is there a "best" ethernet card?

Razz2525 · Post by **Razz2525** » Sun May 13, 2001 4:41 pm

I had to purchase a 10/100 Base-T Ethernet card for my RCN cable modem and I picked an SMC EZ card out of a hat (and paid only $20 for it so I'm hoping the cheap price doesn't necessarily reflect poor performance). Is there one that's better? What is the top of the line? I don't know much about Ethernet cards but this one I had to purchase for two-way cable service. Thanks for any info!

blebs · Post by **blebs** » Sun May 13, 2001 4:55 pm

Anything 3COM.

I have a 3C900B-TPO PCI NIC and it's just great! I think it's the cheapest in the line too. Intel makes some nice ones, but expensive!

I would suggest staying away from 3COM 3C450 card. I've been looking around and 3C905-TX is about $60.00 if that interests you at all. I still think the 900 can be had somewhere for less then $40.00. I found one here-http://www.egghead.com/category/inv/000 ... 297196.htm
Not as cheap as I thought.

[ 05-13-2001: Message edited by: blebs99 ]

bleach · Post by **bleach** » Sun May 13, 2001 5:25 pm

they're all the same more or less, you just pay an extra $50 when you buy a 3com for the name. of course everyone would rather buy a fancy 3com nic instead of a cheapie but it doesnt really matter, i'm using 2 smc ez nics in my network that were only $14 each and have had no problems with them at all

Duzmor · Post by **Duzmor** » Sun May 13, 2001 5:39 pm

Hi guy: I have a 3com 905c-tx-m sitting in a Intel box - I run an Intel Inbusiness 10/100 PCI network adapter #sa101tx- I found the driver support with 3com is real bad - The Intel is great
Duzmor

wee96 · Post by **wee96** » Sun May 13, 2001 9:39 pm

Any 10/100 PCI NIC is perfectly fine for broadband internet access. I would stay away from ISA NIC's as they use up far more CPU cycles (just by simply being ISA) and are running on a much slower bus. I have tested several NIC's side by side (SMC, Fairline, Linksys, 3com, etc) and havent seen enough of a speed difference to go out and buy a $100 dollar card.

darleema · Post by **darleema** » Sun May 13, 2001 9:46 pm

for cheap prize good quality ====d-link 20-25 $ it's wotrh it

Post by **YeOldeStonecat** » Sun May 13, 2001 9:53 pm

The SMCs and others around 20 dollars or more are OK.

I absolutely disagree entirely with anyone who tries to say any NIC equals any NIC, ...that is entirely untrue. There is absolutely no way a 19 dollar NIC can equal the performance of a 50 dollar 3COM 905 or a 90 dollar 3COM 990 with the XP processor on it, or even a 40 dollar Intel Etherpro 10/100. The throughput, stability, high traffic management, and low CPU utilization of a good 3COM or Intel NIC are pretty much untouched by anything else out there, especially home networking NICs in the sub 20 dollar range.

Now what matters is to ask yourself "What do I need a NIC for?" If it's just websurfing, e-mailing, and occasional online gaming, then pretty much any decent 19 dollar NIC will do for you. If you're hard into gaming, frequent LAN parties, wish to serve from your rig occasionally, or are building a server to host games to a couple of dozen players, then step up to a honkin 3COM or Intel NIC. You don't really see a performance difference from a single connection between them all, but get some concurrent connections on there, and you'll see the cheap ones start to freak out. It's just like any other component in your computer, such as a video card or modem. For some people, a S3 Virge or ATI video card, or a Lucent Winmodem is more than enough for them, and will do more than they ask of it. But for other hard core users, we want top notch components such as GeForce2 Ultra 64 or GeForce 3 cards, or back in the dial up days, and a good hardware controlled USR external 56k modem.

Again, it's all in how hard you want to push it.

JackMDS · Post by **JackMDS** » Sun May 13, 2001 10:16 pm

*********************************************

Network Card Roundup - Which is the Best PCI Network Card?

*********************************************

conical · Post by **conical** » Sun May 13, 2001 10:25 pm

Bleach summed it up in a nutshell but YeOldeStonecat has a vaild point. I use the Linksys FastEthernet 10/100 ($4.95 ea. after rebate) in two machines, a generic noname in one machine ($19.95), and an SMC ($9.95) in my Linux router. Our local LAN performs very fast and our shared broadband service has made us all very happy.

