Finally! Super cheap, super fast 5Gbps Ethernet adapters are flooding the market — but is it too little, too late for gigabit wired connectivity away from business use cases

Two busy ethernet switches side by side
(Image credit: A_stockphoto / Shutterstock)

RealTek unveiled a new range of RTL8126 5Gbps Ethernet PCIe and M.2 adapters back at Computex 2023 (yes, the year before last), promising extremely fast wired internet connections. 

Those adapters are finally now going on sale – and at pretty reasonable prices, too. The first module, available on Amazon for $27, is the 5,000Mbps Networking Card B+M Key to PCIe adapters, which works with Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, and Windows 11

The adapter is ideal for those who are building their own PC and want to make use of the best PC parts to do so. While an Ethernet connection might not be the sexiest part of all, it's definitely important to get the most out of the setup.

Build your PC with freedom 

palworld gaming PCs

(Image credit: Future)

An Ethernet adapter is just one component that you will need to build a top-of-the-line PC for gaming, pleasure, or business. 

Unfortunately, there is currently only limited information about the adapters online right now, and some users on Reddit noted that equivalent adapters from Intel are listed on eBay for a fairly reasonable price. 

According to CNX Software, a forum user has tried a similar card and reached 4.7Gbps transfer speeds in both directions, but speeds dropped to 3.43Gbps (Rx) and 3.31 Gbps (Tx) in PCIe Gen2 mode.

MORE FROM TECHRADAR PRO

Max Slater-Robins has been writing about technology for nearly a decade at various outlets, covering the rise of the technology giants, trends in enterprise and SaaS companies, and much more besides. Originally from Suffolk, he currently lives in London and likes a good night out and walks in the countryside.

Read more
NVIDIA ConnectX 8 SuperNIC
The shape of things to come? Nvidia's super fast 800GBps SuperNIC card spied and this Connect X-8 AIB vaguely resembles a GPU
I migliori adattatori Wi-Fi del 2021
Best WIFI adapter for PC of 2024
Motherboard close up on PCIe slots
What is PCIe 5.0? The latest component bandwidth standard explained
Sparkle eGPU Studio-G 850
It's a real shame but the world's first eGPU with Thunderbolt 5 interface won't run on Apple Silicon
Micron PCIe 6.x SSD
Micron just demoed the world's fastest SSD with PCIe 6.x tech, a sequential read speed of 27GB/s, and yes, it's just a prototype for now
A photo of the Bizontech ZX5500 on a black background
Absurdly powerful PC with 7 liquid-cooled Nvidia RTX 5090 GPUs has just gone on sale — and it is in stock
Latest in Pro
Hands typing on a keyboard surrounded by security icons
Outdated ID verification myths put businesses at risk
China
Chinese hackers targeting Juniper Networks routers, so patch now
Google Meet create custom backgrounds
More AI features are coming to Google Workspace
Mac Studio on a desk
I compared Apple's Mac Studio M3 Ultra with 10 Windows workstations and I am truly shocked by what I found
Google Chrome dark mode
Google updates Chrome extension rules to ban affiliate link injection without user action or benefit
Abstract image of robots working in an office environment including creating blueprint of robot arm, making a phone call, and typing on a keyboard
This worrying botnet targets unsecure TP-Link routers - thousands of devices already hacked
Latest in News
Google Gemini Robotics
Gemini just got physical and you should prepare for a robot revolution
Lilo & Stitch Official Trailer
Stitch crashes into earth and steals our hearts with the first trailer for the live-action Lilo & Stitch
GTA 5
GTA Online publisher Take-Two is gunning for a black market that’s basically heaven for cheaters
Y2K cast looking shocked
Y2K has a streaming release date on Max, so you can witness the technology uprising at home
The Discovery+ homepage
Discovery+ just got a big update to its streaming app that makes it more like Max – here are 5 great new features to try
Two Android phones on a green and blue background showing Google Messages
Struggling with slow Google Messages photo transfers? Google says new update will make 'noticeable difference'