Intel I225-V and I226-V Ethernet micro-drops connection while gaming
The 2.5 GbE Intel I225-V and I226-V onboard Ethernet controllers suffer from hardware packet buffer drops when Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) powers down the PHY transceiver.
Internal desktop parts run on harmless 12V DC voltage and cannot shock you. Simply unplug the wall power cable first, then touch the unpainted metal case frame to ground static electricity.
Common Symptoms & Tells
- Ethernet connection drops for 2-3 seconds and reconnects during multiplayer games or Discord calls
- Event Viewer shows e2fnexpress Event ID 27: 'Intel Ethernet Controller network link is disconnected'
- Affects Intel Z690, Z790, and B650 / X670 motherboards with 2.5G ports
Interactive Fix Checklist
0 of 4 steps completedDisable Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) in adapter settings
Open Device Manager > Network adapters > Intel Ethernet Controller > Properties > Advanced tab > Scroll to 'Energy Efficient Ethernet' and set to Disabled.
Disable Ultra Low Power Mode and Green Ethernet
In the same Advanced tab, set 'Ultra Low Power Mode' to Disabled, and set 'Green Ethernet' to Disabled.
Force Link Speed to 1.0 Gbps Full Duplex
If connecting to a 1 Gbps Gigabit home router, change 'Speed & Duplex' from 'Auto Negotiation' to '1.0 Gbps Full Duplex' to prevent continuous negotiation renegotiation.
Install Intel NVM Firmware Update from motherboard support
Visit your motherboard support page and download the 'Intel I225/I226 NVM Firmware Update tool' to flash the onboard network controller microcode.
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