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cheap network card

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Magic_Robertson   01-30-2002 at 09:16:35 PM

hello.
im selling one of my computers and the buyer wanted a network card.
now the card i got in that computer is a good one
so i went down to the store and got a cheap 35$ network card
now i know how to install it but what i dont know is it came with a red,green and black cable on it
so whats that?
its a 3 pin female lead on the card it says GBR
i tell ya i build computers all the time but this cheap card, 1 its small 2 it dont say the name brand :wink:
and 3 whats this bloody cable?

im a boring old fart and a crazy loon.
im also a mad alcoholic git but do that matter! :smile:

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FatBurger   01-30-2002 at 09:50:21 PM
- 0 +

$35? :eek:
I haven't paid more than $20 for a NIC, and you say $35 is cheap?

That's for the Wake-On-LAN, you can ignore it or pull it off and throw it away.

<font color=orange>Quarter</font color=orange> <font color=blue>Pounder</font color=blue> <font color=orange>Inside</font color=orange>

Reply to FatBurger
Magic_Robertson   01-30-2002 at 10:22:33 PM
- 0 +

35$ nz

is most likeys 18$ US :smile:

remember im in newzealand
the USA dollor is more than ours

im a boring old fart and a crazy loon.
im also a mad alcoholic git but do that matter! :smile:

Reply to Magic_Robertson
zpyrd   01-30-2002 at 10:35:44 PM
- 0 +

It's probably a wake on LAN connector cable.
If the motherboard supports wake on LAN there will be a 3 pin header on the board.
The letters WOL may be silk screened next to the 3 pin header on the motherboard.

<font color=red><i>Doctor Hooter</i></font color=red> <b>(·Y·)</b>

Reply to zpyrd
FatBurger   01-31-2002 at 12:11:21 AM
- 0 +

Oh, ok. I forgot you were in NZ.

<font color=orange>Quarter</font color=orange> <font color=blue>Pounder</font color=blue> <font color=orange>Inside</font color=orange>

Reply to FatBurger
upec   01-31-2002 at 02:29:23 AM
- 0 +

I get 3 Belkin 10/100 PCI NIC for 87 cents each.

Reply to upec
upec   01-31-2002 at 02:35:44 AM
- 0 +

The cable should be the Wake on LAN cable you connect to the motherboard.

Reply to upec
OldBear   01-31-2002 at 08:02:11 AM
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Quote :

I get 3 Belkin 10/100 PCI NIC for 87 cents each.


That is a great price. What planet are you on?

<font color=red>Remember...</font color=red><font color=blue>You get what you pay for. :smile: All advice here is free.</font color=blue> :wink:

Reply to OldBear
Magic_Robertson   02-02-2002 at 02:25:30 AM
- 0 +

thanks guys it was a WOL cable
but i didnt use it.... i didnt have one with my first network and everything went fine!

im a boring old fart and a crazy loon.
im also a mad alcoholic git but do that matter! :smile:

Reply to Magic_Robertson
AMD_Man   02-02-2002 at 03:14:17 AM
- 0 +

For about $80-85 USD you can get a 3COM network card with integrated processor! Guess what that means! 0% processor utilization while downloading and loading web pages!

EDIT: I made a mistake in pricing. It costs $80-$85USD not $40-45. I was confusing the 3Com 3C905C-TX and the 3Com 3CR990-TX-97. The 905 costs ~$40 while the 990 costs ~$80. The 905 and 990 however do seem to perform relatively similarly according to Tom's Hardware.

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

Reply to AMD_Man
OldBear   02-02-2002 at 05:11:36 AM
- 0 +

I saw a thread you had a while back about the cpu load with nic cards.
I did a little research and bought the 3Com 3C905C-TX. You are 100%
right and it has a lot cleaner download with no errors in the files.

Thanks AMD_Man.

<font color=red>Remember...</font color=red><font color=blue>You get what you pay for. :smile: All advice here is free.</font color=blue> :wink:

Reply to OldBear
Magic_Robertson   02-02-2002 at 05:11:44 AM
- 0 +

ok then whats my main one (how good is it)

3com "fast" etherlink XL 10/100Mb tx ethernet NIC (3c905-tx)

(thats not a cheap one that cost's 150$ nz)

im a boring old fart and a crazy loon.
im also a mad alcoholic git but do that matter! :smile:

Reply to Magic_Robertson
AMD_Man   02-02-2002 at 03:02:37 PM
- 0 +

Yes, the 3Com EtherLink 10/100 3CR990-TX-97 is no cheap card. Here's what Sharkey Extreme has to say about it:

Quote :


LAN gaming, and DSL/Cable Internet access are all good reasons to have a quality NIC (Network Interface Card) in your gaming rig. Unless you already own a functional network card, we do not recommend going the cheap route when buying a primary NIC. Otherwise, you could be ripping apart your PC on a monthly basis, and filling out enough RMA forms to need a Word template to keep up. Buy brand name quality and it will be money well spent.

The EtherLink 10/100 3CR990-TX-97 is a great bet for a quality NIC, and 3COM is one of the most well-known names in PC networking. While you can buy a cheap NIC for $20-$30, the EtherLink 10/100 3CR990-TX-97 actually gives you something extra for your hard-earned dollar. This NIC features a 3XP processor right on the card, which can offload some of the CPU work onto the DSP itself and speed up basic Windows networking tasks. Just be extremely careful when shopping for this particular network card. 3COM also produces lower-end NICs of eerily similar model numbers, but without the nifty 3XP processor.



AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

Reply to AMD_Man
upec   02-02-2002 at 06:55:31 PM
- 0 +

I am using the 3CR990-TX-97 but cannot tell any difference. I get it when they first come out and 3com have an promotion on the card.

Reply to upec
AMD_Man   02-02-2002 at 07:34:51 PM
- 0 +

Well, it's not like your overall system performance depends on the network card but those 3COM do use signficiantly less CPU cycles than cheapo $20 network cards.

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

Reply to AMD_Man
Magic_Robertson   02-02-2002 at 10:46:07 PM
- 0 +

so my card is one of the best?
(remember im in NZ)

oh and can anyone recommend a good hub/switch i was thinking..
3com 8port 10/100Mbps full duplex but theres so many models out there..
as im useing a 5 port 10Mbps one witch is s..l..o..w.. :wink:

im a boring old fart and a crazy loon.
im also a mad alcoholic git but do that matter! :smile:

Reply to Magic_Robertson
upec   02-02-2002 at 10:52:39 PM
- 0 +

I have a 4 port 3com switch and a 8 port CISCO switch. Both great.

Reply to upec
AMD_Man   02-03-2002 at 02:33:50 PM
- 0 +

I have a 100mbps Linksys 4-port router and it's significantly faster than my older 10mbps hub.

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

Reply to AMD_Man
Anonymous   02-18-2002 at 01:54:46 PM
- 0 +

Just got my Netgear RP114 router with integrated 4-port switch. Excellent pricing, easy setup and d**n small too... Seems to be very stable and well performing even under "stress tests" ;o)

Reply to Anonymous
AMD_Man   02-18-2002 at 08:32:37 PM
- 0 +

Try Network Benchmark under SiSoft Sandra. I get nearly 11MB/s (that's megabytes not megabits) on my 100mbps(megabits per second) network.

AMD technology + Intel technology = Intel/AMD Pentathlon IV; the <b>ULTIMATE</b> PC processor

Reply to AMD_Man
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