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Green circuit board with silver heatsink and single RJ45 port

SMUGDESK

SMUGDESK SY-PEX24076 2.5G PCIe Network Card Intel I225

SKU CH-HX0F-ANVPS

Adds a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port via PCIe x1 using the Intel I225 chip for low-latency wired networking

  • Intel I225 chip delivers stable, low-latency networking
  • 5 Gbps peak speed with 10/100/1000 Mbps fallback
  • Single PCIe x1 slot fits any desktop motherboard
  • RJ45 port runs full 2.5G on Cat5e or Cat6 cable
  • On-board heatsink keeps the controller cool under load

2.5G PCIe Network Adapter

The SMUGDESK SY-PEX24076 adds a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port to any desktop with a free PCIe x1 slot. It uses the Intel I225 controller for low-latency, low-CPU-overhead wired networking. The card fits PCIe 2.0 and 3.0 motherboards without blocking longer graphics slots.

Speed headroom and cable limits

The adapter negotiates 2.5G, 1G, 100M or 10M speeds automatically. Full 2500Mbps throughput requires Cat5e or Cat6 cabling; older Cat5 cables will cap the link at 1000Mbps. It removes the 1Gbps bottleneck for large file copies, 4K and 8K streaming, NAS access and heavy P2P workloads.

Upgrade from onboard 1GbE

This card replaces a motherboard’s single 1000Mbps port when 2.5G switches or routers are already present. The jump is worthwhile only if your network infrastructure and cables support 2.5Gbps end-to-end. It does not add Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or a second RJ45 port.

How it compares

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

Price $25.99
Cheaper than about 88% of the 1,505 comparable items (median $90.99).

Specifications

No published specifications for this item yet.

Questions about this item

Will the 2.5 Gbps Intel I225 card work in my older motherboard that only has PCIe 2.0 slots?

Yes, the adapter uses a standard PCIe x1 interface that is compatible with both PCIe 2.0 and 3.0 slots, so it will install and function in your older board.

How can I verify the Intel I225 adapter is running at the full 2500 Mbps after I install it?

Check the link speed in your operating system network settings or the router status page; it should report 2.5 Gbps when connected with a Cat5e or Cat6 cable to a 2.5 Gbps switch port.

Does the SY-PEX24076 come with any cables or brackets, or do I need to buy a Cat6 patch lead separately?

The box contains the network card with a fitted low-profile bracket and a standard-height bracket; you will need to provide your own Cat5e or Cat6 Ethernet cable.

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