best network card...intel or 3com!

[spamboy]

I have overlclocked succesfully with Netgear cards, but I also had two bad ones in a row that were totally possesed. Got another brand and everything worked perfectly.

 

[ghetto buck]

Go with intel, 3com still has their head up their arse and hasn't released win2k drivers for many of their popular network cards.

 

[Magic30]

Rellik is right. I never had any computer device working so good and constant and without any problems like the Intel 10/100 Pro+ Management Adapter.

If you buy the Intel NIC you get a really top quality product that won't let you down.

A friend of mine had network problems as long as I can think: Win95, Win98, Win98 SE... every system had problems with IRQ's and it was a wonder if his network (cheap noname NIC's) worked longer than a week. Sometimes he reboots and the NIC wasn't there. One time after he fought (again) several hours with Win9x to get his NIC to work (he has an SCSI system) I proposed to build in my Intel NIC (as a test) and on the first reboot the NIC was detected and ran smooth.

My own network is running for over a year now with Intel NIC's... perfect (24 hours the day). They work so great that after a while you just forget that the're there....: you just ACCEPT that they are working every time.

It's just like breathing air: you know you do it, you know that it's good, but you do not think about it... it just works.

OK, possibly that was too pathetic.. but I assume you got the point.

 

[D4RK3N]

Get a Netgear! I have had no problems with my FA310 TX. Cheaper too... 39.95 when I bought it.

 

[oldfart]

I think I paid about $14 for the Netgear.

 

[Kingofcomputer]

Best nic - intel
Best hub - 3com

 

[roc919]

I personally have not had any problems with the LinkSys NICs, but since they are priced the same as the NetGear NICs, I would go with a NetGear if price is an issue--running a NetGear FA310TX flawlessly right now.

And since you stated that money isn't an issue, an intel or 3com would provide a quality NIC, as aforementioned.

 

[Theslowone]

I paid 10 bucks for my asound network 10/100 card, and I am glad I didnt get a higher priced card. It is based on the realtek chipset and is supported in every linux I have used and in windows 2k/9x. I havent had a single problem.

 

[Jaraxal]

MoralPanic - Sounds just like the problem I was having ... I thought it was just W2K, but I had similiar problems in WME.

 

[Paladinexe]

I have used Netgear, Linksys and Kingston. Netgear is the best of these. I believe Intel to be better. Have one FA310TX that does not work but it appears to be a connection problem within the connector itself. Guess I will find out how good their customer support is also.

 

[BuckMaster]

Intel

 

[Shockwave]

Look to the future. You can get a Baynetworks 100/1000 card for around $400. Wouldnt it be cool to run a Gig switch at your next LAN party...heh heh heh.....

PS: Dont flame me, I know its tremendous overkill. We dont do what we do for speed, we do it to BRAG!

 

[MoneyDontMatter]

I currently have a netgear FA310TX and i must say it is amazing. I put it in a spare PCI slot and Win2K did the rest. Didn't even ask a question, just did everything and I saw a new item on my desktop for the network controller. Zero problems. I must recommend and true, they are from a good, reputable, networking company in Nortel, but at a budget price. I think I got mine for $15 no tax free ship at onvia.com When my cousin bought his netgear I thought he was buying a cheap piece of crap, but I must say they rock. But it would not be in my dream syatem when money is no objective. I prefer the Intel, while they both are good. Plus I hate the niners and 3com sponsers them so I hate to support them. This alone shoudl convince you, I challenge you to find a mobo with onboard lan that uses a 3com, or anything but an intel for a matter of fact. I have never seen one. I don't like 3com the company, but I do like intel. The quality is great. USR used to be good but it has all gone downhill since 3com bought them.

 

[RossMAN]

Another vote for the Netgear FA310TX here, it's a world class high quality card for a reasonable price. I paid $7 for my card last year when Buy.com screwed up on a coupon in my favor, hehe. I've swapped it in and out of everything from a Celeron 300 to an AMD Athlon 650 to my current Dell Dimension 4100 and it's always been 100% compatible with everything.

Even if I had the best system money could buy I'd use this exact same card, that's how much I love it.

Starting today Circuit City has the Netgear FA311TX for $9.99 after rebate.

Can anyone confirm what the differences between the FA310TX and FA311TX are? Even though I don't really need another NIC, for $9.99 you can't go wrong. I suppose it doesn't hurt to have a spare lying around.

 

[Shu8]

i vote for the netgear.

 

[Modus]

Why spend so much money on a network card? NIC's, like modems, have become a disposable commodity. The cheaper generic brands now perform just as well as more expensive cards of several times the price.

Just make sure you get a NIC with a Realtek 8139 chipset. That's the latest one from Realtek, and it's also the best supported of the 10/100 PCI chipsets. Both Win2K and ME feature native support, and 9x and Linux drivers are provided as well. Best of all, you can find them for, oh, around $9.

People talk about quality and reliability with NIC's, but in all my consulting calls and hundreds of system builds, not a single cheap, generic NIC has ever given the slightest trouble after it was installed.

Modus

 

[LXi]

I'd say get NetGear or LinkSys, excellent brands, low prices.

 

[MGMorden]

I'm gonna agree with Modus. I own both a Realtek 8139 based card and a 3Com 3c900-B card, plus I work in the IT deptartment for a large University, so I have had experience working with numerous different cards (haven't ever actually worked with an Intel though), and I have never noticed one difference as far as reliability or speed goes. Only problem I have had is the non-PnP ISA cards that come through every one in a while (problems getting them working, but not with how they worked after they were finally up and running), but I don't think you guys will be messing with those.

 

[Dameon]

Big believer in Intel Cards myself:

1) Driver support is 1st rate.
2) They are default part of Win2k / Redhat 7.2 , my main OS's.
3) Flawless operation
4) Support of adapter teaming which allows multiple adapters to work as one or configure as failover (essentially RAID 0 or RAID 1 for NIC's)

 

[John]

I use 3Com 3c905B's in my systems, but the SMC pci NIC works very well for a budget alternative.

 

[Whitedog]

6 of one, half a dozen the other.

I wouldn't be concerned about either of those two cards. It's the cheaper cards you might want to start asking questions before you buy.

If you buy either, you're going to get a quality card.

As far as which is "better", you'll only bet biased opinions on that, being both are equilly good cards.

My biased opinion? I like Intel drivers better

 

[Sir Fredrick]

I'm also a fan of the realtek cards. Had a linksys with absolutely AWFUL performance on a busy network. The realtek was able to squeeze almost twice as much bandwidth out of thsi overloaded network (at school).

 

[Taz4158]

3COM all the way.

 

[Davegod75]

3comm is the way to go

 

[BuckNaked]

Intel 10/100+ Management for me.... got in on the promotion Intel had last year on these, 2 for 39.95, and free second day air.... I have heard alot of good things about the Netgears, and the Circuit City add for this week at $9.99 seems like a good deal, as someone mentioned above.

Dave