ISA ethernet card as good as PCI ethernet card?

[Y22KC]

I have a cable modem with a pci ethernet card. I only have 2 pci slots on my motherboard. I want to install an isa ehternet card so i can free up one of my pci slots for a graphics card since i can't upgrade the AGP graphics card. Will I see a difference in speed? I also heard an ISA card of any kind will slow down system speed in general. Any input would be very appreciated.

 

[Killbat]

Using it for internet only, you probably shouldn't see a big difference. If it's what you must do to get a new vid card in there, so be it!

 

[JW310]

In terms of the speed of the network, you shouldn't notice any difference... the ISA bus is capable of handling a 10 Mbps network card. Don't know about ISA cards slowing the computer down in general, though.... I have an ISA modem (but I use my cable modem most often) and an ISA radio tuner and don't notice any slowdowns in general.

Another option (if you have a free USB slot) is to buy a USB ethernet adapter. I have one of these in my computer, and it works great. If you're planning on using Linux or some other non-Windows operating system, I suggest checking out Linux USB and seeing what USB ethernet adapters are compatible with Linux.

Hope this helps!

JW

 

[jeans2nd]

Any problem you might have would be in bus mastering - depending on how old your MoBo is. General rule, keep PCI's as close to the MoBo and as far away from ISA's as possible. Get most current BIOS, and check your MoBo documentation, too. And make certain you have the most current drivers for the ISA!