In actuallity I think it all boils down to the fact that the highly promoted brand names (whatever the product) always cost more, but....

Just buy what you can afford.

rmac · Post by **rmac** » Sun May 13, 2001 11:44 pm

Quite the contrary!. 3com cards are really bad. the best are nortel and cisco cards. they are expensive but bring alot of good features... ie WON, bandwidth throtle, and many other good features

Originally posted by blebs99:
Anything 3COM.
I have a 3C900B-TPO PCI NIC and it's just great! I think it's the cheapest in the line too. Intel makes some nice ones, but expensive!

I would suggest staying away from 3COM 3C450 card. I've been looking around and 3C905-TX is about $60.00 if that interests you at all. I still think the 900 can be had somewhere for less then $40.00. I found one here-http://www.egghead.com/category/inv/000 ... 297196.htm
Not as cheap as I thought.

[ 05-13-2001: Message edited by: blebs99 ]

Post by **YeOldeStonecat** » Sun May 13, 2001 11:52 pm

Interesting article that Jack pointed out, nice find.

I was disappointed in that he didn't test for performance under concurrent connections, such as a server might have with multiple clients at once.

I was hugely bummed that he took 3COMs entry level OfficeConnect NIC, which is not one of their better cards. It's their cheapest PCI model. I'd love to see the 905 or 990 in that benchmark.

It was good to see NetGears product do so well, I've been liking their products over the past year.

On top of performance, I can say from years on the job, dunno how many thousands of NICs of all types have gone through my hands, there are other things to look at. I've been dealing with them since before the plug and play days, when we had to manually install them with I/O's and IRQ's. Ease of installation, compatibility with all mixes of computers, and durability and key, as well as performance. I've gone in and worked on a lot of downed networks, from surges, storms, etc. Guess which NICs I don't have to replace? I fell in love with 3COM and Intel NICs for a reason, because I have to work with them, and I have to support them. I install NICs that I know I will have the least trouble with, because I don't want constant calls on my cell phone that a network is acting screwy, or I don't want to dread every morning after a thunderstorm that I'll have a dozen networks offline.

pimptrizkit · Post by **pimptrizkit** » Mon May 14, 2001 12:10 am

hey their are some good points but not every one who will be asking this question will proaly go off and run a gaint web server or game server... to tell you the truth my nics camr from a bucket that said $.25 on them and their some intels in their and a linksys and i have a d-link and a netgear ... all work great

so if your going to make a server of any sort spen some cash but if you just want it for home use and play on the net then just go find a cheap one that works ... some people cant find cheap cards that work and have to spend some money but it is what every you want to do

Post by **YeOldeStonecat** » Mon May 14, 2001 8:22 am

True, it's all in what you intend you use your rig for. For general surfing, e-mail, AOL'ish type activity, probably 75% of this list is nothing more than that.

Just like in my above example, an S3 Virge, or ATI, or even an old voodoo card may do more than enough for some people. Or a Sound Blasters 16 ISA sound card is more than enough, with a pair of speakers. Yet some of us insist on the bleeding edge best, like GeForce2 Ultra 64, and Sound Blaster Live Pro PCI sound card with a 5 piece surround sound system. Even though last years GeForce1 32 DDR did everything I could ask of it.

Perhaps someone who occasionally hosts a Quake3, Unreal Tourney, or Half Life server on weekends for 6 or more players to connect to, this is where you will see a good NIC help out and a cheap one falter. If spending an extra 20 bucks for a part time weekend server for 6 could lower your friends ping to your server by 50 and handle a couple of extra players, wouldn't you do it?

How many people here drive to work in a BMW, Saab, Volvo, Acura, or some honkin sport ute...when a Nissan, Hyundai, Toyota, or Ford Escort will get you there just as quickly, and for more economy?

It's just like everything else in life.

Man I've had too much coffee already, I'm rambling on and on an...

GreenDSL · Post by **GreenDSL** » Mon May 14, 2001 2:58 pm

I just want to throw in my 2 cents about Ethernet NIC.

