TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   Network switches are very similar to routers so I’ll be using roughly the same testing methodology here as well. So aside the usual networking benchmark by Passmark (updated to v9.0) I'll also be using ATTO (v3.05 for 1GbE tests and v4.00.0f2 for 10GbE tests) and Crystal Disk Mark (v5.1.2 for 1GbE tests and v6.0.2 for 10GbE tests). The reason I'm still using ATTO v3.05 and Crystal Disk Mark v5.1.2 for 1GbE tests is due to the fact that i simply can't re-test all of the switches to ever pass from the lab and also because unlike Passmark results from these versions are inaccurate compared to results from the latest ones. Also, as you’ve already noticed I decided to replace the QCheck software by Ixia with Crystal Disk Mark since I feel it’s a more complete and reliable choice for testing network devices like switches. To test all network switches, I'll be using two desktop systems (details above) along with two laptops with which it's easy to simulate LAN load. These desktop systems are placed 15m away (connected with CAT7 and/or SFP+ cables) from the switch in hand and each test is repeated a total of 6 times after which the average scores are recorded into our charts. As always, all systems have Windows 10 Pro installed complete with all updates up until the time of this review.

   Also just like with Modem/Routers I'll also be recording power consumption is these reviews during all our tests and both the lowest and highest numbers will be available in our charts. Finally, when testing network switches with built-in fans (active cooling) I'll also record noise levels using the high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed at roughly 5-10cm away.