Ethernet cards

[spidey_joe80@hotmail.com]

What is the difference between a good ethernet cardand a bad one? And what do the more expensive ones have to ofer that the cheap ones dont? I know this computer has a really cheap card but i dont notice any problems.

[bhess]

As far as I know there is no difference. I did spend a few $ more and got a namebrand though. And by few $ I mean something like $5 or less.

[rh71]

Driver availability? Some are easier to setup/configure than others, believe me. As a standard, I'd go with the Linksys or D-Links out there that cost < $25 (10/100Mbps too). I spent $12 on a cheap no-name and getting that thing to work with the supplied drivers was a chore. You won't be sorry if you spend about $25 for a name brand. Though, I wouldn't spend $65 for a 3COM... that's just overkill in my opinion.

[zskillz]

I actually like the netgear version of 10/100 card. it's like $10 and I can't tell if it actually does anything different then my $80 3com card!

waht a rip off!

-Z

[elroy]

I use several Asound 10/100 NIC's with the Realtek 8139 chipset. They cost about $10 each and work great. Never had a problem.

[muno]

Yeah, the work is the greatest downfall of cheap nics =) Not today have I got my ne2000 compliant nic working (it doesn't have brand, but I suggest it's realtek chip) (have had it 2years). But as for the 3com, it works quite by itself, don't even need to run the drivers as they're in windows supported hardware =) If you need it easily working, get a recognized brand, if you have time to hassle and it doesn't matter how it works, get a generic.
-M

[radbasa]

Well, most generic cards use the same ethernet chipsets as some branded cards (except maybe 3com). If you're using WinMe, it almost certainly has drivers for it. Realtek chips, in particular are a favorite of the generics.

[spidey_joe80@hotmail.com]

i was looking on sharyextreme and i saw there hi end gaming system specs and they had a 3com ethernet. I looked it up on pricewatch and it was like $100. But its good to know that the cheap ones are just as good as the more expensive ones.
thanks guys i appreciate it