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Best NIC???

S

sharkeeper

Lifer
3COM 3C905 family, Intel Pro 100+, Linksys, Netgear, DLink, SMC?

Any preferences over another? Experience to back up claims would be appreciated!

My 3C905TX died on me.

Cheers!
 
Whether or not it's the best, don't know. I just happen to like Linksys because they are cheap and have never had any problems with them...
 
of the lowend, the D-link dfe-530tx is awesome. Used many, no issues. Drivers built into win2k, and linux drivers available.

If you want a pricier card, the intel 10/100 are excellent.
 
personally a fan of Intel Pro 100 cards myself....
3com has some interesting driver issues w/ BDC setup on 3c980 cards...
(requires service pack5... hard to do during the actual install process)

I work with Intel NIC's every day in driver / configs... Dell PowerEdge's have 'em integrated in all the x400 series servers.
 
Never had a problem with the highend 3com or intel. Just stay away form the 3com homeconnect series. 🙂
 
I swear up and down by the Netgear FA310TX, come on you Netgear finatics come out of the woodwork and show some props to Netgear!
 
I have a 3com 3C905TX and a Dlink 530tx. I like the 530tx better and it was only $9!! My 3com was ~$50, what a waste of money! If need another one it'd definitely be this DLink for $9!
 
Another vote for the Netgear FA310TX. Very well reviewed. Usually score at or near the top in speed and CPU utilization tests and the price is right. Best bang for buck IMHO. It's the only NIC I use in new builds.
 
If you are just networking home machines, pick up a cheap NIC like a Netgear FA310TX. Intel and 3Com NICs are typically overkill for this line of use, especially when they cost 4 times as much.
 
Got my Intel Pro100+ Management off the bay for $15 + ship.
3com's aint bad, cheap on the bay too.
Higher end: Intel, 3com, Netgear, SMC.
Lower: Dlink/Linksys
 
When CompUSA or Best Buy have NIC cards on sale, usually with a rebate, which will let the price drop to around 4 or 5 bucks. I'll pick up 4 or 5. Yes, they are no name brand cards, but I've never had a problem with them. Even if I did, just assume throw them away! And this cheap, I can swap one out if needed, but have never needed to.
 
I use Linksys in my PCs...I love them, all the features of the higher end cards for 1/3 of the price.

For higher end machines I tend to put Intel NICs in....the Intel family has just been very stable and reliable in my experience...and I prefer them to 3com. So unless someone specifically requests 3com I use Intel...but 3com and Intel are both much more expensive than need be...

Linksys, D-Link and Netgear are all good for PCs (I prefer Linksys but all 3 are good).
 
I have found Linksys cards tend to dislike pci buses over 35 MHz.

DLink and Netgear do make cheap alternatives.

I dropped an Intel PRO/100+ NIC in this machine and it works well. It wasn't as fast as the 3COM until I cranked up the Adaptive Performance Tuning slider completely to the left.

Also, the MS Windows 2000 drivers for this NIC are dissapointing. If you use this NIC with Windows 2000, get the latest drivers from Intel.

Cheers!
 
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