trparkyAgreed. However, you know as well as I do that cable companies will milk as much money out of their current copper plant as they can.

You know it they will deploy docsis 4.0 to the rich area's first and everyone else will be waiting years for it.

MakaveliYou know it they will deploy docsis 4.0 to the rich area's first and everyone else will be waiting years for it.

If they want to compete with areas where FTTH is already deployed in, they'll have no choice. Competition, gotta love it!

Shou MikoWhy 2xUSB 3.2 ports with the 5Gbps port I know the bandwidth has to be used for something but really :confused:

It's as I explained, for validation for stacked connectors on motherboards.

TigerfoxBecause apparently USB3.0 is to inefficient and barely tops 300MB/s on the few available USB3.0-to-5GbE-Solutions. I don't have any practical experience, just heard about it somewhere.

See above for the actual reason.

TheLostSwedeIt's as I explained, for validation for stacked connectors on motherboards.

But that would then make it unable to fit into an expansion slot on the back of a PC case.

samumGreat! Now do affordable multigig switches. Not 2 multigig ports and 24 GigE ports. 8 multigig ports for less than $100.

2.5 Gbps will reach below that by next year, not sure what 5 Gbps switches will cost, but the new PHY should help lower the cost. 10 Gbps will take a while longer for sure and it's also a matter of the actual switch IC cost as well.

trparkyBut that would then make it unable to fit into an expansion slot on the back of a PC case.

Huh? This is for validation only, to make sure these types of connectors work, as you can't do this with 10 Gbps. Think of this as part of the motherboard I/O ports.

Retail NICs will have a normal port, just like you're used to.

Ok experts, what's the best PCI-E ethernet add-on card with 2.5GB-E ports? I am sick of my Intel i225's patchy performance despite being updated to the so-called fix. I think add-on is only hope for good reliable performance. This is for windows 10.

Minus InfinityOk experts, what's the best PCI-E ethernet add-on card with 2.5GB-E ports? I am sick of my Intel i225's patchy performance despite being updated to the so-called fix. I think add-on is only hope for good reliable performance. This is for windows 10.

Realtek is the only other affordable option that's widely available. The RTL8125BG should be their most current revision. There's also a D version for their "gaming" chips that comes with some extra software...
www.realtek.com/en/products/connected-media-ics/item/rtl8125bg-s-cg

Maybe something like this? No idea about that brand and the heatsink is very much not needed and just for show.
www.amazon.com/goCoax-2-5GBase-T-Compatibility-Supporting-Compatible/dp/B09F5P392Y/

Asus does one too, if you want something branded.
www.amazon.com/ASUS-PCE-C2500-backward-compatibility-Supporting/dp/B08KLJ4B74/

You can even get cards with two ports, if that's your kind of thing.
www.amazon.com/Syba-Gigabit-Ethernet-Express-Controller/dp/B07XJ8CMQX/

Or even four...
www.amazon.com/IO-CREST-Ethernet-Interface-SI-PEX24077/dp/B09SS8GVHC/

You could splash out on one of the older Aquantia based cards, they run fairly hot, but goes up to 10 Gbps.
www.amazon.com/ASUS-XG-C100C-Network-Adapter-Single/dp/B072N84DG6/

TheLostSwedeHuh? This is for validation only, to make sure these types of connectors work, as you can't do this with 10 Gbps. Think of this as part of the motherboard I/O ports.

Correct me if I'm wrong but when I look at the second picture, towards the right side of the picture there's a slot and a row of pins similar to that of what would slide into a PCI Express slot.

trparkyCorrect me if I'm wrong but when I look at the second picture, towards the right side of the picture there's a slot and a row of pins similar to that of what would slide into a PCI Express slot.

Again, this is an internal Realtek validation card. It has no correlation to retail products. Yes, it has a standard PCIe 3.0 x1 interface, as how would you otherwise be able to inteface the board with a motherboard and test the throughput etc? There are also additional test pins on the card and what not, so don't read too much into what this looks like, as it's again, only for validation. The USB ports aren't functional.

