5GbE and beyond ethernet adapters

[kappak]

Just got my TX401 v2 and tested it out.

Motherboard: MSI B450 Gaming Pro Carbon AC, installed in a PCIE 2.0 x16 slot.

Driver: Marvell_AQtion_Win_v3.1.10

Cables are at least Cat6

M1 6gbps plan, Archer BE805 router.

Result: 1932mbps down, 661mbps up. (Speedtest.net)

Theoretically the hardware should be able to support the 6gbps plan, I wonder where the problem is.

Limit at pcie slot speed

 

[kappak]

Not a good alternative for Intel X550, it is only meant for those who have single PCIe 4.0 x 1 slot left. The reports show that 10Gbe NICs based on Realtek RTL8127 can only hit at about 7Gbps.

They are pretty cheap though and seems to be more stable than the popular AQC113C. If you do not care about performance, then I think it is okay.

I guess many test get limit by pcie speed.

So far saw need atleast z890/B650 above mobo can see the chipset pcie slot is pcie4.0x1

 

[kappak]

Same network card at diff pcie slot speed.

 

[hwzlite]

Can i ask, when say i am using the most bottom PCIe slot, i mean i am using the most bottom full length PCIe slot (although only connect on part of it), its labelled as PCIeX16G4_2 on the mainboard manual. I am not using the short micro PCI. Does it still explain why cannot hit 10GB ? thks for advice

If in doubt, can double confirm with HWiNFO > Bus > ***

For example below look at PCI Express on the right pane:

 

[Kei_Li]

Limit at pcie slot speed

But I thought PCIE 2.0 4x is enough for 6gbps? Atleast that’s what ChatGPT is telling me.

 

[nokeboi]

Limit at pcie slot speed

In that case, for older mobo (example in this case), will it be cost effective to use ethernet adapter instead?

5G adapter uses USB-C 3.2 Gen2 port which should be found in older mobo.

 

[kappak]

I have 1 more Realtek RTL8127 extra.
S$49. Next week arrive.

Confirm can hit 9.5Gbps iperf test.

【买的RTL8127到了，实测速度可以10G-哔哩哔哩】 https://b23.tv/jqGa6Mv

 

[xiaofan]

But I thought PCIE 2.0 4x is enough for 6gbps? Atleast that’s what ChatGPT is telling me.

AQC113C supports the following bus width. So it can only reach 8Gbps max theoretical speed (real world may be 6Gbps to 7Gbps) if you use PCIe 2.0 slot (up to PCIe 2.0 x 2). Your speed is extremely low, which may indicate other Windows issues like 3rd party Antivirus or Security apps. Some users have to reinstall Windows in order to get proper speed with AQC107/AQC113C. You may also check the negotiation speed, which may stuck at 2.5Gbps judging from your test results. Change the Ethernet cable to see if that helps.

https://www.marvell.com/content/dam...llers/marvell-fastLinq-edge-product-brief.pdf

Supports Gen 4 x1, Gen 3 x4, Gen 3 x2, or Gen 3 x1, Gen 2 x2

 

[xiaofan]

In that case, for older mobo (example in this case), will it be cost effective to use ethernet adapter instead?

5G adapter uses USB-C 3.2 Gen2 port which should be found in older mobo.

5Gbe PCIe 3.1 x 1 NIC will still be better than USB 3.2 Gen 2 based 5Gbe NIC.

Same that 2.5Gbe PCIe x 1 NIC will still be better than USB 3.2 Gen 1 based 2.5Gbe NIC.

But in the case of the B450 gaming board which has only PCIe 2.0*16 slot for @Kei_Li, probably Intel X540 chipset based 10Gbe NIC is the way to go. It works with PCIe 2.1x 8 slot. It is not compatible with 2.5Gbe/5Gbe though.

Edit: I think Intel X550 chipset based 10Gbe should work as well (PCIe 3.0x 4, also compatible with PCIe 2.0 x 4). It will be compatible with 2.5Gbe/5Gbe.

 

[Lonelyoldman80]

I noticed after i installed asus xg c100c onto my desktop motherboard, my pc seems to slow down alot although my speedtest is able to hit 7000+ mbps.streaming YouTube, surfing net all these things . Not sure why. Thinking to changed my 16gb ddr4 ram to 32gb ram to see can improved or not .

