Hardware for 25 Gbit/s Fiber Internet Connection (Router + Firewall)

[25Gbits]

Hello guys

My Provider Init7 is offering 10 Gbit/s and 25 Gbit/s Fiber Internet Connection now. However, he does not offer good hardware for these internet connections. Currenly, I use the Mikrotik CCR2004 which they sell with the internet connection but it is terrible. The Mikrotik router is slow in routing, extremely loud even at 1 Gbit/s Routing (cannot put it into my living room), non existing switching performance due to no dedicated switching chip.

Now I found OPNsense.

I already have a Ryzen 5950X System with 128 GByte RAM here and a Threadripper Pro with 32 cores and 256 GByte RAM. However, I need both systems for production in a windows environment. Would it be possible / efficient to run OPNsense on the Threadripper in a VM and do the routing and firewall work?

If I wanted to build a dedicated system as a Router and Firewall for the 25 Gbit/s connection that can actually do the 25 Gbit/s Thoughput what kind of hardware would I need? Of course 25 Gbit/s is not my 24/7 traffic but if I need to upload stuff to my 10G servers, I want it to be done fast and / or without blocking the remaining internet bandwidth. Two 10Gbit/s uploads are totally realistic. Hence, the Hardware must be capable of handling 25Gbit/s Throughput. What kind of hardware would I require for a dedicated system that runs OPNsense?

I would connect the PC via a SFP28 NIC directly to the Fiber connector via fiber cable. Then I would connect the Router PC with multiple links to my 10G Switch. If there was a good way to build a 25 Gbit/s Switch into the dedicated Router PC as well, I would welcome that option as well. Otherwise I plan to get a 25 Gbit/s Switch mid term.

Watercooling the System, for instance with an external solution like Mora3, is an option.