gigabit network card

[bdw12]

I am getting a NETGEAR Gigabit PCI Ethernet Adapter, Model GA302T will this speed up my dsl connection any.

 

[Nate7311]

Your DSL will probably be rated @ 1.5mbit or so MAX...
A new Gigabit Network card has 1000mbit of throughput available (Theoretically, minus PCI bus limitations... Nitpickers need not apply).

1000 - 1.5mibt = 998.5mbit available throughput.


So the short answer? Not really, unless your current NIC has a problem. You might be able the accomplish more by software tweaking...

 

[Neb]

nope, won't speed it up at all. even an old-school 10base-tx card is overkill for just dsl, gigE is just excessive overkill. gigE IS good for network transfers though, it's so nice to be able to send files as if they were on my computer

 

[ZenOps]

I beg to differ.

A Gigabit network card *may* speed things up. Not because of bandwidth, but because they often have larger hardware caches than 10 Base-T cards.

Your average Gigabit network card has maybe 64 or 128KBytes of Cache memory which can store quite a few ethernet packets. Your average 10 Base-T Nic has maybe 4 or 8KBytes, enough to buffer one or two full duplex packets.

Information that cannot be cached on the harddrive can be cached in the network card, which does speed up some repetitive applications. (Like pressing the back button on a non-cacheable webpage)

 

[Nate7311]

And 8k to 64k cache difference is going to make, what? Maybe 1ms difference? Yeah, yer gonna notice that...

...Nitpickers need not apply).

He's asking a legit question, don't confuse people...

 

[ZenOps]

I can tell you from experience that a card with 128KB is much faster when surfing compared to an 8KB card.

Sitting beside me is a computer with a 3Com 905C, and in another exactly the same computer with a 3com 3CR 990TX-97X. Both are 10/100 cards, the 990 has hardware accelerated packet defragmentation and the larger 128KB cache.

Surfing is much faster using the 990TX, as are bitorrents. I'm assuming because it can download from several IP's and combine them, the advantage being able to buffer more than one packet comes into play.

Gameplay pings are the exact same, but surprisingly the 990 does seem to have slightly smoother gameplay. Once again, I assume its because it can cache more packets coming in on games that use multiple ports, or it could be the hardware defragmentor that is taking a load off the CPU.

 

[SJConsultant]

Originally posted by ZenOps
I can tell you from experience that a card with 128KB is much faster when surfing compared to an 8KB card.

Sitting beside me is a computer with a 3Com 905C, and in another exactly the same computer with a 3com 3CR 990TX-97X. Both are 10/100 cards, the 990 has hardware accelerated packet defragmentation and the larger 128KB cache.

Surfing is much faster using the 990TX, as are bitorrents. I'm assuming because it can download from several IP's and combine them, the advantage being able to buffer more than one packet comes into play.

Gameplay pings are the exact same, but surprisingly the 990 does seem to have slightly smoother gameplay. Once again, I assume its because it can cache more packets coming in on games that use multiple ports, or it could be the hardware defragmentor that is taking a load off the CPU.

Unless both computers are of equal hardware and software *except* for the NICs , your comparisons of which system is faster is invalid.

Benchmarks are based on controlled tests and variables, not assumptions. Just because it "feels" faster does not make it a fact.

Post consistent benchmarks and *maybe* some people might believe you.