Realtek's 10GbE NIC performance revisited
Realtek has introduced low-cost 10 Gigabit Ethernet NICs, making faster home networking more accessible. However, users may face performance issues, particularly on macOS and Linux due to driver limitations. Testing reveals that achieving optimal speeds often requires specific hardware configurations and compatible drivers.
- ▪Realtek's new 10GbE NICs aim to upgrade home networks from standard 1 Gigabit speeds.
- ▪Performance issues have been noted on macOS and Linux, primarily due to inadequate drivers.
- ▪Users may need to ensure they are using the correct USB ports and drivers to achieve desired speeds.
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Even in 2026, ordinary desktop computers regularly ship with measly 1 Gigabit built-in Ethernet ports, 2.5 Gbps if you’re lucky, and maybe 5 Gbps only if the manufacturer is optimizing for tech spec bingo.Maybe it’s because these speeds are “just enough” for the masses?What if you wanted faster speeds (for NAS, moderate homelabbing, fiber internet, etc.) though? You’d have to resort to PCIe cards, or most likely, USB 3 or Thunderbolt adapters.With the recent arrival of a new low-cost 10 Gigabit family of NICs (PCIe RTL8127, ServeTheHome post, and USB RTL8159, Jeff Geerling’s post), Realtek makes upgrading your home network to 10GBASE-T (the 8-wire RJ45 copper kind) seemingly more appealing than ever.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Dr. Christian Kohlschütter.
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