which ethernet 10/100 PCI card is best?

[AMD-homebuilt]

is there a best chipset / brand of ethernet card? I notice price range of $3 for "generic" and $30+ for a brand name.
Please advise :confused:

[Midknyte]

3com and Intel are tops for me. Linksys and Netgear are also pretty solid. Just don't get the "Network Everywhere" Linksys cards.

[stevedownunder]

I'd firmly say it's Intel for me. Reliable, good driver support, hardly needs installing, just chuck it in, solid performance.
BUT..........REALY expensive.

The last intel 10/100 I bought, (albeit a good few months ago) cost over 50 pounds(UK) the last generic 10/100/1000 I bought was 50 dollars(Aus), make your own mind up :)

I usually only get the cheapest available for my home they all seem to work about the same speed etc but don't loose the driver disk if you get a generic! :)

[cat5e]

One category that is consistently missing from the Polls is:

“It Does Not Matter”.

As pertaining to Home and SOHO Networks.

Here you can see a comparison between a $5 NIC, and the two popular Anti-Anxiety* NICs.

Link: Comparing NICs (Notice How the SMC did well as compare to the Giants It is $5 card). (http://www6.tomshardware.com/network/01q3/010820/nic-11.html#conclusion)

.

[Midknyte]

Performance-wise, they are pretty close. I using more name-brand stuff in case I need support. Drivers are usually easier to come by also.

[dougander3]

I think 3Com is probably best but some retailers, like OfficeMax, have cheap ones (Belkin, SMC) free after rebate every 2-3 weeks. I don't argue with free (well, 90 cents tax and 37 cent stamp). I've also used Network Everywhere (Linksys value brand) without trouble.

[Swordfish]

DLink is good.