Realtek vs Intel networking.
Realtek vs Intel networking.
The Intel chipsets offer improved support for tools such as hypervisors. From a user-space perspective, they should deliver a similar experience, though Realtek has generally been considered lower quality in this area.
For everyday tasks such as browsing and gaming, the choice between Intel and Realtek really doesn’t matter much.
I've consistently noticed that Intel delivers better real-world performance compared to Realtek.
They're frustrated with the USB 2.5Gbit chipset they received, as it cut development of the Linux driver in favor of using the standard USB/IP driver. The generic driver doesn't support jumbo frames and constantly logs link-up/down messages to syslog. Meanwhile, Intel is actively working on improving the drivers, though their code may still need significant refinement before acceptance.