Here’s a notable thing. If you’re using an ethernet card for low to moderate workloads, you can settle with 1000Mbps of speed. You’ll only waste money by bringing a high-end ethernet card with over capabilities. Compatibility

The foremost feature of any superior ethernet card is its great compatibility. And that’s what makes StartTech eligible to be on the top. The StartTech ethernet card is friendly with every major operating system. Whether it’s an old Windows PC or advanced Macbook or Linux machine, you’re good to go anyway. There is a single RJ45 port with two status LEDs on the rear I/O plate. Syba 2.5GbE Single Port Adapter PortBeginning the list with the star player of networking and telecom space, TP-Link. The TP-Link Ethernet card will be the best solution to your network drop issues. It provides you with ultra-fast speed ranging up to 1000Mbps of ethernet speed. Components were installed, and I am using CAT6 cable from a computer to the switch, and a CAT6 cable from the NAS to the switch. There is an old axiom that when selecting a product, you can only have two of the following three conveniences, but not all: fast, easy, or cheap. This notion perfectly fits my 2.5GbE network. As a Windows user, there is nothing to worry about. Almost every ethernet card is meant to serve Windows machines. However, there’re some (yet worthy) choices left for Linux and Mac users also. The first and foremost thing, even a layman would look after is the connection speed of the card. The connection speed of the card depends solely on your data transmission needs. You should choose the ethernet card according to that.

These days, a standard final step for new-construction buildings is running cable. Running Ethernet cables through the building before the walls are all sealed up saves the eventual inhabitant a lot of trouble when they inevitably want to build out their network. Most buildings are cabled with either Cat5e or Cat6 cable, but rarely Cat6a, which is bad news for those who want to establish a 10 Gigabit Ethernet network. Cat6 can technically support 10GbE but only up to 55 meters in ideal conditions. The extra shielding in Cat6a cables makes it the far better choice for reliable 10GbE bandwidth up to 100 meters. QuTS hero is the operating system for high-end and enterprise QNAP NAS models. With Linux and ZFS, QuTS hero supports advanced data reduction technologies for further driving down costs and increasing reliablility of SSD (all-flash) storage. System QoS: Quality of Service technology delivers prioritized performance for gamers and ensures to avoid network congestion for PC gaming Is 1000Mbps seems less in front of your needs? You will love to hear about TRENDnet powerful ethernet card that provides high transmission speed without compromising the network quality. This card easily gets installed in the PCI-e slot of your motherboard and provides you with basic 10/100/1000Mbps of speed. The card transmits its network to every direction equally, causing zero network drop regardless of your location (in the room).The intriguing part that makes this chip, a part of this list is its compatibility. It is completely device friendly. Whether you use it for your Mac PC or an Ubuntu machine, you’ll have no complaints left. Moreover, the card doesn’t even ask for drivers in OpenBSD, FreeBSD OS. The connectivity speed is no doubt the main reason behind looking for an ethernet card. This is why you should consider an ethernet card by looking at your data transmission needs. We did not see the performance impact of not having a heatsink, however, if you are running these in high temperatures beyond the normal office ranges, there may be an impact. The results were slightly lower (1% variance) than the TRENDnet NIC so we have to call this one a virtual tie since that is within a margin of error. Syba 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet PCIe NIC Power Consumption

Here’s good news for you if you own a Linux machine. Along with every Windows version (up to Vista), the EDUP also supports Linux kernel up to 5.6 operating systems. I did make sure that on the Asustor USB adapter, that the arrow aligns with the USB SS logo, as stated in the manual, to get 2.5GbE speed when using the type C to type A adapter. Fortunately, getting a seamless connection for your device doesn’t burden your wallet. However, ethernet cards are available in different price ranges. And the primary reason behind the jump in price range is maximum transmission speed. You might also love to deep down the other important factors necessary for ethernet cards. This is why we’ve added a complete “Buying Guide” at the bottom of this article.The unit itself is a PCIe Gen2 x1 card and its small size makes it very easy to integrate. Syba 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet PCIe NIC Setup If you are using a desktop PC/Mac/Linux system, then you are able to consider PCIe 2.5Gbe upgrades. Although these are more expensive than the plug n play alternatives, they do allow more connections per card. Here are the 2.5Gbe PCIe cards I recommend: To provide more data, I took the Asustor USB adapter, installed it on my laptop thru the correct type USB port, and still got the same level of read and write speeds to the NAS, so I eliminated a configuration issue with the computer being used before. In all my internet research before putting up this post, I have all the proper equipment, and see all the proper indications, to be getting better than gigabit numbers in read/write tests to my NAS. QTS is the operating system for entry- and mid-level QNAP NAS. WIth Linux and ext4, QTS enables reliable storage for everyone with versatile value-added features and apps, such as snapshots, Plex media servers, and easy access of your personal cloud. System

Talking about compatibility, this version is also friendly with multiple OS devices. The card provides top-notch connectivity even in Linux PCs. Bam! Device and drivers installed. Device is named 'TP-Link Gigabit PCI Express Adapter.' The three needed driver files were dropped into the Windows/System32 folder. Swapped the Ethernet cable onto the card. Opened ControlPanel/NetworkConnections. Disabled the mobo Ethernet port, renamed it 'Mobo Ethernet.' Enabled the TP-Link Ethernet port, renamed it 'TP-Link Ethernet.' Deleted the temporary folder. Rebooted the router, just to be sure. Up and running !!All other products will be delivered via the fastest available method (excluding bank holidays and weekends) and generally within 3-5 days, depending on customer location.