Recently, there was a discussion here about 2.5Gbps Ethernet adapters including USB adapters. Yesterday, I performed a little bit of testing. The testing was prompted by some ongoing issues I have on my PC. I have a Hyper-V VM running on that machine for the sole purpose of running Plex server. It shares a network connection with the physical machine by using the 2.5Gbps Ethernet adapter on the motherboard. Unfortunately, I have this recurring problem where the physical machine will suddenly become inaccessible by name (IP address is ok) and the only way to resolve it is to do a network reset in Windows.
I decided to connect my USB 2.5Gbps Ethernet adapter so that the Plex VM can use it without interfering with the adapter that Windows uses for the physical machine. While I was at it, I ran a quick test to see how much performance I lose by using a USB Ethernet adapter. The screenshot below shows the results. These are actually two windows open side by side with the VM on the left and the physical machine on the right. I was surprised to see how dead on same the results were with the USB adapter actually being just a fraction of a MB faster in both upload and download speed.
Bottom line is that you lose absolutely zero by using a USB adapter.
Another pleasant surprise: Normally I would install drivers first, then plug in the Ethernet adapter. But I plugged in the adapter first. I then opened File Explorer to install the driver and noticed a new drive with a Realtek logo. Apparently, if you don't have a driver installed, the USB adapter presents a drive to you from which you can install the driver, then that drive goes away. Very nicely done!
This is the adapter that I use:
I decided to connect my USB 2.5Gbps Ethernet adapter so that the Plex VM can use it without interfering with the adapter that Windows uses for the physical machine. While I was at it, I ran a quick test to see how much performance I lose by using a USB Ethernet adapter. The screenshot below shows the results. These are actually two windows open side by side with the VM on the left and the physical machine on the right. I was surprised to see how dead on same the results were with the USB adapter actually being just a fraction of a MB faster in both upload and download speed.
Bottom line is that you lose absolutely zero by using a USB adapter.
Another pleasant surprise: Normally I would install drivers first, then plug in the Ethernet adapter. But I plugged in the adapter first. I then opened File Explorer to install the driver and noticed a new drive with a Realtek logo. Apparently, if you don't have a driver installed, the USB adapter presents a drive to you from which you can install the driver, then that drive goes away. Very nicely done!
This is the adapter that I use:
My Computers
System One System Two
-
- OS
- Win11 Pro 24H2
- Computer type
- PC/Desktop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Self-built
- CPU
- Intel i7 11700K
- Motherboard
- ASUS Prime Z590-A MB
- Memory
- 64GB (Waiting for warranty replacement of another 64GB for 128GB total)
- Graphics Card(s)
- No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
- Sound Card
- Integrated
- Monitor(s) Displays
- HP Envy 32
- Screen Resolution
- 2560 x 1440
- Hard Drives
- 1 x 1TB NVMe SSD
1 x 2TB NVMe SSD
1 x 4TB NVMe SSD
3 x 512GB 2.5" SSD
1 x 4TB 2.5" SSD
5 x 8TB Seagate Barracuda HDD
- PSU
- Corsair HX850i
- Case
- Corsair iCUE RGB 5000X mid tower case
- Cooling
- Noctua NF-S12A chromax.black.swap case fans (Qty. 7) & Home Computer Specifications, Configuration, and Usage Notes General Specifications ASUS Prime Z590-A motherboard, serial number M1M0KC222467ARP Intel Core i7-11700K CPU (11th Gen Rocket Lake / LGA 1200 Socket) 128GB Crucial Ballistix RGB DDR4 3200 MHz DRAM (4 x 32GB) Corsair iCUE RGB 5000X mid tower case Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black CPU cooler Noctua NF-S12A chromax.black.swap case fans (Qty. 7) & Corsair LL-120 RGB Fans (Qty. 3)
- Keyboard
- Corsair K70 Max RGB Magnetic Keyboard
- Mouse
- Logitech MX Master 3
- Internet Speed
- 1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
- Browser
- Edge
- Antivirus
- Windows Defender
- Other Info
- The five 8TB drives and three 512GB SSDs are part of a DrivePool using StableBit DrivePool software. The three SSDs are devoted purely to caching for the 8TB drives. All of the important data is stored in triplicate so that I can withstand simultaneous failure of 2 disks.
Networking: 2.5Gbps Ethernet and WiFi 6e
-
- Operating System
- Win11 Pro 23H2
- Computer type
- Laptop
- Manufacturer/Model
- Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
- CPU
- Intel i7-1255U
- Memory
- 16 GB
- Graphics card(s)
- Intel Iris Xe Graphics
- Sound Card
- Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
- Monitor(s) Displays
- 13.3-inch IPS Display
- Screen Resolution
- WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
- Hard Drives
- 2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
- PSU
- USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
- Mouse
- Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
- Keyboard
- Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
- Internet Speed
- 1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
- Browser
- Edge
- Antivirus
- Windows Defender
- Other Info
- WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
