The slot, the lanes and the controller settle it before the port speed does · review
YuanLey 2.5-gigabit PCI Express card with a heatsink and three network features named review
A 2.5-gigabit card that states a heatsink rather than an adjective and names three network features by name, on a page whose title counts one bracket and whose bullets count two.
A 2.5G PCIe card given as a 2.5-gigabit PCI Express Ethernet adapter at 2500 Mbps on a Realtek RTL8125B, with a low-profile bracket named in the title; an upgrade described as two and a half times conventional gigabit Ethernet, named for gaming, 4K streaming, large file transfers and low-latency work; compatibility given as Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7, Linux and macOS, plug and play under Windows 10 and a driver installation elsewhere; standard and low-profile brackets in the third bullet, with support for PCIe ×1, ×4, ×8 and ×16; an integrated heatsink credited with heat dissipation and connection stability, alongside Wake-on-LAN, PXE boot and VLAN tagging; and lifetime technical support with a stated response within 24 hours.
A heatsink, stated
An integrated heatsink. Two words, and they do more work than a paragraph about thermal performance would. A part can be seen in a photograph and a quality cannot; the GiGaPlus here also names a heat sink, and the VIMIN at the same price names none.
Wake-on-LAN, PXE and VLAN tagging
Three capabilities, named one by one in the fourth bullet rather than gathered under a word like advanced. Each answers a different question: starting a machine remotely, starting it from the network, and letting it carry tagged traffic. None of the three is unusual on a card of this kind, and printing them is what separates a specification from a description.
Two brackets in the box, one in the title
The title mentions the low-profile bracket. The third bullet mentions both. Both statements are reported here, and neither is chosen, because a bracket is the part that decides whether a card can be fitted at all and guessing at it is how a slim machine ends up with a card that will not screw down.
Before ordering
Confirm that the standard bracket is in the box if the machine is a full-height one. The title and the bullets do not agree, and a card fitted with the wrong bracket is a card that sits loose in its slot.
Where it holds up, and where it stops
Strengths
States an integrated heatsink as a part rather than describing heat dissipation as a quality, which is what allows the claim to be checked against the photograph
Names Wake-on-LAN, PXE boot and VLAN tagging individually, and PXE boot in particular is what lets a machine start from the network rather than from its own disc
Says which version of Windows needs nothing installed and which need a driver, instead of calling the whole range compatible
Compromises
The title counts one bracket and the third bullet counts two, so what arrives in the box has to be confirmed
No BASE-T designation behind the 2.5 gigabits, which is the form that lines up against a switch port and a cable grade
No PCIe generation, so the list of supported connectors is the only thing said about the slot
Specifications
PCIe generation
Not published on the listing — the third bullet names the connectors the card supports and stops there, and no generation number appears in the title or in any of the five bullets
Lane count
Not published on the listing as a figure for the card — the third bullet says it supports PCIe ×1, ×4, ×8 and ×16, which describes the connectors it will sit in rather than the lanes it asks for
Port speed standard
2.5 Gbit/s over RJ45 — stated in the title as a 2.5-gigabit PCI Express Ethernet adapter at 2500 Mbps and in the first bullet as a 2.5 Gbit/s card; no BASE-T designation is printed anywhere on the page
Port count
One — the title names a single RJ45 LAN controller card, and no bullet prints a figure or returns to the subject
Controller family
Realtek RTL8125B — stated in the title and named again in the fourth bullet, which credits it with the speed and the latency of the card
Bracket heights supplied
Stated twice and not identically. The title names a low-profile bracket alone; the third bullet names standard and low-profile brackets together, with desktop machines, small machines and servers given as what they cover
Cooling arrangement
An integrated heatsink — stated in the fourth bullet, given as what improves heat dissipation and keeps the network connection stable. It is the only cooling part named on this shelf alongside one other card
Stated operating system support
Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7, Linux and macOS — stated in the second bullet, which adds plug and play under Windows 10 and a simple driver installation for the others
Amazon reference
B0F13BQ7MG
EAN
0790885828706
On Amazon.com
Amazon.com had an offer at $18 on October 26, 2026.
The questions that come up before an order
What is PXE boot for on a network card?
It lets the machine fetch its start-up image over the network instead of from a disc inside it, which is how thin clients, workshop machines and freshly wiped computers are set up. It has to be supported by the card as well as by the motherboard, and this page names it directly rather than leaving it to be discovered.
Does VLAN tagging on the card replace a managed switch?