TheLostSwedeRealtek is the only other affordable option. The RTL8125BG should be their most current revision. There's also a D version for their "gaming" chips that comes with some extra software...
www.realtek.com/en/products/connected-media-ics/item/rtl8125bg-s-cg

Maybe something like this? No idea about that brand and the heatsink is very much not needed and just for show.
www.amazon.com/goCoax-2-5GBase-T-Compatibility-Supporting-Compatible/dp/B09F5P392Y/

Asus does one too, if you want something branded.
www.amazon.com/ASUS-PCE-C2500-backward-compatibility-Supporting/dp/B08KLJ4B74/

You can even get cards with two ports, if that's your kind of thing.
www.amazon.com/Syba-Gigabit-Ethernet-Express-Controller/dp/B07XJ8CMQX/

Or even four...
www.amazon.com/IO-CREST-Ethernet-Interface-SI-PEX24077/dp/B09SS8GVHC/

You could splash out on one of the older Aquantia based cards, they run fairly hot, but goes up to 10 Gbps.
www.amazon.com/ASUS-XG-C100C-Network-Adapter-Single/dp/B072N84DG6/

Thanks for the info, looks like they all use Realtek RTL8125(B)G. Pretty good reviews on all of them.

Minus InfinityThanks for the info, looks like they all use Realtek RTL8125(B)G. Pretty good reviews on all of them.

Avoid the A revision, there's a hardware issue with those too, but they don't seem to be available in retail any more.

The D version is for Dragon and should be Realtek's answer to Killer NICs

Irrelevent to the discussion, but this thread has had more civil discourse than every GPU thread of past 3 years combined.

I'm hoping this development will add to the consumer switch options as most 2.5gb aren't terribly well priced from the major brands. I ended up getting a switch with 1/2.5/10gb ports rather than getting one all 2.5/10 simply due to the huge price jump.

TheLostSwedeAvoid the A revision, there's a hardware issue with those too, but they don't seem to be available in retail any more.

The D version is for Dragon and should be Realtek's answer to Killer NICs

Thanks once again. I was wondering if the "dragon" was just marketing

TheLostSwedeIt's as I explained, for validation for stacked connectors on motherboards.

I don't really know what that is.

TigerfoxI don't really know what that is.

The card in the picture is just for testing purposes. What they're testing is making sure everything works right with stacked connectors like you have on your motherboard I/O panel. They have to ensure signal integrity etc because the RJ45 port could be on top of any number of other ports when integrated into a motherboard.

And why is that the actual reason for the 5GbE-USB-NIC having USB3.2 10Gb/s instead of 5Gb/s, according to TheLost Swede?

TheLostSwedeAvoid the A revision, there's a hardware issue with those too, but they don't seem to be available in retail any more.

The D version is for Dragon and should be Realtek's answer to Killer NICs

What is the problem with A version?

Im using 8125AG (2.5G) from 2019 and i dont really have to option to "avoid" it. My board also has Intels i211 solution (1G).
So far during these years i have not noticed anything bad with 8125AG.

thestryker6I'm hoping this development will add to the consumer switch options as most 2.5gb aren't terribly well priced from the major brands. I ended up getting a switch with 1/2.5/10gb ports rather than getting one all 2.5/10 simply due to the huge price jump.

I didn't get a chance to properly check out the actualy switch stuff at Realtek, as both times I visited, it was really crowded in that area, but I'm going to give it a go tomorrow again. Obviously the PHY is an important aspect as well, as so far, only 2.5 Gbps and below switchings ICs are incorporating an integrated PHY and only one company has announced such a 2.5 Gbps solution. Everything else is at least a two chip solution. The more integrated these things get, the cheaper it gets to produce, to a certain point. However, pricing in every step doesn't have to related to manufacuring cost, so even if it costs someone like Realtek less, they might want to make a larger marging and their customers in turn wants to make a larger margin, which means retail pricing doesn't drop, at least not initially.