"New" NICs are all built for 2 purposes - (a) COST down to compete, (b) support the new PC standards (driven by Intel) or being "Microsoft Certified/Compatible" (sorry for Novell and others). 10/100BaseTx Ethernet protocol STANDARD has been out for 10 years. If you add 10BaseT, that's another 19 years. All "improvements" were NOT fixing "bugs' in the standard. In fact, new bugs were introduced when there was a new lower lost MAC or PHY chip. Worry about performance? aDSL is running at 1.5Mbps down, 10BaseT is running at 10 Mbps, 100BaseTx is at 100Mpbs full duplex. The worst performing chip-set will do much better than what aDSL can possibly deliver.

So, what are your selection criteria? I would suggest that - First, find a NIC (specific model #) that is over 1 year on the market with no major driver updates. Next, find a brand that you think will continue providing future versions of drivers for "that" NIC when new PC standard or new MS-Windows makes your "old" one non-compliant. Third, make a decision whether you want to pay through the nose for my second point NOW, when a new one may only cost you half 2 years from now.

Post by **YeOldeStonecat** » Mon May 14, 2001 10:43 pm

I'll not agree with "The worst performing chip-set will do much better than what aDSL can possibly deliver."

Think back not too long ago, when we were on dial up. Dial up could give, at best, 53k. And modems could achieve that, even 56k technically, so like todays broad bandwidth, modems were capable of achieving higher than what the lines allowed. Granted not as big a diff.

Back to my point, for those who wanted the best performance, did you take a 19 dollar Winmodem out of some junky Tiger catalog, or a nice USR hardware controlled external 56k modem, or Diamond Supra.

Build 2 identicle boxes, hosted on the same broad bandwidth connection, running a Quake3 or UT server on it. One box with a 19 dollar NIC, the other with a 3COM 990 XP. Let 6 - 8, or 10 players in on each. I'll guarantee you see a huge difference, rather, the players will see a huge difference.

Plus, we're only talking about a difference of like 30 - 50 bucks here. Not like we're talking about a 90 dollar item, vs a 300 dollar item.

[ 05-14-2001: Message edited by: YeOldeStonecat ]

3v1l807 · Post by **3v1l807** » Mon May 14, 2001 10:55 pm

You can get a 10/100 Linksys card for as low as $10. I have one in 4 of my computers and have experienced no problems so far. Unless you are hosting a server or something you should be fine with any card. I will admit that my 5th computer a Linux server(web, ftp, game) has a 3com 10/100 card in it which I bought for something like $100.

GreenDSL · Post by **GreenDSL** » Tue May 15, 2001 12:04 am

Hate to disappoint you. Do you know who actually make most (not all) of 3COM NIC? They are built by one of the top 3 Taiwanese Ethernet makers who also make most of the brands mentioned. The software driver makes the majority of difference, that 3COM continue to keep to themselves. If you are ACTUALLY in this business and know the technology inside, you would agree that MAC chip is standard based, PHY chip also has to be in compliance with Ethernet signaling standard. Ethernet NIC does not have its own CPU. Therefore, unlike some graphic cards makers have the option of using on-board CPU to draw faster on the screen, Ethernet NIC makers simply do not have that option. So, how much 3COM or Intel can do differently with these "STANDARDS" that constrain their technology might? Even the worst performing MAC/PHY chipset still has to keep up with another 10/100 Mbps chipset that it has to interoperate with. I would fire the engineer, if he/she cannot drive a 10 or 100 Mbps full-duplex NIC to keep up with a 1.5 Mbps aDSL DMT chip. If it is a software driver bug, I will tolerate until fixed.

