Do I226-V problems come from the computer parts (hardware) or the programs and settings (software)?
Do I226-V problems come from the computer parts (hardware) or the programs and settings (software)?
Hey everyone, TL;DR: Do Intel I226-V network cards need a driver update or a new board? I've been thinking about buying a Z790 build but most of the stuff I've read says people have problems with this chip no matter what motherboard they use. I know Intel made an updated driver that turns off EEE (energy saving) for fast speeds like 1 Gbps and 2.5 Gbps at a link to a specific URL, but it's just a temporary fix and some guys said it doesn't work. So my question is: Is this a hardware problem that needs a new chip revision, or does everyone know it's mostly a software issue that will get fixed with a driver update? I'm asking because I'm looking at the Z790 Hero which only has one network card (the I226-V), and if it's a hardware flaw, I don't want to have to return the board. Some might say go for a more expensive board like the Z790 Extreme that has two cards instead, but that costs way too much money and is out of my budget range. Another option would be to buy a separate PCIe network card, which feels silly to me anyway. So if it's just a software glitch and they fix it with a driver update, I'll wait patiently and use WiFi for now. But if it is actually broken hardware, then I probably won't go Z790 until there are new chip revisions coming out later on.
What I've heard says it's a hardware problem that only works if you change the chip design made after these devices. There was also an issue with the i225 chip in some ways. It would be nice to get high-end motherboards by using older, more stable 1gbit chips instead. I have no idea how to figure out which ones are affected or how to identify them. Even if you check when the motherboard was made, that might not help if they used chips from earlier times. I know the i225 one only had a problem at 2.5Gbps so it wasn't that big of an issue for me. I don't know if the i226 has the same problem at both 1G and 2.5G. They seem to be rushing out products too fast, which is strange for Intel. Saving energy on a network port is just stupid because it uses so little power. They probably wasted more electricity making those defective chips that had to be destroyed than they will ever save by adding this silly feature.
Thanks Bill. I'm probably going to skip buying a Z790 card until this problem gets fixed. I agree that there should have been another choice like the I226-V NIC, but because of some talks with Intel, they seem stuck using only it for most boards. When I read on the Intel forums, there are WAY too many angry people complaining. It would make sense if this was just a one-time mistake in the I225-V, but this problem kept happening to the I226-V NIC? Honestly, that's disgraceful, especially since it's being used on the best Z790 boards right now
Some people sell Z790 boards that don't have Intel parts. I can't recall the specific one, but back in December I built a computer for someone using an Asrock board with a Realtek 2.5G chip even though it was labeled Z790.
If you are buying a cheap motherboard, your internet connection might not work well later on. The cards often break down over time, especially when trying to talk fast and lose their speed. They slow down from gigahertz speeds all the way down to just 100 megabits per second. Buy an extra card instead so you get more speed at 2.5 Gbps.