One thing I’ll add for anyone finding this thread later: for a 1 Gbit connection, the bottleneck is rarely the raw ISP speed. It’s almost always routing quality, Wi-Fi placement, or how many devices are competing at once. I remember @shybry747 telling me about his challenge with Wi-Fi signal at home.
You can often get more real-world improvement by separating roles instead of replacing everything at once. Keep the modem, use a capable router or firewall, and treat Wi-Fi as its own layer with properly placed access points.
Also worth noting that “budget” does not have to mean consumer-grade. Used or refurbished prosumer gear often outperforms brand-new consumer routers at the same price point, especially once you factor in stability and longevity.
Curious to hear what setups people are actually running long-term at home on gigabit+ and where they’ve seen the biggest gains or the plan for them.