No. Tagging on the card lets one machine take part in tagged traffic; the switch still decides which tags go where. The two work together, and the card is the end of the chain rather than the middle of it. This listing publishes the capability, which is what a buyer with a tagged network needs to know beforehand.
Our score
7.8/ 10
The most complete feature list on this shelf, with a heatsink stated as a part and three network capabilities named individually. The disagreement about the brackets is the one line to confirm, and it is a cheap question to ask.
Against the rest of the network and storage gear
This network and storage gear share the category and the price bracket. Only what each one states is shown; an incomplete column would mislead.
Model
Price
PCIe generation
Lane count
Port speed standard
Port count
YuanLey 2.5-gigabit PCI Express card with a heatsink and three network features named
$18
Not published on the listing — the third bullet names the connectors the card supports and stops there, and no generation number appears in the title or in any of the five bullets
Not published on the listing as a figure for the card — the third bullet says it supports PCIe ×1, ×4, ×8 and ×16, which describes the connectors it will sit in rather than the lanes it asks for
2.5 Gbit/s over RJ45 — stated in the title as a 2.5-gigabit PCI Express Ethernet adapter at 2500 Mbps and in the first bullet as a 2.5 Gbit/s card; no BASE-T designation is printed anywhere on the page
One — the title names a single RJ45 LAN controller card, and no bullet prints a figure or returns to the subject
Not published on the listing — the third bullet lists the connectors the card goes into and gives no generation for them, and no other bullet returns to the subject
Not published on the listing as a figure for the card — the third bullet names the connectors it fits as ×1, ×4, ×8 and 16, the last of them printed without its multiplication sign, and adds that a PCI slot will not do
2.5GBASE-T — stated in the third bullet in that form, with the title giving 2500 Mbps and the second bullet giving backwards compatibility at 2.5 Gbps, 1 Gbps and 100 Mbps
One — the third bullet turns a PCIe connector into one 2.5G Ethernet RJ45 socket, in the singular, and the title names a single interface adapter
Not published on the Amazon.com listing — no lane figure and no list of slots appears
2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, backward compatible with 1 Gbps and 100 Mbps — stated in the first and second bullets
One — the first bullet names a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port in the singular
What separates the models, in network and storage gear
If price decides: this model, at $18.
The buyer this one serves, among network and storage gear
A machine that starts from the network, or one where VLAN tags have to be set on the card itself, in a case where a warm card is better off with a heatsink on it.
What this one costs among network and storage gear
A reference exists on these Amazon stores: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, United States. Listed is not the same as in stock — availability changes daily.
Details checked on October 26, 2026.
What buyers actually choose
Amazon reports what buyers took in the month before this page was last checked: at least 50.
The figure is a floor, rounded by Amazon, and read through Keepa — it says what buyers picked, not what a maker claims.
Sources
Specifications: the manufacturer sheet for network and storage gear and the matching Amazon product page. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure on this page names its source.
two RJ45 sockets · 10G / 1G / 100M · Intel X540 · PCIe 2.1 ×8 · Cat 6A to 100 m, Cat 6 to 55 m · two brackets · 3-year warranty
The only ten-gigabit card on this shelf: two copper sockets on an Intel X540, PCIe 2.1 ×8, with its cable grades, its distances and a three-year warranty stated — $49.99 on Amazon.com on October 26, 2026.
Best for: A server, NAS build or workstation with a free ×8 or ×16 slot and a 10GBASE-T switch, running Windows Server, Linux or ESXi.
four RJ45 sockets · 10/100/1000/2500BASE-T · PCIe 2.1 · Realtek RTL8125B in the description · no lane count, brackets or OS
A four-socket 2.5-gigabit server card whose Amazon.com page is a title and a description: PCIe 2.1, four RJ45 ports and a Realtek RTL8125B chipset, with no lane count, brackets or operating systems.
Best for: A server or a router build that needs four 2.5-gigabit sockets from one slot, once the lane count has been confirmed with the maker.
one 2.5GBASE-T socket · Realtek RTL8125B · Wake on LAN · fits ×1, ×4, ×8 and 16 · two brackets · heat sink · driverless on Windows 10
A single-socket 2.5-gigabit card on a Realtek RTL8125B with Wake on LAN, a heat sink and both brackets, that says where its drivers come from on every system but Windows 10.
Best for: A desktop moving to 2.5-gigabit where Wake on LAN and a heat sink are wanted and the driver will be fetched from Realtek on Linux or macOS.
