Cons

👍 Pros

  • Passive copper design eliminates the power draw and cost of separate optical transceivers, reducing both capital expense and per-port power consumption in the rack
  • 3-meter length covers the most common top-of-rack server-to-switch interconnect distance without excess cable management burden
  • Zero-driver, zero-configuration operation means the link comes up immediately in compatible Dell hardware with no IT intervention beyond physical connection
  • At 10GbE, this cable removes the network bandwidth bottleneck between servers for iSCSI storage, NFS, VM migration, and high-throughput application traffic
  • Passive twinax construction means no active electronics to fail — DAC cables are among the most reliable interconnect options in datacenter deployments

👎 Cons

  • Vendor-coded SFP+ modules restrict practical compatibility to Dell networking equipment — non-Dell switches may reject this cable or log compatibility errors, making it unsuitable for mixed-vendor environments
  • Fixed 3-meter length offers no flexibility — cable runs that require less than 3 meters cannot be shortened, and runs beyond that distance require a different solution
  • 10GbE is the speed ceiling — this cable cannot be used for 25GbE or higher-speed interconnects as server and switch infrastructure scales up
  • The rigid twinax construction has a minimum bend radius; aggressive cable routing in tight rack configurations risks signal degradation or connector stress
  • As a passive copper DAC, this cable is not suitable for inter-rack runs or any distance beyond approximately 7 meters, making it purely a short-haul solution

Frequently Asked Questions

A Direct Attach Cable (DAC) integrates the SFP+ transceiver electronics directly into the cable connectors, eliminating the need for separate optical modules and fiber runs. DACs are passive copper assemblies — they draw less power, cost significantly less than optical transceiver pairs, and introduce lower latency. The trade-off is fixed length and inability to route long distances through conduit.
Dell DAC cables include vendor-specific firmware coding in the SFP+ module that causes some non-Dell switches (particularly Cisco, HPE, and Juniper) to reject third-party cables with compatibility warnings or outright port disablement. This cable is listed as designed for PowerEdge R220 and Dell networking hardware — using it in non-Dell equipment carries compatibility risk.
The 470-AAVJ is rated for 10GbE — 10 Gigabit Ethernet — which provides 10Gbps full-duplex throughput between connected ports. It does not support 25GbE or 40GbE speeds.
This cable is 3 meters in length. Passive copper twinax DAC cables are typically practical up to 5–7 meters before signal integrity degrades; beyond that, active DAC or optical alternatives are required. For top-of-rack switching and server interconnect scenarios, 3 meters is a common and appropriate length.
No. DAC cables are passive devices — they require no drivers, no configuration, and no firmware updates on the cable itself. Simply seat the SFP+ connectors in compatible ports and the link negotiates automatically at 10GbE.

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