SFP+ vs 2.5Gbe vs aggregating 2 1Gbe links

Hardware Hub Networking
1

I’m planning to purchase a MikroTik CRS326-24G-2S+RM switch, which has 2 SFP+ and 24 Gigabit ports, for about 90€. I have a 2.5Gbps internet connection and an OPNsense router with six 2.5Gbps ports, along with a secondary NAS and a PC, both equipped with 2.5Gbps NICs. My goal is to directly connect my ONT, NAS, and PC to the OPNsense router to achieve 2.5Gbps speeds on these devices. However, I’m not sure how to connect my main NAS to the network. Should I:

  • Connect the NAS to the switch using two 1Gbps links, and then connect the switch to the router with two 1Gbps links.
  • Purchase a 2.5Gbps Intel NIC (totaling 25€) to connect the NAS directly to the main router.
  • Buy an Intel X520-DA1 NIC along with a SFP+ DAC cable (totaling 40€) to connect the nas to the switch and then connect the switch to the router using 2 1Gbps links.
  • Buy an Intel X520-DA1 NIC, an SFP+ DAC cable, and a 2.5Gbps SFP Transceiver (totaling 100€) to connect the nas to the switch with a 10Gbps link and then connect the switch to the router with the 2.5Gbps link.

The second and the forth options seems the cleanest but the second option is not really futureproof and costs just 15€ less than the third option while the fourth option is a bit too expensive. I could also choose the third option and potentially ‘upgrade’ to the fourth option later by adding the SFP Transceiver.

What would you choose and why? Thanks in advance.

2

Leaning towards option 4 however, is the NIC going inside of the NAS. Reason I don’t go with option 2 is id rather the switches do ALL the switches and let the router handle layer 3 traffic.

3

Also go check your local shops and E-recycle places. Might be able to save some bucks bartering

4

Yes, either the SFP+ NIC or the 2.5Gbps NIC would be installed inside the NAS. Unfortunately, the devices that will access the NAS the most will be directly connected to the router, as it’s the only device with multiple 2.5Gbps ports. Another option could be to not purchase the MikroTik switch and instead find a switch with some 2.5Gbps ports and 2 SFP+ ports, allowing me to use the Intel card with a DAC cable without having to spend an additional €60 on a 2.5Gbe SFP transceiver but I don’t believe I can find something like that with a budget of around €140 for the switch. Unfortunately, there aren’t any e-recycling places that I know of around me.

5

Are the 2.5g kit even in ecycle places yet?

Loads of old enterprise 10g, sure, which all runs hot AF… And slurps powah…

6

I’d lean towards option 4, but is there a specific OS/software support reason you’re looking at the X520-DA1? That’s a pretty ancient 10Gb chipset. Mellanox ConnectX-3 and ConnectX-4 cards are pretty inexpensive at this point.