Question Ethernet Problem

[Nitsugaaa3]

Hello, how are you? I have an issue with my Ethernet connection: it becomes unstable at high speeds. I have a fiber optic internet connection with a download speed of 1 Gbps. I’ve already updated drivers, reinstalled Windows, and changed the Ethernet cable, but the problem persists. The only way to achieve stability is by reducing the speed and duplex setting to 10 Mbps; at any higher setting, the connection drops after just a few seconds. My motherboard is an ASUS PRIME B650M-A.

 

[KingLoki]

Is it unstable during a speedtest?

Speedtest by Ookla - The Global Broadband Speed Test

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www.speedtest.net

 

[Misgar]

I assume you're using the Realtek 2.5G Ethernet chipset on your motherboard?

Some 2.5G Realtek chipsets and the Intel I225-V (not V2?) 2.5G chipsets have a bad reputation. If you check the web for tales of woe, especially on 2.5G, you'll find hundreds/thousands of unhappy users.
https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/tft3u0/is_realtek_25gbe_lan_issue_fixed/

Your fibre-to-the-premises? Internet connection is "only" 1Gbps (mine is a mere 100Mbps). If you don't own a 2.5/5/10Gbps network switch and everything on your home? LAN is running at 1G, a solution might be to buy a separate 1Gbps NIC (Network Inteface Card).

If you have room inside your PC and a spare PCIe x1 slot, there are many NICs to choose from. They start off very cheap and get more expensive if you buy industrial "server/data centre" cards.

A quick check online shows 1G PCIe Ethernet prices from a few dollars on AliExpress (which I've never used) to hundreds of dollars for quad-port PCIe x4 server cards. In terms of quality "you gets what you pays for". A cheap card might work, but if it has a similar or identical chipset to your motherboard's, you'll be taking a chance.

The chipset on a PCIe card can get hot, especially at 2.5G and even more so at 10G. I prefer cards with big heatsinks and fit fans on my 10Gbps SFP+ optical cards.

If all your PCIe x1 slots are full or blocked off by other cards, consider a USB Ethernet dongle. These too have a reputation for being unreliable, but I've been using 2.5Gbps USB3.0 dongles for years on WiFi-only laptops and an old PC.

It's difficult to recommend a card off hand, without knowing more about your system. Some people prefer the more expensive Intel boards, but these might be outside your price range.

One suggestion is to disable any power saving options for your built in NIC from Network Adapters in Control Panel. Don't let Windows shut down your NIC (or USB hubs) to save power. They don't always "wake up" properly after going to sleep.

 

[Nitsugaaa3]

I assume you're using the Realtek 2.5G Ethernet chipset on your motherboard?

Some 2.5G Realtek chipsets and the Intel I225-V (not V2?) 2.5G chipsets have a bad reputation. If you check the web for tales of woe, especially on 2.5G, you'll find hundreds/thousands of unhappy users.
https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/tft3u0/is_realtek_25gbe_lan_issue_fixed/

Your fibre-to-the-premises? Internet connection is "only" 1Gbps (mine is a mere 100Mbps). If you don't own a 2.5/5/10Gbps network switch and everything on your home? LAN is running at 1G, a solution might be to buy a separate 1Gbps NIC (Network Inteface Card).

If you have room inside your PC and a spare PCIe x1 slot, there are many NICs to choose from. They start off very cheap and get more expensive if you buy industrial "server/data centre" cards.

A quick check online shows 1G PCIe Ethernet prices from a few dollars on AliExpress (which I've never used) to hundreds of dollars for quad-port PCIe x4 server cards. In terms of quality "you gets what you pays for". A cheap card might work, but if it has a similar or identical chipset to your motherboard's, you'll be taking a chance.

The chipset on a PCIe card can get hot, especially at 2.5G and even more so at 10G. I prefer cards with big heatsinks and fit fans on my 10Gbps SFP+ optical cards.

If all your PCIe x1 slots are full or blocked off by other cards, consider a USB Ethernet dongle. These too have a reputation for being unreliable, but I've been using 2.5Gbps USB3.0 dongles for years on WiFi-only laptops and an old PC.

It's difficult to recommend a card off hand, without knowing more about your system. Some people prefer the more expensive Intel boards, but these might be outside your price range.

One suggestion is to disable any power saving options for your built in NIC from Network Adapters in Control Panel. Don't let Windows shut down your NIC (or USB hubs) to save power. They don't always "wake up" properly after going to sleep.

Yes, I actually have that Realtek adapter, and apparently it came defective from the factory, since I bought an Ethernet-to-USB adapter and now it works perfectly. I’m now getting the exact speed I’m paying for, which is 1Gbps. I’ll have to check the warranty and see what they say, but thank you so much—your answers really helped a lot. If in doubt, buying an adapter helps rule out a lot of possible issues. If I had bought the adapter earlier, I could have saved at least three days of intense searching and testing! Haha.