Question Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter I210-T1 vs Intel® I225-V 2.5Gb Ethernet (B550-A Rog Strix) is the "downgrade" to I210-T1 good choice?

[darkking791]

Hello,

I have the Asus B550-A ROG Strix motherboard, but I’m experiencing issues with the onboard Intel I225-V 2.5Gb Ethernet controller. I have installed the latest 2.1.5.4 WHQL drivers for Windows 11, and my Ethernet cable is a 10m LANBERG PATCHCORD CAT.5E (Green), which is undamaged.

The Issue:
Sometimes, when I start my PC after it has been powered off, my internet doesn’t work even with windows restart. To fix it, I have to power off the PC again, turn off the PSU switch and press the power button for few sec (power reset) then start the pc again so the Ethernet connection works properly.

I’ve read that the Intel I225-V 2.5Gb Ethernet controller has known issues, with many users experiencing frequent disconnections. Fortunately, I don’t experience random disconnects while using my PC, but since my internet speed is only 300Mbps, I don’t push the Ethernet controller too hard.

Even so, having to power reset my PC just to get the internet working is frustrating—even if it doesn’t happen every time.

Considering a PCIe Network Card:
I’m thinking about replacing the onboard Ethernet controller with the Intel Ethernet Server Adapter I210-T1.

From my understanding, switching to this card won’t affect my current internet speed (300Mbps). The only downside is that I’ll lose the theoretical maximum speed of the I225-V, which I don’t use anyway. By the time I need higher speeds, I’ll likely have a new PC.

My Questions:

1. Is switching to the Intel Ethernet Server Adapter I210-T1 a good choice?
2. Will I lose anything besides maximum speed—such as features or compatibility?
3. Is it smart to buy such an old card? (It was released in 2013, but I see that it’s still supported with updated drivers in 2025.)
4. Should I go for it? Any recommendations?

 

[Misgar]

Is switching to the Intel Ethernet Server Adapter I210-T1 a good choice?

I disabled the 2.5Gb/s on board NIC in my Asus mobo and installed a 10Gb/s NIC in its place. A 1Gb/s Intel server NIC should be fine in most circumstances.

Will I lose anything besides maximum speed—such as features or compatibility?

Is your network switch rated a 2.5Gb/s or faster. If it's only 1Gb/s, you won't lose any speed advantage over the i225-V.

Is it smart to buy such an old card?

I'm using old Solarflare SFP+ 10GB/s fibre optic NICs and old LSI SAS HBA controllers (second hand ex-server pulls). They're still working well.

Should I go for it? Any recommendations?

Unless the I210-T1 is very expensive, it's worth a try.

You might find tweaking a few settings in the driver for your existing NIC will increase stability. Search for postings on the Serve The Home forums.
https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php

 

[darkking791]

I disabled the 2.5Gb/s on board NIC in my Asus mobo and installed a 10Gb/s NIC in its place. A 1Gb/s Intel server NIC should be fine in most circumstances.

I believe i don't need to disable the motherboards Ethernet controller, right?
If i don't have anything plugged in that controller just doesn't work.
So theoretically i can plug my Ethernet cable on the PCie Ethernet adapter and it should work just fine.

Is your network switch rated a 2.5Gb/s or faster. If it's only 1Gb/s, you won't lose any speed advantage over the i225-V.

Yea my network switch is 1Gbs and my network speed only 300Mbs.

Unless the I210-T1 is very expensive, it's worth a try.

it will cost me 50€ its somewhat expensive but i have read many good reviews about it and i don't want to risk it with other cheap solutions....

You might find tweaking a few settings in the driver for your existing NIC will increase stability. Search for postings on the Serve The Home forums.
https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php

im gonna take a look , thanks for the help

 

[Misgar]

I believe i don't need to disable the motherboards Ethernet controller, right?

Correct. You don't have to disable unused features in the BIOS, but I prefer to switch things off if I'm never going to use them. More examples are Bluetooth and WiFi. I'm never going to use Bluetooth and WiFi on my main desktop PC (I'm using 10GbE behind a separate hardware firewall) so I've disabled WiFi and Bluetooth in the desktop PC's BIOS.

I can see the SSIDs of my neighbours WiFi-enabled TVs, printers, etc., and one person's system is wide open with no encryption/security. There's no point in leaving myself open to unecessary vectors of attack, by keeping WiFi enabled.

my network speed only 300Mbs.

My broadband is only 100Mbps, but I move hundreds of Gigabytes of data between systems and even a lowly hard disk can saturate Gigabit Ethernet at times. Porting stuff between NVMe can be much faster. Hence the "need" for 10Gbps LANs. My ISP keeps offering me 1,000Mbps internet but it's far too expensive.

it will cost me 50€

My local eBay shows various prices for new and second hand I210-T1 NICs. If you're not too worried about cheap Chinese clones masquerading as genuine Intel NICs, you could buy a brand new card for 15 to 25€. I prefer ex-server pulls from companies that source parts locally, but it can take several weeks to pick up a bargain.