STANDARD FOR NICS?

[Alex]

<< Fast Ethernet, remote management, processing offloads, 168-bit IPSec; 100BASE-TX >>



OR



<< Fast Ethernet, remote management, processing offloads, 56-bit IPSec; 100BASE-TX >>



Ok what is the standard IPSec xxx-bit? theyre both the same price... also does anyone know an online store that sells them... so far ive only found on the 3com site for $99

 

[Hender]

Don't worry about the encryption. It's only for connections that support it, and even then it slows the connection down tremendously. If you need a NIC for a broadband connection or file sharing on your network, get a cheaper Netgear, Linksys, D-Link, or whatever rather than the expensive 3Com encrypted cards with a feature I can almost guarantee you you'll never use. It's NOT an always on thing that will protect you from people intercepting your packets.

 

[Alex]

ohhhh

i see

thx! the onboard 3xp processor that takes loads of the actual computer's processor seems VERY appealing to me, though!

on an athlon 2000+ would it just be dumb to invest in this?

 

[bigshooter]

The only thing it probably takes the load off the processor with is IPsec which you use mainly with VPN connection, or on a highly secure network. You can do IPsec in software so this isn't really a problem. Your processor is fast enough that you wouldn't notice it for normaly stuff like getting on the internet.

 

[Alex]

so like for online gaming i will notice NO difference, or a negligeable one?

 

[Hender]

No difference at all, really. All NICs have an onboard chip to deal with network traffic, but the 3XP chip just offloads the secure stuff from the CPU and reduces the CPU load when doing secure (IPsec) connections.

 

[Alex]

ohhhh

what a rip off!! they make it sound like its so special!!

ba$tards!!

thx so much dude!