TigerfoxAnd why is that the actual reason for the 5GbE-USB-NIC having USB3.2 10Gb/s instead of 5Gb/s, according to TheLost Swede?

As for the USB to 5 Gbps NIC using 10 Gbps USB 3.2 instead of 5 Gbps, is because 5 Gbps USB isn't really 5 Gbps, as there are overheads. Initially it was marketed as 4.8 Gbps, but got rounded up, but often real world transfer speeds are even slower than that. 10 Gbps USB is using a different data encoding, so it's more efficient, but it still doesn't get you 10 Gbps, but you get closer and the same applies for 20 Gbps USB. So to make sure that the USB interface isn't a bottle neck and with 10 Gbps USB now being a 10 year old standard, I guess they felt pretty safe that anyone that was going to use this product, would have at least one such capable port on their system.

TomorrowWhat is the problem with A version?

Im using 8125AG (2.5G) from 2019 and i dont really have to option to "avoid" it. My board also has Intels i211 solution (1G).
So far during these years i have not noticed anything bad with 8125AG.

From what I remember, at 2.5 Gbps speeds, they were having some issues with a lot of older multi-Gig capable switches, so if you're only using Gigabit at home, it shouldn't be an issue to use that NIC. I honestly don't remember the exact issue, but I think that was it and it was fixed in the B version. I believe I have the same chips as well on my board and it has been working fine over Gigabit.

We are half way to have 10G ethernet as default.

csendesmarkWe are half way to have 10G ethernet as default.

Realtek is working on that one, maybe by next year, but no promise.

TheLostSwedeFrom what I remember, at 2.5 Gbps speeds, they were having some issues with a lot of older multi-Gig capable switches, so if you're only using Gigabit at home, it shouldn't be an issue to use that NIC. I honestly don't remember the exact issue, but I think that was it and it was fixed in the B version. I believe I have the same chips as well on my board and it has been working fine over Gigabit.

Thanks for the clarification. Indeed im using 1Gbps symmetrical fiber tho my ISP should have 2.5Gbps option in the coming years based on some rumors.
But i suspect im on Zen 5 or 6 by that point where this 5Gbps NIC is standard on most boards and perhaps even 10Gbps on high end ones.

Minus InfinityOk experts, what's the best PCI-E ethernet add-on card with 2.5GB-E ports? I am sick of my Intel i225's patchy performance despite being updated to the so-called fix. I think add-on is only hope for good reliable performance. This is for windows 10.

ASUS (XG-C100C) 10G Network Adapter PCI-E x4 Card

Supports 10/5/2.5/1 Gbps

Selling for $129.99 CAD or 87.99 USD

Supports Windows 10/8.1/8/7 and Linux Kernel 4.4/4.2/3.6/3.2

MakaveliASUS (XG-C100C) 10G Network Adapter PCI-E x4 Card

Supports 10/5/2.5/1 Gbps

Selling for $129.99 CAD or 87.99 USD

Supports Windows 10/8.1/8/7 and Linux Kernel 4.4/4.2/3.6/3.2

It's affordable enough that if it dies you won't care about trying to RMA it with Asus! ;-)

5 o'clock CharlieThat is impressive since I did not know cat 5e spec supported speeds over 2.5GBASE-T.

You can manage 10GbE over Cat 5e over shorter distances to a point. My condo was pre-wired with 5e but I have no issues with 10GbE throughout 1,200 sq. ft. YMMV regarding a degradation point of course given it's out of spec more than an off-label Rx for meds.

RegaeRevaebIt's affordable enough that if it dies you won't care about trying to RMA it with Asus! ;-)

lol I know everyone is on the hate Asus bandwagon these days but I still have 10-year-old motherboards from them that work :)

This recent hiccup won't stop me from going back to asus been using their products for 20+ years. And in that timeframe, I haven't had to RMA anything.