Best 10GbE Switch for a Home Lab: Check Your Ports First

Before choosing a 10GbE switch, look at the 10G port on each machine you plan to connect. If it is an ordinary-looking network jack (RJ45, 10GBASE-T), an SFP+ switch needs a copper module for every one of them — and MikroTik recommends putting those modules in every second cage, not side by side. On that guidance an eight-cage SFP+ switch takes four RJ45 devices, not eight. Across the five switches below, the number of 10G RJ45 devices runs from one to five.

Quick picks

• Up to four machines with built-in 10G RJ45 ports, plus the uplink: TP-Link TL-SX105. Five 10GBASE-T ports, no modules to buy, no fan.
• RJ45 machines plus one SFP+ device, or a rack: NETGEAR XS505M. Four 10G RJ45 ports and a combo port that takes either copper or an SFP+ module. It has a fan.
• Five to eight machines on SFP+ cards or DAC cables: MikroTik CRS309-1G-8S+IN. Eight SFP+ cages, passively cooled.
• Three or four SFP+ machines: MikroTik CRS305-1G-4S+IN. Four SFP+ cages and one gigabit port.
• A NAS and one server at 10G, everything else at gigabit: MikroTik CSS610-8G-2S+IN. Two SFP+ cages plus eight gigabit ports.

Check the TP-Link TL-SX105 on Amazon↗

Why the port count is not the device count

A 10G port comes in one of two shapes. RJ45 is the familiar network jack and runs 10GBASE-T over twisted-pair cable. SFP+ is an empty cage that takes a module: an optical transceiver, a direct-attach copper (DAC) cable, or an RJ45 module that turns the cage into a 10GBASE-T jack.

The RJ45 module is where the port count stops meaning what it seems to. MikroTik’s guidance for its S+RJ10 module, last updated in April 2025, puts its average draw at 2.7W on a 30 m 10GBASE-T link, against a 0.8W maximum for its S+85DLC03D optical module, and says the module itself can reach 90°C. Because of that heat, MikroTik recommends placing S+RJ10 modules in every second interface, with an optical module or an empty cage between them — and says this holds even on the CRS309-1G-8S+, whose cages are physically separated.

Apply that to the switches in this guide and the count of 10G RJ45 devices comes out as:

• TL-SX105: 5, from five RJ45 ports — no modules needed
• XS505M: 5, from four RJ45 ports plus the combo port used as copper
• CRS309-1G-8S+IN: 4, from eight SFP+ cages
• CRS305-1G-4S+IN: 2, from four SFP+ cages
• CSS610-8G-2S+IN: 1, from two SFP+ cages

The SFP+ switches take half their cage count in RJ45 devices. The two copper switches take every port, because the copper is built in.

There is a second condition. MikroTik’s guidance asks for additional cooling — more airflow, or a lower room temperature — when S+RJ10 modules sit beside each other or are used in passively cooled devices, and all three MikroTik switches here are passively cooled. MikroTik’s product page for the module says the same thing more briefly: it is supported on passive devices “but may require an extra cooling.” So the counts above are what MikroTik’s layout rule allows, on a shelf with air around it, not a figure for a closed cabinet.

None of this matters if your machines already have SFP+ ports. Then a DAC cable or an optical module goes in each cage, the every-second-cage rule does not apply, and the SFP+ switches are the dense option.

How we compared

Every port count and power figure comes from the manufacturer’s own specification page: TP-Link for the TL-SX105, NETGEAR for the XS505M, and MikroTik for the CRS309-1G-8S+IN, CRS305-1G-4S+IN and CSS610-8G-2S+IN. Manufacturer figures, not our own measurements. We have not put a meter on any of these switches.

The RJ45 device count is the number of built-in 10G RJ45 ports, plus the XS505M’s combo port, plus half the remaining SFP+ cages rounded down. The halving is MikroTik’s every-second-interface recommendation, applied to MikroTik’s own switches.

