Gigabit Question

[ptto911]

If I buy a Gigabit ethernet capable wireless router and a Gigabit ethernet adapter for my other PC, would I have to have a Gigabit modem as well for the Gigabit to work? I have a modem from Time Warner Cable.

 

[seacliff]

You don't need to get a giga modem to speed up your LAN network. It won't speed up your internet though. Your internet speed will stay with whatever you are paying for.

Just take note that there is no such things as router doing giga over wireless. You'd need to be directly wired to it.

 

[adampower]

Cat 5e cable (or better). Gigabit switch. Gigabit NICs (ethernet adapters) in each computer on the network. Max transfer rate via cable is a theoretical 125MB/s (1000bits divided by 8 for bytes).

802.11n wireless has a theoretical max of 600mbits/s or 75MB/s

 

[gtvr]

Assuming your network path looks like:
cable wire --> cable modem --> wireless router ---> local PCs (wired or wireless)

The router will cap speeds between your local PCs - gigabit if they are wired, less if wireless (as adampower pointed out above).

Your internet speed is likely far below that. Cable modems are probably between 5Mb and 10Mb. This is probably what you are really worried about, not PC to PC transfers within your LAN (I am guessing). So if you have a 100Mb router and wireless G (or N) you probably have as much speed as you need already.

 

[ptto911]

Just take note that there is no such things as router doing giga over wireless. You'd need to be directly wired to it.

I'm connecting a cable to the router, not a wireless connection.

 

[Kewlx25]

But think of it this way. At ~1500bytes for a packet at 100mb, it would take ~0.11ms. At 1gb, it will take ~1/10th of that or 0.011ms. That means your removing a static 0.1ms from your ping time!!! omg! So, instead of a 15ms ping to a server, I would get 14.9ms!! Just think about how much better your scores would be.

Actually, ping packets are 64bytes and game packets are more around 500bytes, so the difference would be even less..

I still like the epeen of an all 1gb network. /flex

 

[Pyroflea]

But think of it this way. At ~1500bytes for a packet at 100mb, it would take ~0.11ms. At 1gb, it will take ~1/10th of that or 0.011ms. That means your removing a static 0.1ms from your ping time!!! omg! So, instead of a 15ms ping to a server, I would get 14.9ms!! Just think about how much better your scores would be.

Actually, ping packets are 64bytes and game packets are more around 500bytes, so the difference would be even less..

Yet for a home network, such as transferring files from Computer X to Computer Y, or streaming audio/video, the differences between 100MB and Gigabit are astronomical if set up correctly.

 

[seacliff]

I'm connecting a cable to the router, not a wireless connection.

If you are using a cable, then you will be fine to get Giga on your own network, but you will still be limited to what you pay for your internet service. Changing modem won't change anything about it since Time Warner limit your access to the internet.

So, if you have PC1 and PC2 connected to your router, you will be able to transfert data from one to the other at giga speed, but will be limited to .. whatever you are connected to, on the Internet.

I hope this answer your question

 

[ptto911]

Best answer selected by ptto911.

 

[Kewlx25]

Yet for a home network, such as transferring files from Computer X to Computer Y, or streaming audio/video, the differences between 100MB and Gigabit are astronomical if set up correctly.

yep yep. I enjoy my 110MB/sec transfers on my gig network. I can't wait to get SSDs.