MikroTik CRS510

Sep 22, 2023

MikroTik has a new 25GbE/ 100GbE switch, and it is very similar to what we have already reviewed on STH. The MikroTik CRS510-8XS-2XQ-IN has eight 25GbE ports and two 100GbE ports along with another ridiculous array of power options.

This CRS510-8XS-2XQ-IN is a familiar 1U rack-mountable desktop form factor that we have seen previously. The biggest innovation is the port count (8x SFP28, 2x QSFP28.) One other small detail we noticed is that MikroTik has a new labeling look to this generation of switch.

The new CRS510-8XS-2XQ-IN switch looks almost like it is a variant of the MikroTik CRS504-4XQ-IN we reviewed.

Indeed, it most likely is. Instead of having the four QSFP28 ports, it retains two but breaks out two ports into two sets of four SFP28 ports.

There are a few key differences aside from the port count. The new CRS510-8XS-2XQ-IN has twice the memory (128MB v. 64MB) and twice the storage (32MB v. 16MB) as the CRS504 and CRS518 have but is otherwise very similar with the same 32-bit Arm processor (QCA9531) and Marvell Prestera 98DX4310 switch chip as we saw in the CRS504.

MikroTik is still using a dual-fan design. At this power consumption level, airflow is generally needed, but not a huge amount. The CRS518 had swappable fans, but we prefer 4-pin PWM fan connectors on these. MikroTik says the unit, without optics, can use up to 27W and a maximum of 45W. That is a few watts higher than the CRS504 we reviewed due to the additional cages on the switch.

The pricing we have seen thus far is in the $999 range MSRP so between the MikroTik CRS504-4XQ-IN Review and the MikroTik CRS518-16XS-2XQ-RM. We expect once these become available they will sell for a bit below that. We have yet to be able to order one to review so this may change. This feels a bit redundant with the CRS504, but we will still plan to take a look.

Now, MikroTik, if you are out there listening, see our recent TP-Link TL-SH1832 review for new product ideas.