I don't play any game, either locally or on Internet. Therefore, I cannot tell the difference. I am sharing my 2 cents, just to save someone’s checkbook, if DSL modem is all they want to be driven by the NIC in his/her PC.

andrewe77 · Post by **andrewe77** » Tue May 15, 2001 12:45 am

Hate to disappoint you. Do you know who actually make most (not all) of 3COM NIC? They are built by one of the top 3 Taiwanese Ethernet makers who also make most of the brands mentioned. The software driver makes the majority of difference, that 3COM continue to keep to themselves. If you are ACTUALLY in this business and know the technology inside, you would agree that MAC chip is standard based, PHY chip also has to be in compliance with Ethernet signaling standard. Ethernet NIC does not have its own CPU. Therefore, unlike some graphic cards makers have the option of using on-board CPU to draw faster on the screen, Ethernet NIC makers simply do not have that option. So, how much 3COM or Intel can do differently with these "STANDARDS" that constrain their technology might? Even the worst performing MAC/PHY chipset still has to keep up with another 10/100 Mbps chipset that it has to interoperate with. I would fire the engineer, if he/she cannot drive a 10 or 100 Mbps full-duplex NIC to keep up with a 1.5 Mbps aDSL DMT chip. If it is a software driver bug, I will tolerate until fixed.
I don't play any game, either locally or on Internet. Therefore, I cannot tell the difference. I am sharing my 2 cents, just to save someone’s checkbook, if DSL modem is all they want to be driven by the NIC in his/her PC.

I definitely agree with you that any type of DSL/Cable connection today doesn't even come close to stressing a NIC.
However, I looked on the box of my $6 Linksys card and it says specifically, "Operates Independently of PC's Processor to Conserve Processor Time". Therefore, it must contain some type of CPU to do the work!!!
From looking at 3com network cards, I would have to disagree that they are made of generic components with some "magical" drivers that make them so great. There's no way something like that would stay proprietary for this long.

[ 05-15-2001: Message edited by: andrewe77 ]

GreenDSL · Post by **GreenDSL** » Tue May 15, 2001 3:47 am

Linksys does not even make/design anything of their own (nor does Netgear, SMC). They just trade with their functional specifications and product looks to the factory. However, that does not mean their products are not good.

Unfortunately, for Ethernet type of mature technologies, the business model has already shifted to where it can be made cheaply (but not necessary less functional). That's why 3com is in big trouble. With 30+% revenue derived from very competitive Ethernet products (NIC included), they are trapped. I respect 3Com, don't get me wrong. It just has a very mature technology that does not generate good margin any more.

BTW - 10/100 MAC chip does not use any on-board CPU, not in the MAC chip, not on the NIC board either. That is true across the board. If you read something like "bus mastering" that some of the SCSI adapter cards do. That has an on-board CPU to "become" PCI bus master in order to manipulate data/control independently from the main Pentium or Athalon CPU. Yes, there is some firmware optimization, efficient driver software and better system support. Therefore, the good ones can get about 5% performance improvement. The rest is really marketing.

beefcake122 · Post by **beefcake122** » Tue May 15, 2001 7:05 am

YeOldeStonecat
You are completly wrong and I must disagree with you. Ive used 3com, Intell, Netgear etc, etc. I have found no performance difference at all between a $19 Netgear and an $80 Intell card. The only difference is in size. Typically the more expensive cards are smaller, due to smaller (newer) type of componets, but in terms of real time performance, there is no difference. Just get a well known brand, thats all that matters.
Scott

Post by **YeOldeStonecat** » Tue May 15, 2001 7:38 am

///Holds one of his 3COM NICs in his hand...reads a label..."Made in Ireland"...hmmmm...picks up an Intel NIC..."Made in Puerto Rico"...hmmm...///

Yeah I know, a lot of 'puter stuff is made in Taiwan though, and the Phillipeans.

Beefcake, perhaps you missed my point...for the average user, yes you will not see much of a difference, if any at all, from NIC to NIC. I stressed my point on looking at what your needs are.

Some people, due to the growth of broad bandwidth, and popularity of gaming, host part time serving on weekends. This is where a good NIC will shine over a no name NIC. Now I know that this is not a gaming forum, but there are a couple of people here to do gaming, and my point was directed at how you use your rig, be it just an AOL surfer, a part time gamer, a hard core gamer, whatever.

The NetGear products I'm starting to include in my list of loved products too, I've worked with lots of their products on the job over the past year, and like them.

But I'll stick to my poing of the other end of the spectrum, even with the 19 dollar NetGear, pop it in some NT server that has 50 concurrent connections pumping a bloated SQL app, and it can't hold a candle to a high end NIC like a 3COM 990xp. Yes that's not what most people in this forum are looking for, but if you admit that there is a performance difference there, then logic dictates that the performance difference will ripple down ever so slightly on the end user level.

