10Gb PCIe NIC, Intel 82599EN, SFP+ Port, X520-DA1 Compatible, PCIe X4/X8, Low Profile, Supports Windows Server/Linux/VMware ESXi/Proxmox/TrueNAS

Let's get the obvious thing and only real downside out of the way first - It runs hot. This is expected, though, 10Gb NICs ALWAYS run hot, high speed networking is just like that, they usually run in a server chassis with a lot of airflow and are typically designed with this in mind. Pick up a small Noctua fan and strap it to the heatsink, and you'll be fine. I would like a slightly better-shaped heatsink for the purposes of strapping a fan to it (this one is smooth on the sides), but there's enough space between the heatsink and the PCB to get a couple of small zip-ties under it, so it's fine. As far as functionality goes, it works better than expected. It does 10Gb/s no problem, but additionally it auto-negotiates to 2.5Gb/s if plugged into a 2.5Gb port, which is pretty cool. Usually you're stuck with either 10Gb or 1Gb, so this gives you a few extra options. Installation is also easy, at least on Ubuntu Linux. Plug it in to the slot, power up the machine, and it just works. It didn't require any driver installs or anything like that, which was nice. I can't speak for Windows (I use a different NIC in my Windows machine), but I would probably expect to have to do a driver install, so keep that in mind (it did come with a driver disk, but you'll need a DVD drive to use it). Something to note, it does not support Wake-On-LAN (it's not a common feature with 10Gb NICs), so if you need that feature, keep your motherboard's built-in NIC enabled and plugged in (you can toss it on a different subnet if need be, the Magic Packet will still find it). Value is pretty good, especially given that it auto-negotiates to 2.5Gb/s. It's a bit pricier than a 2.5Gb NIC, but you can get this to get you started, use it as a 2.5Gb NIC, and then later when you can afford a proper 10Gb switch, you can upgrade more easily down the line.

Running solid in proxmox 9.x host for truenas vm and a few others with heavy load for backups of multiple tb of data daily. I did buy a pack of 20mm 12v fans, zip tie it to the heat sink, and attach to my motherboard headers. No idea if it’s required but certainly keeps the heat sink from getting more than warm. Suspect much longer life this way.

Bought 3. Worked flawlessly on my QNAP TS-473A NAS running QuTS Hero. Didn't even have to install drivers; once I powered up it was functional. Only caveat (and it is a minor one) is that the LAN light on QNAP does not light up when being used, when it used to work with the built in network. No big deal. I had to use the server bracket that came with it in order for it to fit. For my PC I did have to look for an Intel unified driver package that I found linked on Reddit which has the Intel x520 drivers I needed, but not very difficult either. Works flawlessly. Finally for the other PC, which has a vertically mounted GPU inside a y40 case, the shorter bracket once again saved the day. The price is great, it's black so it doesn't look bad inside either system. Highly recommend.

Working great with illumos SmartOS. Can’t complaint, nice to use this with an older tried and true driver

Installation was a little tricky and I don't think there are drivers specifically for Windows 11. When you run the exe it tells you that there isn't an applicable device and cancels the install. Had to install the driver's from device manager by directing to the exe folder. After that everything seemed to work just fine. Ran speed test and it checks out.

For the price, it cannot be beaten. As others have noted, you may want to whip out the soldering iron to attach the SFP module's grounding cage or port to the PCB for added peace of mind; I did this and feel slightly more confident about its durability. Windows drivers are available in the Intel Ethernet Adapter Complete Driver Pack (search for that exact term). When manually updating the driver via Device Manager, the adapter appears as an X520-1 "server adapter." The driver version is from 2024. I achieved full 10G throughput without adjusting any driver settings.

Wanted to boost the performance of my unraid array. This was recognized with zero extra work on my part. Set it as nic0 in the settings, and I was off to the races. Highly recommend this, especially for the price.

We bought one to try. We are impressed works well, allowed us to run 10gb to server, will be updating all servers with this.

Funciona bien, solo les recomiendo que si van a usar windows 10 u 11, busquen el driver de intel, el que trae en el cd da un error de vulnerabilidad