Four limits are worth stating rather than smoothing over:

• MikroTik’s guide has a stricter line for block cages. On devices with 4- or 8-cage blocks it recommends one S+RJ10 per four-cage block, with an empty row after it. We read that as applying to stacked cage blocks, which none of the MikroTik switches here has; read literally for a row of four, it would put the CRS305-1G-4S+IN at one RJ45 device rather than two.
• SFP+ power figures include modules, and the makers do not say which. MikroTik lists 23W for the CRS309-1G-8S+IN and 18W for the CRS305-1G-4S+IN “with attachments”, and 11W for the CSS610-8G-2S+IN against 5W without. We have not added the 2.7W per S+RJ10 on top, because the published figure may already assume modules of that kind.
• The copper switches state no test conditions. TP-Link’s 21.4W for the TL-SX105 and NETGEAR’s 22.5W for the XS505M are maximum figures with no port load or supply voltage given. The XS505M figure does not include a module in its combo port.
• We left out the Ubiquiti USW-Aggregation. It is an eight-cage SFP+ switch, and Ubiquiti’s own SFP+ to RJ45 adapter lists 1.9W maximum, but Ubiquiti publishes no guidance on how many adapters can sit side by side. Without that, we cannot give it an RJ45 device count.

Warranty terms for the MikroTik switches are not given here: MikroTik publishes no standard warranty term, and warranty is handled by the distributor.

The switches

TP-Link TL-SX105 (5-port 10G RJ45)

TP-Link · $$$

VerdictTP-Link TL-SX105: five 10G RJ45 ports with nothing to add and no fan

Strengths

• Five 10GBASE-T ports that also run at 100M, 1G, 2.5G and 5G
• Five RJ45 devices at 10G without buying a single module
• Fanless, three-year warranty from TP-Link

Trade-offs

• Unmanaged: no VLANs, no link aggregation
• No SFP+ cage, so an SFP+ machine cannot join without a converter
• 21.4W maximum, published without test conditions

If every 10G machine you own has an RJ45 port, this covers them with no module arithmetic at all. The ports also negotiate down, so a 2.5G mini PC or a 5G adapter links at its own speed rather than dropping to gigabit. Five ports is also the ceiling, and the link to the rest of the network takes one of them, so four machines plus an uplink is the realistic fit.

NETGEAR XS505M (4x 10G RJ45 + 1 SFP+ combo)

NETGEAR · $$$

VerdictNETGEAR XS505M: four RJ45 ports and a combo port, for a lab that is mostly copper with one SFP+ device

Strengths

• Four 10G RJ45 ports plus a combo port that takes copper or an SFP+ module
• Desktop or rack mount, five-year warranty
• 22.5W maximum, within about a watt of the TL-SX105

Trade-offs

• One low-noise fan, listed at 28.8 dB — the only switch here with a fan
• The combo port is one port, not two: copper or SFP+, not both
• Unmanaged, like the TL-SX105

The combo port is the reason to pick this over the TL-SX105. A NAS with an SFP+ card or a DAC run to a second switch goes in port 5, and the four copper machines keep their RJ45 ports, with no RJ45 module in any SFP+ cage. The trade is noise: NETGEAR lists one fan at 28.8 dB, which is fine in a closet or rack and noticeable on a desk.

MikroTik CRS309-1G-8S+IN (8x SFP+ 10G)

MikroTik · $$$

VerdictMikroTik CRS309-1G-8S+IN: eight SFP+ cages, four of them usable for RJ45 devices

Strengths

• Eight SFP+ cages and one gigabit management port
• Passively cooled, 162 Gbps switching capacity
• The only switch here with more than five 10G ports

Trade-offs

• Four RJ45 devices at most on MikroTik's every-second-cage guidance
• Extra cooling needed for S+RJ10 modules in a passive box, per MikroTik
• Rack mounting is a separate accessory

With SFP+ cards or DAC cables on the machines, this is eight 10G ports in a silent box, and the most 10G machines of anything here. With RJ45 machines it becomes a four-device switch that also needs air around it. MikroTik names this model in its guidance: separated cages or not, it does not recommend S+RJ10 modules side by side.