 

[hwzlite]

I noticed after i installed asus xg c100c onto my desktop motherboard, my pc seems to slow down alot although my speedtest is able to hit 7000+ mbps.streaming YouTube, surfing net all these things . Not sure why. Thinking to changed my 16gb ddr4 ram to 32gb ram to see can improved or not .

Basic check with Task Manager is like a magic crystal ball
Adv. check with 20 Fixes and Solutions to Get Great 10GbE SPEEDS!

 

[hwzlite]

Link: XDA - 5 quirks of enterprise NICs that can wreak havoc on your home network :

When you're building out your home network, you might be tempted by some ex-enterprise networking gear, and it's not hard to see why. Consumer networking cards tend to top out at 10GbE, which is fine, honestly, but then you look at decommissioned data center gear, which could be 25GbE, 40GbE, or even 100GbE and beyond. It's incredibly enticing, and a situation I've found myself in once or thrice.

And those seemingly astronomical numbers for data transfer speed come with a price tag that's not much higher than the consumer gear you've been looking at, so savvy shoppers might be wondering what the risk is in picking up those ex-server PCIe network cards. Well, along with the risk of getting a network card that won't physically fit in your desktop PC (shout out to blade server cards), those higher speeds could be blinding you to a host of other networking snafus that won't be apparent until you've plugged everything in.
...

 

[kappak]

have extra pcs. selling at cost S$49.00

 

[Wataru]

I suspect a lot of people are discovering with RTL8127 that their older motherboards, only the GPU slot is functional PCIE 4.0, the rest are all 3.0 or older

 

[xiaofan]

Interestingly top-of-the-line mini PC with dual 10Gbe RJ45 ports are using RTL8127 chipset.

Minisforum MS S1 Max mini PC. Quite unique one to have two USB 4.0 V2 80Gbps ports.

US$2299 with AMD Ryzen™ AI Max+ 395 CPU, 128GB RAM and 2TB SSD. You can also get the eGPU dock at US$99.

https://store.minisforum.com/products/minisforum-ms-s1-max-mini-pc

Equipped with AMD Ryzen™ AI Max+ 395
AI Performance · Up to 126 TOPS
LPDDR5x-8000MT/s | Up To 128GB
USB4 V2 & Dual 10GbE & WIFI 7
PCIE x16 Expansion | Support 2U Rack

 

[kappak]

RTL8127AT is out.
Slightly cheaper with pcie3.0x4

 

[bornerwave]

Anyone saw the m.2 to PCIe RTL8127 yet? Been trying to find

 

[xiaofan]

Anyone saw the m.2 to PCIe RTL8127 yet? Been trying to find

One only and super expensive. Wait for the availability from Taobao or AliExpress.

https://www.cnx-software.com/2025/09/05/buy-realtek-rtl8127-10gbe-pcie-cards-and-m2-modules/?amp=1

 

[xiaofan]

diewu RTL8127 based 10Gbe NICs.

TXA401, RTL8127, PCIe 4.0 X 1, 10Gbe RJ45, RMB 197.1, usual price at RMB 258

TXA405, RTL8127AT, PCie 3.0 X 4, 10Gbe RJ45, RMB 181.8, usual price at RMB 238

TXA403, RTL8127, PCIe 4.0 X 1, 10Gbe SFP+, RMB 204.3, usual price at RMB 268

TXA099, Intel X540, PCie 3.0 X 8, dual 10Gbe RJ45, no support of 2
5Gbe and 5Gbe, RMB 267.3, usual price at RMB 350

TXA307, RTL8126, PCIe 3.0 X 1, 5Gbe RJ45, RMB 59.67, usual price at RMB 78.

TXA092, RTL8125, PCIe X 1, 2.5Gbe RJ45, RMB 29.07, usual price at RMB 38.

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[xiaofan]

New product from XikeStor, RTL8159 based USB 3.2 Gen2*2 (20Gbps) to 10Gbe RJ45 adapter, take note many USB 3.2 ports may not support 20Gbps.

RMB 389.60, usual price RMB470.

(This price may be on the high side)

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