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While we're talking routers I'll plug Mikrotik. Some basic knowledge of the Linux networking stack is required so they're not great for a general user, but for ~$50 I got a device that handles my setup with ease (Ipv4 over PPPoE and IPv6 over 6rd) and I'm seeing throughput significantly higher than my previous router which was a Zotac mini computer running pfsense. If you are more toward the power user / networking nerd end of the spectrum I'd recommend Mikrotik.

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They also make a great 16 port SFP+ 10G switch (CRS317-1G-16S+RM) usually available for ~$350 which is nice for a prosumer setup. They also have a 10/100/1000/2500/5000/10000 RJ45 transceiver which is nice because it lets you migrate things over without having to upgrade everything or buy a separate multirate gigabit switch.

I do my actual routing on a Ubiquiti EdgeRouter though I've used MikroTik there as well in the past. I avoid most other Ubiquiti products though, particularly the UniFi line.

In both cases HW accelerated NAT and routing greatly outperforms an unaccelerated ARM/x86 Linux/BSD PC. Particularly when it comes to new session latencies not just saturating the bandwidth.

yeah their stuff is pretty good

but as you say it's a pretty thin layer on top of the Linux stack

(e.g. you have to understand iptables else you'll get nowhere)

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