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    Newbie: how good are these fake Intel nics?

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Hardware
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    • G
      gjaltemba
      last edited by

      My i350-t4 has genuine Intel firmware downloaded and installed no problem. YMMV.

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      • _
        _ambro_
        last edited by

        @gjaltemba:

        My i350-t4 has genuine Intel firmware downloaded and installed no problem. YMMV.

        Did you use bootutil like with the real ones?

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        • G
          gjaltemba
          last edited by

          Yes. Used all downloaded from Intel. Flashed using ubuntu live.

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          • _
            _ambro_
            last edited by

            I contacted the seller on ebay: he says that the nics are OEM.
            I'll buy one and test it, if it works well I saved some money

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            • ivorI
              ivor
              last edited by

              @_ambro_:

              I contacted the seller on ebay: he says that the nics are OEM.
              I'll buy one and test it, if it works well I saved some money

              Looks like Winyao. I've tested a few, they work great.

              Need help fast? Our support is available 24/7 https://www.netgate.com/support/

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              • I
                iced98lx
                last edited by

                Perhaps belongs here but are we all in agreement purchasing something like this is a crapshoot?

                https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BMZHX2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_dp_T2_d38uzbEQHN498

                Basically, perhaps you get a genuine intel card, maybe you get an OEM card that is fine and maybe you get a knockoff?

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                • C
                  creepwood
                  last edited by

                  Sorry for hijacking the thread for a question but it seem related

                  Funny, I was looking at intel NICs at ebay and before ordering I thought I check out pfsense forum to see if there is anything about it and the top thread of hardware was this one. I'm looking to buy this http://www.ebay.com/itm/INTEL-I350-T2-Dual-Port-Gigabit-1000M-PCI-E-Network-Server-Adapter-I350-AM2-/251724682804?epid=1474629115&hash=item3a9bf5d634:g:s8MAAOSwofxUdqrT NIC and reading this thread it seem like it might not be a such a bad idea. I only have on expansion card slot in my router so it's either a dual NIC or a single NIC and use the realtek chip that's included on the mobo. I can get a single port intel NIC (EXPI9301CT) for about the same price as this dual port NIC from china.

                  Right now I'm using a pretty much unusuble TP-link NIC as a last resort that has started to get PHY read fail errors and I can only assume that that's the reason my internet is feels much slower than usual, tests gives me 80Mbps full duplex and it's usually at 100Mbps

                  Are these cards genuine intel or what are they selling?

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                  • _
                    _ambro_
                    last edited by

                    @creepwood:

                    Sorry for hijacking the thread for a question but it seem related

                    Funny, I was looking at intel NICs at ebay and before ordering I thought I check out pfsense forum to see if there is anything about it and the top thread of hardware was this one. I'm looking to buy this http://www.ebay.com/itm/INTEL-I350-T2-Dual-Port-Gigabit-1000M-PCI-E-Network-Server-Adapter-I350-AM2-/251724682804?epid=1474629115&hash=item3a9bf5d634:g:s8MAAOSwofxUdqrT NIC and reading this thread it seem like it might not be a such a bad idea. I only have on expansion card slot in my router so it's either a dual NIC or a single NIC and use the realtek chip that's included on the mobo. I can get a single port intel NIC (EXPI9301CT) for about the same price as this dual port NIC from china.

                    Right now I'm using a pretty much unusuble TP-link NIC as a last resort that has started to get PHY read fail errors and I can only assume that that's the reason my internet is feels much slower than usual, tests gives me 80Mbps full duplex and it's usually at 100Mbps

                    Are these cards genuine intel or what are they selling?

                    It seems that they can be both knockoff or OEM. They've been reported to work well. I'll give it a try anyway

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                    • _
                      _ambro_
                      last edited by

                      This http://www.ebay.it/itm/Winyao-WYI350T-PCIe-dual-port-Gigabit-Ethernet-PRO1000-network-Card-intel-I350T2/132009714315?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649 is a Winyao clone of the I350T2. Why the original has a pci e x4 and the Winyao one has a pci e x1? ;D

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                      • ivorI
                        ivor
                        last edited by

                        @_ambro_:

                        This http://www.ebay.it/itm/Winyao-WYI350T-PCIe-dual-port-Gigabit-Ethernet-PRO1000-network-Card-intel-I350T2/132009714315?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649 is a Winyao clone of the I350T2. Why the original has a pci e x4 and the Winyao one has a pci e x1? ;D

                        x4 is single data lane, enough for 2x 1Gbps ports.

                        Need help fast? Our support is available 24/7 https://www.netgate.com/support/

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                        • P
                          pfBasic Banned
                          last edited by

                          @ivor:

                          x4 is single data lane, enough for 2x 1Gbps ports.

                          These cards are all PCIe v2.0+, x1 is enough for quad port full duplex gigabit.

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                          • ivorI
                            ivor
                            last edited by

                            Yeah, I wasn't sure if the cards are PCIe 2.0 or 1.0, but either way good.

                            Need help fast? Our support is available 24/7 https://www.netgate.com/support/

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                            • _
                              _ambro_
                              last edited by

                              Yes, my question was more about the different pci connector from the Intel one. I thought that they were mere "clones"

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                              • _
                                _ambro_
                                last edited by

                                Now I have to choose from this two options:
                                http://www.ebay.it/itm/Intel-82576EB-Dual-RJ45-Port-E1G42ET-PCI-E-X1-Gigabit-Server-Adapter-ROS-VMare/272346169212?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649

                                http://www.ebay.it/itm/Winyao-WYI350T-PCIe-dual-port-Gigabit-Ethernet-PRO1000-network-Card-intel-I350T2/132009714315?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649
                                The first one, is $19.95 + $25 fast shipping ($44 total) no brand, the second one is $45 with 20/25 days shipping, but it's a Winyao, which seems to be a good brand from what I read here

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                                • P
                                  pfBasic Banned
                                  last edited by

                                  I haven't looked recently but usually you can find a server pull i340-t4 with fast shipping in the $45-50 range.

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                                  • V
                                    VAMike
                                    last edited by

                                    The x1 connector is actually a nice feature over the intel part. In the server market it really doesn't matter (I don't recall seeing any real servers with x1 connectors, they're generally at least x4 if not x8.) But in the small form factor space, there are a lot of boards with only x1 pcie which it's been a pain to get a dual port intel card into.

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                                    • P
                                      pfBasic Banned
                                      last edited by

                                      For home use, just trim the card to x1.

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                                      • V
                                        VAMike
                                        last edited by

                                        @pfBasic:

                                        For home use, just trim the card to x1.

                                        or just buy one that fits, and skip the bs…

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                                        • P
                                          pfBasic Banned
                                          last edited by

                                          Not BS, part of the spec, it's even silk screened on the pins where to cut. Some people just aren't much for physical alteration, which is fine. But for those who are it is a useful option. i.e., instead of buying off brand dual port just because it fits, buy quality quad port and modify within spec for fit.

                                          But again, only worth while for someone capable and comfortable with physical alteration, no matter how simple it may be.

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                                          • W
                                            whosmatt
                                            last edited by

                                            @VAMike:

                                            @pfBasic:

                                            For home use, just trim the card to x1.

                                            or just buy one that fits, and skip the bs…

                                            Or the middle ground… thanks to all the GPU miners, there are tons of PCIe x1 to x16 riser cables on the market.  $8 or so on Amazon and probably much cheaper elsewhere.

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