How much impact does a NIC/ethernet adaptor have...

[wkabel23]

My motherboard (IC7), does not have onboard lan, which forces me to buy a NIC. Before I purchase one though, I'd like to know if there really is a PRACTICAL difference (in things such as downloading files, playing online games, maybe actual browsing) between an expensive and a cheap NIC.

Also; if anyone has any good suggestions or good deals on them, LMK

Thanks

 

[InlineFive]

Well some have software processing (uses CPU cycles, bad) and some have hardware processing. I know Linksys is hardware processing so you may want to go that route.

Good luck!

-Por

 

[onelin]

For basic stuff? I doubt there's a difference. For maxing out the 10/100 or 1000 spec, sure.

 

[n0cmonkey]

If you are connecting to DSL or cable, there won't be much of a difference. I usually go with Intel or Linksys and avoid 3com, but other people have had different experiences than myself. I just caution against realtek chipsets.

 

[cmetz]

wkabel23, a cheap gigabit NIC can be had for less than $30 and will perform far better than a cheap 10/100 NIC (even at 10/100 speeds, due to internal improvements, usually a saner programming/bus interface, hardware checksum offload, etc.).. it's really a might-as-well. The Netgear GA302T and Intel Pro/1000MT are safe bets. D-Link and Linksys have newer boards based on the Marvell Yukon chip that are probably good, older boards were based on junk chipsets though. Hard-core gamers and people who do a lot of LAN transfers will be most likely to notice a difference. Casual SOHO users are less likely to notice. If you really don't think you'll notice and you can get a 10/100 NIC for $5, then maybe it's worth while, but if it's only a few bucks more, go for a gigabit NIC.

RealTek = trouble. If you don't know anything else about NICs, know that.