Skip to content

PCIe network cards

TP-Link TX201, single-port 2.5-gigabit PCIe card with both brackets vs DIGITUS DN-10136, four-port 2.5-gigabit server card on a Realtek RTL8125B

One 2.5-gigabit socket for a desktop, or four for a server?

By

Both run 2.5GBASE-T. The TP-Link TX201 has one socket, both brackets and a list of Windows, Windows Server and Linux versions, and names no controller, generation or lane count. The DIGITUS DN-10136 has four sockets on PCIe 2.1 with a Realtek RTL8125B chipset, and names no lane count, brackets or operating systems.

TP-Link TX201 PCIe network card with a single RJ45 socket and a full-height bracket

TP-Link TX201, single-port 2.5-gigabit PCIe card with both brackets

7.4/10

Wins 2 of 8

Check price

≈ $27

DIGITUS DN-10136 four-port 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet PCIe server network card

DIGITUS DN-10136, four-port 2.5-gigabit server card on a Realtek RTL8125B

7.0/10

Wins 3 of 8

Check price

≈ $92

Port against port

Compared on TX201, single-port 2.5-gigabit PCIe card with both brackets DN-10136, four-port 2.5-gigabit server card on a Realtek RTL8125B
PCIe generation Not published PCIe 2.1
Lane count Not published Not published
Port speed standard 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, backward compatible with 1 Gbps and 100 Mbps 10/100/1000/2500BASE-T
Port count One Four
Controller family Not published Realtek RTL8125B
Bracket heights supplied Two Not published
Cooling arrangement Not published Not published
Stated operating system support Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8 and 7, Windows Server 2022, 2019, 2016, 2012 R2, 2012 and 2008 R2, and Linux Not published
On Amazon.com, October 26, 2026 $27 $92

A tick means one listing published something the other did not, or published a better figure. It does not mean the product is better, and the column is not a score out of anything: a maker who says less loses lines here without losing a comparison. The two verdicts below are where the page is settled.

Which of the two, for which household

Buy the TP-Link TX201, single-port 2.5-gigabit PCIe card with both brackets

Take the TX201 to bring one desktop or server to 2.5 gigabits: it fits slim cases with its low-profile bracket and states the systems it supports. It cost $26.99 on Amazon.com on October 26, 2026.

Buy the DIGITUS DN-10136, four-port 2.5-gigabit server card on a Realtek RTL8125B

Take the DN-10136 for a router or server build that needs four 2.5-gigabit sockets in one slot — after confirming the lane count, since four sockets add up to 10 Gbit/s and one PCIe 2.1 lane carries about 4. It cost $92.07 on October 26, 2026.

The questions that come up before an order

Will all four DIGITUS sockets run at full speed?

Only with enough lanes: about three PCIe 2.1 lanes for 10 Gbit/s. The page does not say how many the card uses.

Which chip is in the TX201?

The page does not say. The DIGITUS and the cheaper VIMIN, YuanLey and GiGaPlus cards name the Realtek RTL8125B.

Each one, in detail

Every price named in a summary was read on the date that review carries. What a shop asks today is shown beside the product, and it moves.