AddOn 4 ports NIC
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I searched for reviews about this (AddOn 811546-B21-AO) product and I couldn't find any. Anyone here used these cards with pfSense? From my understanding, this card has Intel 82580 processors (is that even legit?), which is the same one used in the Intel I340-T4 NIC. AddOn states their card can replace the HPE 366FLR, which is supposed to be the equivalent of the Intel I350-T4v2 NIC. I can find the AddOn card for around $140, while brand new Intel I350 are above $350.
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@rogeroger Haven't used the AddOn, but I use an IBM version of the Intel I340-T4 NIC without issue and it was only around $20-25 on Ebay. Yes, the i340 is the 82580 chipset.
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/49186/intel-ethernet-server-adapter-i340-t4.html
The i350's, of course, are different and newer cards, but well supported.
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/184824/intel-ethernet-network-adapter-ocp3-0-i350-t4.html
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/84805/intel-ethernet-server-adapter-i350-t4v2.html
Here's an interesting article on fake i350's.
https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/comparison-intel-i350-t4-genuine-vs-fake.6917/
and another on OEM equivalent part numbers.
https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/list-of-nics-and-their-equivalent-oem-parts.20974/
The only GB card I'd stay away from is the HP NC375T, as I've read here it's not BSD supported. I wouldn't have an issue with a used card for personal use, but I guess it depends just what you're trying to do.If you're concerned about counterfeits, I think I'd lean toward an OEM-branded card rather than an Intel branded one. Probably less likely to fake an OEM.
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@provels said in AddOn 4 ports NIC:
@rogeroger Haven't used the AddOn, but I use an IBM version of the Intel I340-T4 NIC without issue and it was only around $20-25 on Ebay. Yes, the i340 is the 82580 chipset.
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/49186/intel-ethernet-server-adapter-i340-t4.html
The i350's, of course, are different and newer cards, but well supported.
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/184824/intel-ethernet-network-adapter-ocp3-0-i350-t4.html
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/84805/intel-ethernet-server-adapter-i350-t4v2.html
Here's an interesting article on fake i350's.
https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/comparison-intel-i350-t4-genuine-vs-fake.6917/
and another on OEM equivalent part numbers.
https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/list-of-nics-and-their-equivalent-oem-parts.20974/
The only GB card I'd stay away from is the HP NC375T, as I've read here it's not BSD supported. I wouldn't have an issue with a used card for personal use, but I guess it depends just what you're trying to do.If you're concerned about counterfeits, I think I'd lean toward an OEM-branded card rather than an Intel branded one. Probably less likely to fake an OEM.
I'm trying to avoid ebay NIC, I just don't want to get scammed. Even brand new I340 are over $350. At that price, I guess I'll just be better off just going full 10G instead.
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@rogeroger And how will you determine the 10G card isn't fake ,too?
https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/intel-x540-t2-fake-chinese-counterfeit.9715/ -
@provels Because I can buy from authorized dealers? The 4 ports 10Gbe NIC are almost the same price as 4 ports 1Gbe NIC, hence why I'm starting to look at 10Gbe NIC (for example the XL710 available on FS.com). I would have chosen 1Gbe NIC if I was able to find them for a reasonable price from authorized dealers, but I didn't find anything.
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@rogeroger If money is no object, roll with it.
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@provels I'm new to 10Gbe, so I'll have to understand some stuff before actually buying parts. I'm building a pFsense pc. I already have a motherboard with 2 Intel NIC. For example, I'm not sure yet if I can use the motherboard NIC and a 10Gbe NIC card at the same time. Also, my provider modem/router is in 1 Gbe.
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I'll second @provels suggestion - I think the i340-T4 provides great bang for the buck. I bought two of these on Amazon (at different times) over the last year and both have worked great (in fact one of them is currently being used in a pfSense box).
https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Ethernet-Adapter-I340-T4-packaging/dp/B003A7LKOU/
If it were me, given the price here and looking at the seller reputation, I'd probably roll the dice on this. But the choice is ultimately is yours. I do recall that one of the i340 I received was actually an OEM IBM version, but again, it has worked just fine.
If you are set on 10Gbit NIC's, I'd also take a look at Chelsio cards which are very well supported in pfSense/FreeBSD. One can find good deals on the T520. I've used both the T520-SO-CR and T540-SO-CR with pfSense without any troubles.
Hope this helps.
