2.5Gb/s can easily be done with a lot of laptops and workstations these days; 10 Gb/s isn't quite there yet (and 25, 40 and 100Gb/s are definitely in the server-only fiber-or-DAC-only realm)
2.5Gb/s can easily be done with a lot of laptops and workstations these days; 10 Gb/s isn't quite there yet (and 25, 40 and 100Gb/s are definitely in the server-only fiber-or-DAC-only realm)
It's also easy to open and replace the fan with something less noisy. Just remove a few screws, it's a standard size with a normal connector on it.
There's also big external heatsink so you could rig up a big, slow, fan to help it out a bit.
If you want to be green by the way, use fiber/DAC. The 10G copper SFP+ modules are power hungry, and Mikrotik recommends not placing them next to each other. Also the extra power draw is likely to result in fan use if you have a lot of them.
The Mikrotik ones (S+RJ10) are based on Marvel chip and they are the more power hungry / run over 30m only variety. On the other hand, they can negotiate 2.5G or 5G if necessary and support a proprietary protocol to tell the switch about it, so you will that in SFP+ properties.
As I have written in the sibling comment, I have good experience with BCM84891-based transceivers. CRS305 can handle two (still not next to each other, obviously).
Mikrotik CRS305 (4xSFP+) and CRS309 (8xSFP+) are both passively cooled. They are pretty much silent :) though the blue led takes some tape to be less shiny.
> 10 Gb/s isn't quite there yet
If you really, really need RJ45, look into BCM84891-based transceivers. They still get hot, but not as much as others (according to datasheet, takes 1.6W at 30m and 2W at 80m). I also managed to get stable 10g over 20m Cat5e with them.
There are a few quiet 10 GbE switches, the passive Mikrotik ones others are mentioning, but this one is a quiet actively cooled one if you want RJ45: https://www.qnap.com/en-us/product/qsw-1208-8c (Lots of combo RJ45/SFP+ ports)