This one's getting beated to a pulp, all over a 30 - 50 dollar price difference. What else can talk about?

ZenOps · Post by **ZenOps** » Wed May 16, 2001 3:00 am

IMO, there may be a new "best" NIC out there:
http://www.intel.com/network/go/cat5/banner.htm

Gigabit over copper, sweetness... 3Com also has their new gigabit NIC's too. Personally I'm running the 3Com 3CR990 server NIC's and they do run faster than 905's when it is used with server applications (unreal tournament server mainly)

donald_k · Post by **donald_k** » Wed May 16, 2001 6:33 pm

I cannot remember the exact model number of it but it is a Gigabit NIC made by Intel using the i960 CPU on it. And guess what, it can go down to 100Mbps and 10Mbps for backwords compatibilty. Now that would be the NIC to run a server on..but it runs for $100+ (Intel's MSRP is $215)

[ 05-16-2001: Message edited by: donald_k ]

GreenDSL · Post by **GreenDSL** » Sat May 19, 2001 11:13 pm

If you folks know someone in Ethernet engineering, ask them about the PHY performance and specific PHY chips to look for on a NIC. PHY handles the analog side of Ethernet signal/quality/recovery on the Cat3/5/5e cables. It has everything to do with the error rate and recovery that the "entire" LAN network see in Ethernet protocol. It also determines the length of Cat3/5/5e that you can realistically get. If people use NIC on server, make sure to get a good NIC that has good PHY and MAC. Once again, the 10/100BaseTx standard limits the max speed on the LAN, it is the error rate and recovery capability make the performance difference DOWN from these 10 or 100 Mbps limits.

This is very similar to the dial-up modem. Most current ones will connect at full 56K. However, a good one will STAY connected at 56K when line condition changes. Ethernet protocol actually will make it worse, if there is a bad PHY. Every NIC (therefore, PCs, workstations, servers on the same LAN domain will suffer. This has gone beyond the scope of the initial discussion. The initial question is "what is a good NIC for connecting to a DSL modem" (with an Ethernet cable that is about 10 feet long in between). For that, any NIC that is on the market for a year (for proven stability), is probably good enough. Netgear does not make or design the GUTS of any products they sell.

BTW - when an Ethernet NIC or ATM NIC (even at 25 Mpbs) gets into high speed such as Gigabit Ethernet, there is a need to have its own CPU.

pimptrizkit · Post by **pimptrizkit** » Sun May 20, 2001 1:57 am

i thouhgt the cat5 cable it self couldn't do better then 150mbps... i guess with that new card out it can do 1000mbps kinda strange and a really drastic change in speed... but i would love to get me one of those hehe

Storm90 · Post by **Storm90** » Sun May 20, 2001 8:03 am

I run a 3com OfficeConnectNic (3csoho10/100 tx)PCI. I have had now for three years. Best three com card I have ever used. Can be usd for Nt or Windows. Has it own utillties for it Plus a booster built in. When they came out they ran 80.00. Now they have come down in prices I have seen them on the web between 60.00 and 40.00 . Depends on the web site. Never had I problem with it use hardly a cpu resources and is great on speed. I like 3com PCI And Intel nics PCI. I would go for either one of those if you want a good one. Their are some cheaper ones out their two that are not bad. Its all in what you want to pay.

caterpillar · Post by **caterpillar** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 8:18 pm

I stumble into this site because I need to find out what is the best (fastest, most reliable ) card out there I can buy.

I play age of empires III which requires a hell of resource. I have 3.0Mhz Intel, 1M of ram, and recently replaced Nvidia 256M ($400 for a graphic card alone). It still lags if I turn on all graphic options and have my sisters and brother play simultaneously with me on the Ensemble server. My new graphic card is a waste since my ethernet card and routers are not so good. It is too damn frustrating. Now in turn I need to buy better Ethernet card and router although the one I am using is great for web surfing. My point here is I agree with YeOldeStonecat . While most ppl only need the cheap kind of card/router, some ppl are very picky on their pc peformance. If I can get a bit faster, I will do it to ease my frustration.