CONCLUSION

    Initially when the first X550 cards started to arrive in our lab back in mid 2018 we actually were expecting a good performance bump (we didn’t actually test them until late last year) compared to the X540 models we’ve been using since 2015 and although as you can certainly tell from our charts in some tests they do offer exactly that for the most part these two generations are just trading blows with each other. Of course, that doesn’t mean the new X550 controller is not better compared to its predecessor since it does come with a slightly improved feature set (along with a good bandwidth boost although we don’t see how it could ever use that) but if you already own X540 cards we see very little reason to move to the X550. On the other hand, if you are just now building your local 10G network we do recommend getting X550 based cards since they will be getting longer driver and general support from Intel (X540: 2023 / X550: 2029 - always according to their product pages).

   The X540 and X550 single-chip ethernet controllers by Intel are their “low-cost” solutions so currently you can find the 10Gtek X550-T1 model for USD218.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 209Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). Of course, the dual RJ45 port solutions cost quite a bit more (justifiably since via network bonding you can achieve up to 20G speeds) but in most cases (especially for home use) we think that the single RJ45 model will be more than enough. At the end of the day if you plan on upgrading your local network to 10G speeds the X550 ethernet controller by Intel could be the way to go and since the X550-T1 by 10Gtek delivers as advertised it deserves our Golden Award.

PROS

- Intel X550 Single Chip Ethernet Controller
- 10G Performance
- 10GBASET RJ45 Model (CAT6/6e Compatible)
- Single (T1) & Dual Port (T2) Models Available
- Price (Compared To Similar Models)

CONS

- No RJ45 Cables Included