The NetCard 3 is designed to fit specific ODROID-H3 and H4 enclosures. For reference, the ODROID-H3 is built around Jasper Lake, while the ODROID-H4 is based on Alder Lake-N. It is compatible with ODROID-H4 Case Type 2, Type 3, and Type 4, as well as ODROID-H3 Case Type 5, Type 6, and Type 7.

While it provides high-speed networking capabilities, certain BIOS functions such as Wake on LAN, PXE boot, and display-related information are not supported by the NetCard 3 controllers.

Hardkernel mentions that performance tests using iperf3 highlight the NetCard 3’s ability to handle high-bandwidth networking. When all four Ethernet ports operate simultaneously, the throughput reaches a little over 18 Gbps in forward mode and slightly under 18 Gbps in reverse mode.

The measured per-port performance aligns with theoretical expectations, delivering approximately 4.6 Gbps while accounting for processing overhead from the IP stack, PCIe interface, and Ethernet chipset.

Comparative tests with different network speeds indicate that a 1GbE connection achieves around 945 Mbps, a 2.5GbE connection reaches approximately 2.35 Gbps, and a 5GbE connection sustains 4.6 Gbps.

As more parallel iperf3 sessions are run, CPU utilization increases in a stepwise manner, demonstrating the system’s ability to manage high-speed data transfers efficiently. Despite the rising CPU load, the ODROID-H4 retains sufficient processing capacity for additional computational and storage tasks.

The company indicates that the NetCard 3 is well suited for enhancing ODROID-H4-based NAS solutions, routers, and network gateways, allowing multiple clients to utilize full 5GbE speeds without significant performance loss. Hardkernel has also provided a Wiki page with additional details and instructions for this specific product.

Further information

The NetCard 3 is priced at $68.00 and is now available through the ODROID online store.