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Dual-port PCIe network card with two shielded Cat8 cables, full-height and low-profile brackets included

SMUGDESK

SMUGDESK Dual-Port 2.5G PCIe 2.1 x1 NIC Bundle with Cat8 Cables

SKU CH-J0YB-CY8C5

Dual-port 2.5G PCIe 2.1 x1 NIC with two Cat8 cables breaks the gigabit limit for NAS and gaming

  • Dual independent 2.5G ports remove the gigabit bottleneck for NAS and gaming
  • PCIe 2.1 x1 fits x4, x8 and x16 slots with both brackets included
  • Two Cat8 S/FTP cables rated 2000 MHz and 40 Gbps at 30 m
  • TCP/UDP offload, WoL, PXE, 9 KB jumbo frames and 802.1Q VLAN cut CPU load
  • Works with Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows Server, Linux, OpenWRT, VMware ESXi and Unraid

Dual-Port 2.5G PCIe 2.1 x1 NIC with Cat8 Cables

This bundle combines a dual-port 2.5G PCIe network card with two shielded Cat8 patch cables for an immediate wired-network upgrade. The card uses a Realtek RTL8125B controller that drives two independent RJ45 ports at 2500, 1000, 100 or 10 Mbps. A passive heatsink supports continuous heavy-load operation in desktop or server builds.

Who this suits and who should look elsewhere

The kit fits builders adding 2.5G connectivity to a NAS, gaming PC, soft-router or home-lab server where two concurrent 2.5G links are needed. Full-height and low-profile brackets are included for standard, compact or 1U chassis. Buyers who need more than two ports, 10G speeds or fibre interfaces will need a different adapter.

Specification that decides fit

The card installs in any PCIe 2.1 x1 slot and works in x4, x8 or x16 slots without configuration. Two Cat8 S/FTP cables rated for 2000 MHz bandwidth and 40 Gbps at 30 m are supplied to eliminate signal interference. Broad OS support covers Windows 11, 10, Server, mainstream Linux, OpenWRT, VMware ESXi and Unraid.

How it compares

Measured against everything we stock in Ethernet Cards & NICs, at today’s prices. Recalculated every night.

Price $30.99
Cheaper than about 83% of the 1,505 comparable items (median $90.99).

Specifications

No published specifications for this item yet.

Questions about this item

Will the Realtek RTL8125B chip need any firmware updates or driver maintenance over time?

The RTL8125B uses standard drivers built into Windows 10/11, Linux, OpenWRT, VMware ESXi and Unraid; OS updates handle any driver revisions automatically.

What limits sustained throughput when both 2.5G ports run at full speed simultaneously?

The PCIe 2.1 x1 interface provides roughly 5 Gbps total bandwidth, so dual-port concurrent 2.5G traffic saturates the bus before the RTL8125B chip does.

How much heat and power does the card produce during 24/7 heavy-load operation?

A passive aluminium heatsink dissipates the RTL8125B’s heat without a fan, so the card runs silently and draws only the few watts a PCIe x1 slot supplies.

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