MikroTik CRS305-1G-4S+IN (4x SFP+ 10G)

MikroTik · $$

VerdictMikroTik CRS305-1G-4S+IN: four SFP+ cages for a small 10G core

Strengths

• Four SFP+ cages and one gigabit port, passively cooled
• 82 Gbps switching capacity
• 18W maximum with attachments

Trade-offs

• Two RJ45 devices on the every-second-cage rule, one on the stricter reading
• Only one gigabit port for the rest of the network
• Rack mounting is a separate accessory

Four machines on SFP+ — a NAS, two hosts and an uplink — is what this switch is for. For RJ45 machines it is a small switch: four cages, two copper devices, and a line in MikroTik’s guide that can be read as one.

MikroTik CSS610-8G-2S+IN (8x GbE + 2x SFP+)

MikroTik · $$

VerdictMikroTik CSS610-8G-2S+IN: two 10G links and eight gigabit ports

Strengths

• Two SFP+ cages for a NAS and one server, eight gigabit ports for the rest
• 11W maximum with modules, 5W without
• Rack ears included in the box

Trade-offs

• One RJ45 device at most on MikroTik's guidance
• Runs SwOS Lite, not RouterOS
• Passively cooled, so an S+RJ10 needs airflow

Many home labs have one or two machines that move large files and a handful that do not. This keeps the handful on gigabit and gives the two busy machines 10G, at the lowest published maximum of anything here. If one of the two has an RJ45 port and the other SFP+, the switch still works: one S+RJ10 module in one cage and a DAC cable in the other follows MikroTik’s layout rule.

Compared on the makers’ figures

10G RJ45 devices counts built-in RJ45 ports, the XS505M's combo port used as copper, and half of any other SFP+ cages rounded down, following MikroTik's recommendation to put S+RJ10 modules in every second cage. On the passively cooled MikroTik switches, MikroTik also asks for additional cooling when S+RJ10 modules are used. The XS505M's SFP+ cage is its combo port, not a sixth port. Power is each manufacturer's published maximum; the MikroTik figures include unspecified modules.

Model	10G RJ45 ports	SFP+ cages	10G RJ45 devices	1G ports	Max power (W)	Fanless
TP-Link TL-SX105 (5-port 10G RJ45)TP-Link	5	0	5	0	21.4	Yes
NETGEAR XS505M (4x 10G RJ45 + 1 SFP+ combo)NETGEAR	4	1	5	0	22.5	No
MikroTik CRS309-1G-8S+IN (8x SFP+ 10G)MikroTik	0	8	4	1	23	Yes
MikroTik CRS305-1G-4S+IN (4x SFP+ 10G)MikroTik	0	4	2	1	18	Yes
MikroTik CSS610-8G-2S+IN (8x GbE + 2x SFP+)MikroTik	0	2	1	8	11	Yes

Read the focus column against the SFP+ column beside it: eight cages give four, four give two, two give one. The two switches with built-in copper are the only ones where every 10G port can take an RJ45 machine. The power column is in the same range for four of the five, 18W to 23W, so it does not decide between them; the switch power comparison covers what 10G costs to run against gigabit.

Which switch, by what your machines plug in with

The question is what kind of 10G port your machines have and how many of them there are. The matrix crosses the two.

Counts are 10G machines. Leave a port for the uplink to the rest of the network: on the TL-SX105 and XS505M it is one of the five 10G ports, so each takes four 10G machines plus the uplink. In the mixed row, the CSS610-8G-2S+IN takes one RJ45 and one SFP+ machine, the XS505M up to three RJ45 machines and one SFP+ device on its combo port, and the CRS309-1G-8S+IN up to four RJ45 machines with the rest on SFP+. Five or more RJ45 machines is beyond every switch here.

