Exploring the creation of an OPNsense router
Exploring the creation of an OPNsense router
Hello. You're considering setting up an OPNsense or pfSense router since your current one has been acting up—sometimes it won't connect, restarts unexpectedly, and you've tried various fixes. You're planning to upgrade from gigabit to 10 gigabit, which is a worthwhile move given the cost difference. Your lab setup includes 12 servers and several computers, most of which run on 2.5GbE, making the upgrade practical. You're open to different options and are thinking about both performance and form factor. Some people suggest the Ryzen 5 5600G while others recommend the i3-10100. What components would you typically advise? You're flexible on price and size, as long as it meets your needs.
The router from your ISP has issues such as slow performance, connectivity problems, or frequent restarts.
specifically for performance, you don’t require much setup to run pfSense. The i3 would work fine, though I wouldn’t even consider the tenth generation. I own a pfSense router running an i5 8th gen processor. The key point is choosing the right network card—compatibility matters. Intel network cards tend to be more reliable. I’m using an Intel NIC with two 10 Gbps ports built into the x520 chipset.
A nearby shop needed to clear out stock, which made it easy for me to secure a Ryzen 5 3600 for 20€ brand new plus an ASROCK A520M-ITX. I added some ADATA XPG D10 RAM and an 8GB module. The Intel X540-T2 cost around 85€. Everything seems to be working well so far. It’s connected to a 10G switch and hasn’t had any issues yet.