Cost-effective 2.5/5/10 Gbps Managed Switches?

Notice: Page may contain affiliate links for which we may earn a small commission through services like Amazon Affiliates or Skimlinks.

bhigh

Member
Oct 5, 2016
40
18
8
49
I'm looking for a reasonably priced (eg: cheap) managed desktop switch that supports Nbase-T speeds to use in my home and home office.

Fanless is best, but a very quiet fan would be acceptable.

I need to have VLAN support if I want to drop it in to replace my existing 1Gbps switch.

PoE would be nice, but it's not required.

The Netgear MS108EUP seems to fit the ticket, but at $350 is a little more than I would prefer to spend.

The Ubiquity USW-Flex-XG has 1 * 1 GbE w/ PoE+ input and 4 * 10 GbE ports, but I believe it requires using their phone app or management software.

Is there another similarly spec'd switch that I should look at?
 
Last edited:

nabsltd

Active Member
Jan 26, 2022
340
209
43
I was in the same boat, and just set up an eBay search for netgear ms510txpp for less than $300 and waited for the e-mail. I eventually got one. Not as good as the one for $120 from Amazon (used, with cosmetic blemishes, but 100% functional).

Try a search for either of the two, since they are very similar, although the MS108EUP has 8x 2.5Gbit, and the MS510TXPP has 4x 1Gbit/2x 2.5Gbit/2x 5Gbit/1x 10Gbit. My use case is that I have several devices that will never be more than 1Gbit (printer, etc.), so having 4x 1Gbit was fine. Plus, it connects to my backbone at 10Gbit.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bhigh

bhigh

Member
Oct 5, 2016
40
18
8
49
How loud are the fans in the MS510TXPP?

It looks like any of the MS510TX* (MS510TX, MS510TXPP, MS510TXM, MS510TXUP) switches would work. All of them have 40mm fans, which concerns me from a noise perspective.
 

TRACKER

Active Member
Jan 14, 2019
169
48
28
I have MS510TX since 2018 and fan is very silent, almost cannot hear it, even during load (e.g. copying stuff via 10gbps ports) :)
 

zer0sum

Well-Known Member
Mar 8, 2013
849
473
63
Do you need copper ports?

If not, the Mikrotik CRS305 and CRS309 are awesome little switches :D
 

bhigh

Member
Oct 5, 2016
40
18
8
49
Everything is copper right now. I don't need faster networking outside of the one room so fiber doesn't have any real benefit to me.

I'd like to avoid relying on SFP modules for all ports due to heat and power, but those are both good options if I can find inexpensive modules.
 

nabsltd

Active Member
Jan 26, 2022
340
209
43
All of them have 40mm fans, which concerns me from a noise perspective.
I don't notice it at all, sitting about 5 feet behind me.

Now, when it boots, it revs up the fans to obnoxious level, but once the boot is finished, they are essentially silent.
 

bhigh

Member
Oct 5, 2016
40
18
8
49
If it's all in one room can you use DACs or AOCs? Both of those will be cheaper and lower-power options than 10GbaseT, I suspect.
I wasn't aware that DACs are a thing outside of music playback. :) Those would work great, and 10Gbps SPF+ NICs cost less than those with RJ45 too!
 
  • Like
Reactions: kpfleming

arbedub

New Member
Jul 16, 2022
1
1
1
How many ports do you need? The Zyxel 1250-12 is hitting some sweet-spots right now for a 4 port 10Gb managed switch.

VLAN support, but basic management only and no POE or LACP. It does have a tiny fan but runs very very quietly.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bhigh

Allan74

Member
May 15, 2019
132
13
18
Like others, I also have a Netgear MS510TX and have no complaints. It does what it says it will and isn't loud.
While the Web UI is a bit dated, all of the functionality you would expect from a switch at it's price point (if you can find one) is included.

I would guy it again. It's a great >1Gbe/Multi-Gig starter switch that can be repurposed down the road as your network grows.