Getting DSL. What NIC do I get?

[daveman]

WooHoo!! I'm finally getting DSL next month. They are gonna send me an Ethernet modem. They say I need a "10 BASE-T Ethernet NIC".
I don't know much about network interface cards or whats available. I just want some suggestions on what I should purchase and priceranges I should be looking at.
My system specs are:
Windows XP
P3 1ghz
512 ram

Any help would be appreciated,
thanks,
david

 

[Goosemaster]

Just get the cheapest one you can find....$15 is about right

 

[m2kewl]

I tend to use Intel and 3com nics - you can get them on the For Sale/Trade forum around that price or any computer store. But get at least a 10/100 type card (most are nowadays).

Hope that helps.

 

[daveman]

Thanks guys, I have a few weeks before I have to have it so I'll be looking around. If yall find a great deal please let me know.
Thanks,
David

 

[MoMeanMugs]

A 10 Megabits full duplex is all you really need. As long as you don't get a NIC that is made by Garbage Inc., you are going to max out your bandwidth long before you max out any NIC.

 

[Sukhoi]

I wouldn't worry about going Intel or 3Com for a DSL NIC, it's a waste of money. Just get a Linksys or Netgear or something.

 

[jimmyhaha]

> I wouldn't worry about going Intel or 3Com for a DSL NIC, it's a waste of money. Just get a Linksys or Netgear or something
true

> A 10 Megabits full duplex is all you really need. As long as you don't get a NIC that is made by Garbage Inc., you are going to max out your bandwidth long > before you max out any NIC.

so true....

NIC brand really doesn't matter, u won't notice difference...
btw, I have some Belkin 10/100 PCI... hehe

PM me if u are interested...

 

[JackMDS]

Network Interface Cards (NIC), in a small Network environment.

Tom's hardware compared three NICs. (Aug. 2001)
I used Pricewatch.com to find the best price for these NICs.

1. 3Com 3CR990-TX-97 - $80
2. 3Com 3C905C-TX $30
3. SMC 1211TX $13

Quote from: http://www6.tomshardware.com/network/01q3/010820/nic-11.html#conclusion

"Well, there is some difference between Network cards. The difference was not that great. Some cards did have better performance than others, but over all most of the cards performed within acceptable ranges. "

If you read the rest, you can infer that if there a difference it will impact high volume cooperate Network, but not three computers sharing the Internet at home.

 

[dakata24]

the netgear fa310tx nics have never failed me..

 

[Doh!]

I have never paid more than $10 for a nic (I have about a dozen). No problem downloading stuff from the net at 500k~1mb with my dsl (of course not all the time).

 

[MrDudeMan]

the netgear cards are the way to go. windows has built in drivers for it, they always work, and are extremely inexpensive

get the FA310tx or better yet for no more money the FA311TX


no reason for anything more than 15 dollars, its all the same at home