Which ethernet card would be good

S

subly

Geek Trainee
hi
I am changing my ethernet card for my desktop. which ethernet card should be good, is it desktop wireless card or normal PCI ethernet. Which brand would be good? Thanks.

subly :o
 
Netgear is probably the most well known in PCI ethernet cards. Although other brands have worked for me without troubles.
 
Netgear is good. I run linksys wich seems to have a better strenght in the quality of information it moves over wireless. At my other house i use a D-Link wireless router witch is the AirPlus Xtreme G that one is also good. But if you are going to spend the money on a wirelss router and card then make sure what ever brand you go with get a G router. They are the fastest wireless type you can buy. But make sure that the card and the router are both G.
Here is a Linksys router that i own and is very simple but when you set it up it is a little picky.
http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?grid=33&scid=35&prid=601

The D-Link that i have at my other house i like the most because it is the most simple wireless router to set up. I have tried the netgear and had some problems with it so i returned it for the D-Link below is the link to their site so you can get a look out of it.
http://www.dlink.com/products/?sec=3&pid=6
:good:
What ever one you get if need some help setting it up or qestion just post it on the forms all the guys are really helpful
 
*ahem...* evanjannis, he's talking about desktop PCI NIC's

Anyway, I like realtek. I've used 2 of their cards in different pc's with no problems. Installs easy peasy. It's a generic card with a realtek chipset. see the little crab?

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=33-117-108&depa=0
Five bucks!

And if you want to spend some money on a 3com
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=33-105-123&depa=0
26 dollars, without drivers or a cable, but you probably already have an ethernet cable and windowsxP has drivers for it

Here's what Im using now http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=33-124-107&depa=0
Linksys. Can't complain about it. Does what it does, without whining or complaints. Plug it in, boot up. WinXP recognizes and installs it automatically. Well, you have to hit a few buttons but you get the ides
$15
 
woops missed that part read it to fast i thought he was talking about the router. Hey i also have a qestion can i get a 10/1000 card will that give me some more bandwiths because i get the max 100 and i want to see if their was more that i could get.
 
Nope, that won't boost your speeds because your bandwidth is capped by your connection type and your ISP.
 
However, unless you'll be running tons of CAT5 cable, it's going to be a bit cheaper to go with a wired connection, simply because the cards are cheaper. Realtek isn't necessarily the best, but they have more than acceptable performance for home use and are extremely cheap. Sure, you can get something better from 3COM or Intel, but they will cost more.

As previously noted, this will not have any effect on your download/upload speeds as these are determined by your ISP. Unless you have a T3 line coming into the house, a 10Mbps connection is more than enough, however, transferring around data in your network would be...well, slow.
 
As mentioned realteks cards / integrated or PCI are acceptable, however if you want real performance & quality go for 3Com or PCI(the brand).

On the cheaper side of things i would definately recommend D-Link, and i would stay away from NetGear PCI / Internal cards as in my experience they are not very good, however NetGear wireless cards are very good :)

And if you want to be really safe you can always use Belkin for Wireless or Wired.
 
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