homelab

I think I'm ready to elevate from bonded 1G networking to 10GB. I tend to have used/old netgear equipment at home, purchased on the cheap. I think I'm finally seeing enough latency when trying to run OS's on my proxmox server with storage on my TrueNAS that I want to move to 10G networking.

Looking to replace my existing 12-port L3 switch (6 ports are occupied) with either RJ-45 or SFP based 10G, I think I will need realistically 16 ports. Storage will specifically be moved from my 48 port L2 witch with 4-1G bonds, carrying storage and networking, to probably 2 10G bonds dedicated to storage, which currently means I need an additional 6 ports right now, so 12 total used, then planning for future expansion, 16 port minimum.

I've been crawling ebay, but the barrier to entry is way higher than my foray from unmanaged to managed networking. I keep landing on Netgear M4300, where the price ranges from about $1000-$2400. I can save up for these, but is there a better way to get into 10G? I've seen some HP Procurve switches that seem way more cost reasonable, but my networking peers have told me to completely stay away from HP networking.

Any thoughts are appreciated!