Intel is experiencing network issues: The I226-V controller is prone to connection loss

An issue with the Intel I226-V, a 2.5 Gb/s Ethernet controller found in Intel Z790, H770, and B760 motherboards, is causing an increase in network faults. These motherboards use the Intel Socket 1700 (LGA1700) and a 700 series chipset.

This issue has been reported in various forums, including Intel's in-house support community, the Microsoft forum, and Asus' official customer service. The problem with the connection breaks when using a socket 1700 mainboard with an Intel Ethernet controller I226-V is usually temporary, lasting only a few seconds and often not noticed by the user. However, these disconnections can be noticeable for applications that require an uninterrupted connection, such as online gaming, video conferencing, clients, remote desktops, and VPN connections. In the Windows Event Viewer, the disconnection is logged accordingly as Event 27 or Event 32 ("Intel Ethernet Controller I226-V, Network link is disconnected").

Intel Ethernet Controller I226-V loses the connection (Image: TechPowerUp)

The I226-V's descendant, the Intel I225-V, which was also built for 2.5 Gb/s network connections, battled with these issues and could often only be run consistently at 1 Gb/s. There is currently no solution in sight for those facing this problem. Affected users can temporarily switch to the slower 1 GB/s connection on high-end Intel Raptor Lake and Intel Alder Lake boards, which often include two network controllers. All other users must wait for fresh Intel drivers or BIOS upgrades from motherboard manufacturers. However, whether this approach can fix the problem is debatable. The Intel I225-V Ethernet controller is still affected by the issue and must be used in forced 1 Gb/s duplex mode depending on the application.

It should be noted that the third revision of the Intel I225-V Ethernet controller is no longer affected by the problem and Killer-type network controllers, originally developed by Killer Gaming and now owned by Intel, also appear to be unaffected by this issue. Only the I225-V - with the exception of the 3rd revision - and the I226-V, as it can be installed on current mainboards with Z790, H770, and B760 chipsets, are experiencing disconnections.

We've also tried to replicate this issue on our end, to date, without success on three different systems we checked.