use of 2 network card have any advantages?

[erichui]

ok, i've got a spare network card, just wondering will there be any advantage of adding it to my machine which already has a network card installed. the spare 1 i got is a 3com 10/100 ones, and the one i am using now is a intel pro `10/100
should i put it in my comptuer and connect together with the hub? (its a switch actually, and i got free port)

 

[Twilling]

There will be no added benifit to having 2 nic cards in a PC unless you are sharing an internet connection or have muliple networks. The second nic will need pc resources, IRQ, and slow boot-up. That's why many Anandtech members get routers, for sharing and use high end operating systems like Win2000, WinXP, or Linux to get reliable internet sharing....

 

[Mangos]

Two network cards can be helpful in doubling your download limit. I'm pretty sure that most Universities monitor bandwidth use through the MAC Address on the cards.

 

[Gand1]

Mangos,

Yes but we also restrict bandwidth by file type, what web site you are pulling info from and level of importance of the file. So... no another nic will not help.