Help me choose a network card

[sean2002]

I'm looking for a good yet reasonabally priced network (ethernet) card to use with my new Toshiba PCX 2000 cable modem.

 

[n0cmonkey]

I use linksys cards. They are cheap and work fine with every OS Ive tried so far.

 

[speed01]

I like the 3Com cards, while not the cheapest, they have proven to be extremely reliable for me.

 

[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 is a difference it will impact high volume cooperate Network, not three computers sharing the Internet at home.

However, if it will make you ?feel good.?

3COM, and Intel NICs are the most popular among the Network experts (AKA ?The Plumbers?).

 

[n0cmonkey]

I would definitely use 3com or intel for a work network, but at home I dont see a reason to spend the extra money on a network card that may not be all that much better for your uses.

 

[Poontos]

As they all say:

Home: Basically any 10/100 PCI NIC will work schwell. Linksys, Netgear, DLink, etc.

Work/Corporate: Intel or 3Com.

Got lots of money: Intel or 3Com.

 

[CaseyAZ]

3com, I have had problems with Linksys cards connecting with my last DSL device. If it wasn't hooked up to anything it would constantly reboot the machine until it found a connection (Hub, modem, etc) and sometimes it would stop working totally. This was about 2 years ago, they may have there stuff together now. You can never go wrong with a 3com 3c905 card, they are also better at CPU utilization. Some cards aren't very stable when run at full speed 100Mbps. Definitely don't get anything off brand, 5 dollar NIC cards tend to be junk.

 

[n0cmonkey]

<< 3com, I have had problems with Linksys cards connecting with my last DSL device. If it wasn't hooked up to anything it would constantly reboot the machine until it found a connection (Hub, modem, etc) and sometimes it would stop working totally. This was about 2 years ago, they may have there stuff together now. You can never go wrong with a 3com 3c905 card, they are also better at CPU utilization. Some cards aren't very stable when run at full speed 100Mbps. Definitely don't get anything off brand, 5 dollar NIC cards tend to be junk. >>



I have 3+ linksys cards (ranging from brand new to 1.5-2 years old) and have never had problems like that. Maybe it was just you?

They arent the best cards, but if you dont mind spending the money 3com and intel are the best ways to go.

*note that I have had these cards working under: Win98se, Win2k, Linux (2.2 and 2.4), FreeBSD 3+, OpenBSD 2.6+ and maybe BeOs (cant remember if I had it then).

 

[Nothinman]

I like tulip based cards, like DE500s, they're older and can be found pretty cheap but they are extremely reliable and are supported by everything out there.

 

[Wik]

Any Realtec based cards work great for me in Windows9X,2K,XP and linux. I have also used many Linksys cards all the way back to a very old BNC combo and they all work fine also.

 

[skeletal29]

i just bought a compaq nic with wake on lan from ebay for 20 bucks....but if you dont need wake on lan you can get something for about 10 bucks!

 

[Woodchuck2000]

Go for the cheapest 10/100 card you can find, unless you're doing something serious with it (building a server etc...)

There's very little difference apart from 3-com cards come with a lifetime warranty, and tend to have better drivers. You really won't notice the difference in day-to-day use.

I have an intel Pro/100, a 3com 3C905TX and three £10 accton cards at home, and there seems to be no discernable difference in ease of use or throughput...

 

[mcveigh]

<< Any Realtec based cards work great for me in Windows9X,2K,XP and linux. I have also used many Linksys cards all the way back to a very old BNC combo and they all work fine also. >>



I agree, I particularly like the D-link 530tx+

 

[Woodchuck2000]

Just out of interest, what is it about a network card that someone can particularly like?
Apart from the fact that a 530TX sounds cool

 

[kylef]

I like the Realtek-based cards because you can find drivers for them universally for just about every OS, and they are probably the #1 ethernet chipset used in integrated ethernet devices.

But, like everyone else has said, it doesn't really matter that much for home use...