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NIC recommendations

B

Balt

Lifer
I'm going to be going to college this fall, and will finally be dumping my 56k modem for a NIC so I can get hooked up in the dorm.

I know that 3com makes good NIC's, but are they worth the extra cost? Is a Linksys almost as good?

Also, what's a good e-tailer to buy networking gear from?

I'm sure you get messages asking these questions every day, so sorry if I repeat them.

Thanks in advance!
 
I always go with SMC. They are extremely inexpensive but work great! You can find them on Buy.com for around $14.00 !
 
Buy.com has PCI SMC cards for $11.08, and there's a free shipping coupon valid through 7-21. Tech bargains lists a couple of other companies with almost the same price, including Computers4sure.
 
Balt,

Before you make your decision, check with the college network admin and make sure they don't require a specific brand. Some colleges do, and will refuse to hook you up if you don't comply. If they don't care, any of the cards in this thread will be fine. I'm partial to the D-Link DFE-530TX myself.

Russ, NCNE
 
I personally prefer the Intel NIC's. They tend to have more stable drivers than the 3COM's. If you're looking to save a few bucks, the NetGear, D-link, or Linksys NIC's will all do the job.
 
I work as a technician at one of these colleges, and so far it seems that just about anything will work fine. I'm using a Realtek 8139 (I think it's made by Accton) card in my system, because it has good drivers for just about any OS. However, I've installed all kinds of them. 3com seems to be way overrated and I would never pay what they charge for a card. The only things I would make sure of would be that you get a PCI card that can supports 10/100 (for future compatibility). Also, if your college doesn't require a certain nic, don't buy from the college itself. The usually charge WAY more than a card is actually worth ($60-70 for a PCI network card over here).
 
Thanks for the help, guys. (Also sorry for the late reply)

That's why these forums are the best, a person can ask a question and very quickly get expert advice 😉

Probably gonna go with that intel deal if it's still available, if not I'll look into the other brands you mentioned.

Thx again
 
Yeah, I noticed that also. Those seem to be a bit excessive on features. Not sure if I want something that advanced (or if it would even work in the setting I will be in).
 
Everyone says the Intel & 3Com cards are the best, & some others have chimed in with Netgear, etc.....but in reality, has anyone had a card (any brand) that has been really BAD. I rarely hear about cards that don't work, though I hear of a lot of people with CHEAP cards that work just fine.

I have used D-Links & they have worked great ($4.95 at circuit city w/ rebate...got another today). I also got a bunch of SMC cards from buy.com for $11 (minus $10 off $10 when that was going on)--they work great. In fact, I have three $1 SMC cards running on my network right now. Sure beats spending $50 (or even $20) for a 3Com or Intel.

IMO 🙂
 
Well I had a Linksys that kept recycling itself on and off. It would send 300k, cut off, reinitialize, send data, and repeat this cycle for all of my large file transfers.

Needless to say I won't be using Linksys anytime soon. I love Netgear though!
 
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