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    Best Budget Low Profile Intel Quad Port NIC (May 2020)

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General pfSense Questions
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    • S
      SOUK
      last edited by

      I've got an old server that I want to tinker with, so I'm just looking for a list of the best supported budget low profile Intel Quad Port NIC's that I can pick up on ebay to use on my PCIe2 X16 slot , any ideas?

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • DaddyGoD
        DaddyGo
        last edited by DaddyGo

        Intel I350-T4 or F4(SFP) NICs have work very well for us.

        https://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?igb(4)

        NICs relying on Intel i210-AT (or....i211) are also very good but there is no T4 version (you may need to buy 2 pcs. of them)
        Please note that the online marketplace is full of counterfeits of these NICs.
        You should look for used but branded units equipped with these ethernet controllers (Dell, HP, etc.)

        A good approach, which is suspiciously cheap, will not be good ☺

        This is an example of a reliable source of supply (in EU):
        https://www.bargainhardware.co.uk/intel-i350-t4-quad-port-rj45-1gbps-low-profile-pcie-x4-nic

        Alternatively, I still want you to know...
        we have a pfSense hardware that is an older Dell R210II and + https://www.bargainhardware.co.uk/dell-r519p-bcm5709-quad-port-rj45-1gbps-low-profile-pcie-x4-m005r-nic

        it also works perfectly just consider this:
        https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/hardware/tuning-and-troubleshooting-network-cards.html

        Cats bury it so they can't see it!
        (You know what I mean if you have a cat)

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
        • provelsP
          provels
          last edited by

          I'll plug the Intel i340-T4. Also found in OEM versions from Dell, HP, IBM and others for about $25. Here's a good link to find the OEM equivalents of that chipset and several others.
          https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/list-of-nics-and-their-equivalent-oem-parts.20974/

          Peder

          MAIN - pfSense+ 24.11-RELEASE - Adlink MXE-5401, i7, 16 GB RAM, 64 GB SSD. 500 GB HDD for SyslogNG
          BACKUP - pfSense+ 23.01-RELEASE - Hyper-V Virtual Machine, Gen 1, 2 v-CPUs, 3 GB RAM, 8GB VHDX (Dynamic)

          DaddyGoD 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
          • DaddyGoD
            DaddyGo @provels
            last edited by

            @provels

            Exactly, @provels
            And they are capable of long-term work and stable, so you don’t have to be afraid of the used but branded versions.

            Cats bury it so they can't see it!
            (You know what I mean if you have a cat)

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
            • S
              SOUK
              last edited by

              @provels @DaddyGo Thank you very much you've been very helpful, much appreciated. 👍

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              • DaddyGoD
                DaddyGo
                last edited by

                if you need more help, I am at your disposal / THX

                Cats bury it so they can't see it!
                (You know what I mean if you have a cat)

                S 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                • S
                  SOUK @DaddyGo
                  last edited by

                  @DaddyGo said in Best Budget Low Profile Intel Quad Port NIC (May 2020):

                  if you need more help, I am at your disposal / THX

                  I managed to order two of the following today, they wont be here for a few days but hopefully when they arrive all is well.

                  Model: I340-T4
                  Brand: IBM
                  MPN: 49Y4241
                  Intel MPN: A87101-001
                  Port/Slot: PCI Express x4
                  Intel PN: CPU-E69268 (B)
                  Interface Card Type: Ethernet/ Network Cards
                  IBM FRU:IBM MPN 49Y4241

                  I think I got them for a reasonable price, they were £13.80 each refurbished; seems cheap enough but I guess time will tell. 🤞

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • DaddyGoD
                    DaddyGo
                    last edited by

                    Super news, THX for your feedback, I hope you will have a lot of pleasure, because it was a good choice.
                    (and at a very good price) ✋

                    Cats bury it so they can't see it!
                    (You know what I mean if you have a cat)

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                    • bingo600B
                      bingo600
                      last edited by bingo600

                      I just got a refurb IBM i340-T4 for £18
                      https://www.ebay.de/itm/Intel-I340-T4-IBM-49Y4242-49Y4241-Quad-Port-Ethernet-Gigabit-PCI-Network-Adapter/324173295984

                      Not a bad price too

                      Has "DELTA" engraved in the Xformers ... So should not be "China cr.."

                      Edit: Not low profile though

                      If you find my answer useful - Please give the post a 👍 - "thumbs up"

                      pfSense+ 23.05.1 (ZFS)

                      QOTOM-Q355G4 Quad Lan.
                      CPU  : Core i5 5250U, Ram : 8GB Kingston DDR3LV 1600
                      LAN  : 4 x Intel 211, Disk  : 240G SAMSUNG MZ7L3240HCHQ SSD

                      S 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                      • S
                        SOUK @bingo600
                        last edited by SOUK

                        @bingo600 said in Best Budget Low Profile Intel Quad Port NIC (May 2020):

                        I just got a refurb IBM i340-T4 for £18
                        https://www.ebay.de/itm/Intel-I340-T4-IBM-49Y4242-49Y4241-Quad-Port-Ethernet-Gigabit-PCI-Network-Adapter/324173295984

                        Not a bad price too

                        Has "DELTA" engraved in the Xformers ... So should not be "China cr.."

                        Edit: Not low profile though

                        FYI you can get x5 Intel low profile brackets that fit the E1G44ET, E1G44ET2, I340-T4, I350-T4 quad port NICs here:

                        eBay item number:131838369914 £4.70 for the lot.

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