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

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
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
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!
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…
Recent Posts
Archives
- July 2025
- June 2025
- May 2025
- April 2025
- March 2025
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022