NICs - LAN ports should be coming from Intel.

RAM - you must have enough for the packages you want to run.

CPU must be powerful enough to route your internet traffic.

Not everyone is the same, but there are some common requirements that any hardware must fulfil.

If you need to use IDS (Intrusion Detection) or IPS (Intrusion Prevention), such as Snort or Suricata, you will want to have more memory. On the other hand, if you need to run your traffic through a VPN tunnel, the CPU needs to be able to handle it. For example, your hardware needs are lower if you are using pfSense 'just' as a router or firewall without more advanced packages. The hardware recommendation will depend on your needs. The question we often get is, 'What hardware should I get for pfSense?'. Most of our customers are fans of pfSense, the most popular open-source operating system for routers. We sell quite a lot of open-source hardware. This article was last updated on December 29, 2022 What hardware to buy for pfSense router in 2023

Pfsense home router