Networking Overhual

[jhogan93]

Hey guys, earlier this year I tried and failed to upgrade my home network to 10gbit. I bought multiple TP-Link 10GB PCIe Network Card (TX401)-PCIe to 10 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter, https://a.co/d/4JfCzRe, with very poor luck and pair them with TRENDnet 6-Port 10G Switch, https://a.co/d/05ZuaIV.

 

For full context: https://linustechtips.com/topic/1611540-tp-link-tx401-10gig-network-card-only-allowing-4gig-speeds/

 

I plan on upgrading my switch to have minimum of three 10gb ports for servers and PC. I also plan on purchasing 3 10gb cards for said machines. I was hoping to get some advice on what to buy. Amazons Prime-day is here and I was hoping to take advantage of the sales (if able).

 

Any and all advice would be great! Thanks!

[Bdavis]

Intel cards are the best, but also pricey. Almost all the cheap ones use either the Marvell or broadcom chipsets.

 

Why did your upgrade fail? You need cat6 or better for 10 gigabit.

 

I've had good luck with ubiquiti switches, but again they can be a little pricey.

[jhogan93]

On 7/11/2025 at 12:21 AM, Bdavis said:

Intel cards are the best, but also pricey. Almost all the cheap ones use either the Marvell or broadcom chipsets.

 

Why did your upgrade fail? You need cat6 or better for 10 gigabit.

 

I've had good luck with ubiquiti switches, but again they can be a little pricey.

i cant figure out why these tp-link TX 401 cards are so hit and miss, i upgraded my 10gb switch to TRENDnet 5-Port 10G Switch: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09M7KSZB2?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

I have cat8 for everything i want to do 10gb with. i saw some some intel cards but im not sure what to buy, any reccomendations? I saw this card but im worried theres no windows drivers for it 

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Ethernet-Converged-Network-Adapter/dp/B00BQTHY30/ref=sr_1_6?crid=21ZZL8L449D7L&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.4ih6Ljiaiu1EVn9j8p0VOZiihBCnmXO-kEO97rGcdPcTueW0-wMD4NLkE8mABt7JILpWu6AJ9P5E9Pw1OVcWzJg6YsYSOPmvwWcUtWcaNRDckrEKrteraMnIwgGhcbqcHctDAbhMn_1g_YpdlUiC9DM1Lc9PXbmFvnUQDuxYX3Wvsiuo0_6Y8G6DjaOhVZqtSvUjASsHmezUsviY0guRyO-TYeWVL5SwssUeVAh1j3qWK7tQ3ADiMONY8UqihfS9JUTLXJDnVb-0ei9-fH4P0_esqsr1zOswTi8DIJ7rc0Q.gSQMAwi4fU6wkE_pEAhwAfkmCmEFZo7PfaNaBssF8HQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=intel+10gb+nic&qid=1752371463&s=electronics&sprefix=intel+10gb+%2Celectronics%2C144&sr=1-6

 

i also found this dual 10gb card

https://www.amazon.com/10Gtek-X540-T2-Converged-Network-Adapter/dp/B01HMGWOU8/ref=sr_1_2?crid=21ZZL8L449D7L&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.4ih6Ljiaiu1EVn9j8p0VOZiihBCnmXO-kEO97rGcdPcTueW0-wMD4NLkE8mABt7JILpWu6AJ9P5E9Pw1OVcWzJg6YsYSOPmvwWcUtWcaNRDckrEKrteraMnIwgGhcbqcHctDAbhMn_1g_YpdlUiC9DM1Lc9PXbmFvnUQDuxYX3Wvsiuo0_6Y8G6DjaOhVZqtSvUjASsHmezUsviY0guRyO-TYeWVL5SwssUeVAh1j3qWK7tQ3ADiMONY8UqihfS9JUTLXJDnVb-0ei9-fH4P0_esqsr1zOswTi8DIJ7rc0Q.gSQMAwi4fU6wkE_pEAhwAfkmCmEFZo7PfaNaBssF8HQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=intel%2B10gb%2Bnic&qid=1752371463&s=electronics&sprefix=intel%2B10gb%2B%2Celectronics%2C144&sr=1-2&th=1

[Bdavis]

The Intel X540, X550, and X710 are 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) network interface cards (NICs), with the X550 and X710 being newer and more capable than the X540. The X550 is notable for supporting 2.5G and 5G speeds in addition to 1G and 10G, while the X540 is limited to 100M/1G/10G. The X710 offers more advanced features and power efficiency compared to the X550.

 

All Intel cards I have used have had good driver support for both windows and Linux.