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In Reply to: RE: More computer related than audio related, but. . . posted by Chris from Lafayette on September 23, 2024 at 17:36:43
First, why do you need anything over 100Mbps? Seriously, you're not going to notice anything on basic browsing and streaming. Most of the sites servers don't have anything above gigabyte switches either.Secondly, none of your PCs support anything over 1GB. You require a new ethernet board for your computer and only a few new computers might have 2.5GB ethernet. And then, if you're on CAT5, you might not be able to do 2.5GB and would need to re-wire your cables.
Of course, your old switches and routers have to be upgraded for 2.5GB too.
But the real reason is that unless you're uploading terabytes of porn, you're never going to see the difference between 1GB and 2.5.
Our Cox internet sucks and is intermittent, so I downgraded to 50Mbps. Upload only gives my 19Mbps, but I don't upload stuff. It's takes a while, who cares. But I still get 290Mbps download after paying only for 50Mbps.
Send back the 2GB modem.
-Rod
Edits: 09/23/24Follow Ups:
having 724 Mbps down via AT&T Fiber really is nice. It seems you are now waiting on websites rather than the other way around.
As you indicated, however, 10 Gbps ethernet connectivity is rare.
. . . and is no more expensive than the old modem was. I did buy the new switch I mentioned however.
That's disappointing news about the lack of 2Gb capabilities on most computers. I will let you know of future developments (and what Xfinity may have to say) on this issue however.
Thanks for the info!
You can pickup a 2.5GB Ethernet PCIE card for $20 -$25 and use that for your computer's ethernet connection. If that doesn't work for you you can buy a 2.5GB USB to Ethernet connector for your computer - that is what I'm currently using on my machine.
As mentioned, check your cables. Some cat 5 cables may work but I switched over to cat 6.
I doubt the computer could support it over USB either. Maybe over Thunderbolt, and then you'd need a TB cable. A 2019 computer just won't be able to use it. I'm running an M1 MBA and it can do the 1gbps that no other computer or device in my house can. And as others have said, does it really matter? Nothing we do these days needs that kind of speed. You only need a tiny fraction of that to run DSD512 or DxD 24/384. And how much material supports that?
Your iMac's ethernet port only supports up to 1 gigabit per second. It has usb 3.0 ports which support up to 5 gbps so, in order to maximize your connection, you need something like this:
And get a good cable too. If your iMac has a combined usb-c/TB port use a TB cable. Newer Apple silicon Macs all have them. I don't know about 2019 iMacs but probably does too. My 2015 iMac does not have that, but my 2016 MBP does.
It's kind of funny how we talk about digital cables for audio, where I don't think they make a difference, but for high speed computer applications they are important because they need to meet the standards.
The adapter is supposed to arrive later today. I think I'll try the TB port first.
The USB-C port is just the physical connector and should carry 5 Gbps or 10 Gbps just fine but as you stated, the newer Macs have a combined USB-C/Thunderbolt port. So in order to get the highest possible speed you have to buy an actual Thunderbolt cable. But I don't think this is necessary for the USB-C to Ethernet adapter. A high quality USB-C cable rated for USB 3.1 Gen 1 or Gen 2 should do. A Thunderbolt 3 or 4 cable would be rated for faster speeds but might cost a bit more. A Thunderbolt cable will have the bolt of lightning logo on it.They made USB so confusing!
The chart is a little old as it doesn't show Thunderbolt 4 and it will get even more confusing moving forward as USB makes more progress.
Edits: 09/26/24 09/26/24
Same max speed as my 2019 Intel-based iMac I referred to in my OP for this thread (just under 1Gb).
I don't understand why thunderbolt would be necessary. (And I do have a spare thunderbolt port on my 2024 Mac Mini.) But I'm connected as follows:
mac (either 2019 iMac or 2024 Mac Mini) -> Ethernet to 2Gb switch supporting 2Gb on each of its ports -> Ethernet to new Xfinity 2Gb cable modem. It's possible that one or both of these connections may use Cat5 cable (I don't remember), so I might swap it out with a Cat 6 cable if that would have a chance to improve things.
Is it really more complicated than this?
TB would only be necessary if you used an external device for the ethernet and maybe even that is overkill.
And to think, I do everything with my audio over the wifi and never have an issue, even with DSD 256. My old iMac couldn't convert to it fast enough but my M1 can.
As for speed though cables do matter. As does proper termination, and properly designed ports. Just because there is a USB-C connector doesn't mean that it can carry everything, same with ethernet cables.
"As for speed though cables do matter. As does proper termination, and properly designed ports. Just because there is a USB-C connector doesn't mean that it can carry everything, same with ethernet cables."It DOES matter especially at higher speeds approaching 10-Gigabit but in my experience even typical Cat5e cable from Home Depot or Amazon seems fully sufficient for home networking at 1-Gigabit speeds. That's what we ran in our previous home. But in a newer home I would opt for CAT6A which is what 's in our current home. 10-Gigabit adoption in homes have been slow due to cost but some folks are running 2.5 Gbs.
Mac Mini + Mac Studio are available with optional 10-Gigabit Ethernet for $99 additional. That's a decent price but I would have no way to take advantage of it in my 1-Gigabit network.
Don't get me started ranting about overpriced audiophile Ethernet cables. Those are TOTAL audiophoolery B.S.
Edits: 09/25/24
Whoops, I need to revise my last post. I paid for the 10G upgrade for my M2 Mac Mini. I went back, something I hadn't done before and measured my network speed. I am indeed getting the full 2.3 down and 400 up on that device as well attached to an extra 10G port on my Wifi 7 router. Sorry for the misinformation in the prior post.
That's great news! I'm sure you have your reason for needing that kind of speed - probably work or business related. I can't imagine anyone needing it for typical home internet and streaming. But it would be nice if my NAS backups were faster. I'm stuck at approximately 100 MB/Sec max which coincides with the 1-Gigabit Ethernet.
Edits: 09/25/24
I'd thought about upgrading our internet network for 2.5Gbps. My wife uses our NAS storage for all her documents and video work. It works for her as she's got a couple of workstations and a laptop so she can pull up anything on any of the PCs.
After looking at the cost for a new NAS and the other hardware and switches, it didn't seem worthwhile. Even doing video editing and exporting from the NAS, I wasn't convinced it would make a significant change. Exporting is the most intensive and depends on the CPU, GPU and lots of RAM. Moving the data to the NAS is nothing.
-Rod
My Synology NAS has 1-Gigabit Ethernet ports and I believe there's a way to configure two of them for port aggregation (teaming) but I'm not sure how w/o researching. Those ports would have to feed into a 2.5 Gbs switch that can aggregate those inputs and support 2.5 Gbs on another free port. This could solve the NAS bottleneck but then my Macs are all limited to 1-Gbs anyway. There are inexpensive USB-C to 2.5 Gbs Ethernet adapters but I have no idea how well those work. I've decided that it's not worth the effort for my needs but it could be something fun for you try and report back ;-)
If I had 2.5Gbps ports on my QNAP boxes, I'd think about it. It seems that all the new QNAP boxes do include 2.5Gbps ports, but buying another 8 drive box doesn't seem worth the whole cost of all the hardware needed.
-Rod
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