Use case	2 machines	3 or 4 machines	5 to 8 machines
All RJ45 (built-in 10GBASE-T)	TP-Link TL-SX105 (5-port 10G RJ45)	TP-Link TL-SX105 (5-port 10G RJ45)	—
All SFP+ (SFP+ cards or DAC)	MikroTik CSS610-8G-2S+IN (8x GbE + 2x SFP+)	MikroTik CRS305-1G-4S+IN (4x SFP+ 10G)	MikroTik CRS309-1G-8S+IN (8x SFP+ 10G)
A mix of RJ45 and SFP+	MikroTik CSS610-8G-2S+IN (8x GbE + 2x SFP+)	NETGEAR XS505M (4x 10G RJ45 + 1 SFP+ combo)	MikroTik CRS309-1G-8S+IN (8x SFP+ 10G)

The RJ45 row is the one that surprises people. Two machines or four, the answer is the same switch, because nothing in the SFP+ group takes more than four RJ45 devices on MikroTik’s guidance and the TL-SX105 takes four machines and the uplink with nothing added. At five or more RJ45 machines there is no answer on this page: the copper switches stop at five ports including the uplink, and the CRS309-1G-8S+IN stops at four RJ45 devices. That is the point to look at a larger 10GBASE-T switch, or to put SFP+ cards in some of the machines.

The SFP+ row is the opposite. With DAC cables or optics in every cage, the rule about spacing does not apply, and the switch with the most cages simply wins as the machine count grows.

The mixed row is where the XS505M earns its place. Three copper machines, one SFP+ device and the uplink fit on it with no RJ45 module anywhere, which none of the MikroTik switches can say. The price of that is the fan. If the mix grows past one SFP+ device, the CRS309-1G-8S+IN takes over, provided the RJ45 machines stop at four.

DAC, optics or RJ45 modules

When a machine and the switch are in the same rack, a DAC cable is the simple SFP+ link: a fixed cable with the module ends built on, nothing else to buy. For longer runs, optical modules — MikroTik quotes 0.8W maximum for its S+85DLC03D — are the low-power choice and do not carry the spacing rule. The RJ45 module is the one for existing twisted-pair cable across the house, and the one with the 2.7W average draw and the placement limits.

If a machine has an RJ45 port and the run is short, it may be simpler to match the switch to the machine than the other way round. That is the whole case for the TL-SX105 and XS505M.

Frequently asked questions

Should I get SFP+ or 10GBASE-T?

Match the switch to the machines. If they have RJ45 10G ports, a 10GBASE-T switch connects each one with no module; the TL-SX105 and XS505M take five. If they have SFP+ cards, an SFP+ switch with DAC cables or optics is the denser option, and the CRS309-1G-8S+IN takes eight.

How many RJ45 modules can I put in an SFP+ switch?

On MikroTik’s guidance, one in every second cage: four in the eight-cage CRS309-1G-8S+IN, two in the four-cage CRS305-1G-4S+IN, one in the two-cage CSS610-8G-2S+IN. MikroTik also asks for extra cooling when the switch is passively cooled, which all three are. It is a recommendation for avoiding overheating, which MikroTik says can cause unpredictable behavior, rather than a hard limit the switch enforces.

How much power does an SFP+ to RJ45 module use?

MikroTik gives 2.7W average for its S+RJ10 on a 30 m 10GBASE-T link. Ubiquiti lists 1.9W maximum for its SFP+ to RJ45 adapter. For comparison, MikroTik’s S+85DLC03D optical module is 0.8W maximum.

Do I need a managed 10G switch?

Only if the 10G machines need VLANs or link aggregation. The TL-SX105 and XS505M are unmanaged. The CRS309-1G-8S+IN and CRS305-1G-4S+IN run RouterOS or SwOS, and the CSS610-8G-2S+IN runs SwOS Lite.

Can I mix 10G and gigabit machines on one switch?

Yes. The TL-SX105 and XS505M ports negotiate down to 1G and below. The CSS610-8G-2S+IN is built for that layout: two 10G cages for the machines that need them, eight gigabit ports for the rest. For a lab that is mainly gigabit, our home lab switch guide compares the gigabit switches, and the PoE switch guide covers powering access points and cameras.

Is 10G worth it for a NAS?

If you copy large files, often yes. Seagate’s IronWolf product page quotes sustained transfer rates of 180MB/s for its NAS drives, above the 125MB/s a 1G link can carry, so even one drive can outrun gigabit on a long sequential copy, and several drives or SSDs outrun it by more. Our NAS drive guide and NAS mini PC comparison cover the machine side, and the power cost calculator works out what a switch costs to run at your rate.