Gigabit Ethernet, Router, two computers?

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SkaarjMaster

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My new motherboard will have an on-board Intel Gigabit Ethernet chip. If I want to hook two computers together, I have a few questions:

1. Does the router have to be able to use gigabit speed (10/100/1000 router)?

I was originally thinking of the Linksys BEFSR41 4-pt. switch, but maybe I need the BEFSX41 or EGO801W instead.

2. Does the other computer (the one in my sig.) have to have a Gigabit-type on-board LAN or Gigabit-type ethernet card (10/100/1000)?

I'm starting to order parts for my new computer and this is just a couple networking questions I had. Thank you.
 
The devices will negotiate the fastest point to point link. I've got one box with gigE hooked to a 10/100 switch - it drops to 100MBit operation. In turn I've got an old HP9000 with 10MBit ethernet through AUI also hooked to that switch, and that link uses 10MBit. If I transfer data from the main box to the HP9000 the switch will use their corresponding xfer speeds. Data will transfer to the switch at 100MBit, then wait while it goes to the HP at 10MBit. Several KB are cached on the switch via store & forward, the rest aren't transmitted by the fast desktop until acks are received from the HP. It should be obvious by now that if you want to use full gigabit speeds you need to have other computers and networking equipment that also supports it (or at the very least a gigE-gigE direct link from PC to PC).
 
How does the box my ISP gave me fit into all of this?

I've had it for a couple years and it's a cable modem thing of some sort (Ericsson PipeRider) and it probably is only 10/100. The cable signal will come out of the wall and run through this then leave this and run into my new router and split from here to both computers.

I'm guessing if this Ericsson PipeRider can only transfer at 100 max., then it really won't matter that I have a Gigabit ethernet in my new computer or that the router may be a gigabit-type. Sounds like what I may want to do is call my ISP and get a gigabit cable modem thing, buy a gigabit router and get a gigabit ethernet card for my present computer (in sig.).

Will this work?
What Gigabit router would you suggest?

Or should I just not worry about it and hook up the two computers as is to a Linksys BEFSR41 10/100 router and use old cable modem thing from ISP?
 
If it's a cable modem then I'd doubt you'd want it to be Gigabit capable anyway, since no consumer Internet connection could be that fast. :D

If you're worried about the file transfer between the two computers, then be sure all of the components in between are Gigabit capable (this excludes the modem).
 
So, I don't need a gigabit lan on my old computer, keep the one on my new computer, the router should be gigabit-capable, and the cable box thing doesn't need to be. Is this what you're saying?

If that's the case, which router should I get?
 
OK, I got it all figured out, here's a response I got from another forum:

"None of it matters. Get the BEFSR41 and save yourself some money. The maximum throughput from the Ericsson PipeRider ethernet port is 10mbit... which again doesn't matter as your cable internet uses less than half that.

There is no such thing as a "gigabit modem". You could get a gigabit router if you wanted to so that you could transfer files between the two computers faster but again, that's pointless... your hard drives won't be able to keep up with 100mbit...

I guess what I am trying to say is that gigabit is pointless for most home users."
 
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