My server runs on a Super Micro X10SLL-F board which has dual 1 gbps Ethernet. I'm looking to upgrade my main Windows desktop to one with a motherboard that has 2.5 gbps Ethernet.

 

I'm seeing some very affordable dual 2.5 gbps PCI-e network cards but I'm skeptical of their reliability. I saw TP-Link has a single 2.5 gbps network card (TX201) which is well reviewed.

 

Maybe this is more of a question for the General Support forum, but is there a way to have my main computer only communicate with my server through that dedicated 2.5 gbps Ethernet port? If so, it seems like it could be nice to have a dedicated LAN connection while also continuing to have the WAN reliability of dual 1 gbps Ethernet directly on the motherboard.

your scepticism is good 😁

These cards are toys for kids and do not belong into a server. They lack a big part of features and depend that "the other side" will be more clever and handle the situation.

So you cannot really use them back to back, the throughput will be lower than on a single 1G line (search this forum for 2.5gbe, you will find a lot of articles including explanations).

 

For a server I would recommend a "real" 10Gbe card like Intel or Mellanox (even when used for 2,5g only!).