killer k1

[LA_MERC_johncst]

what do you think http://www.alienware.com/Configurator_Pages/Details_Pages/Static_Pages/more_info_enthusiast_essentials.aspx

[LA_MERC_YellowDog]

Humm sounds good.. but whats the price??

[LA_MERC_Wetzny]

^^ Good Question^^ Cost?

[Ab1dab1]

In all honesty guys.....save your money.

I've seen detailed reviews of so-called network speed enhancers and 99.5% of the time it is a bunch of crap.

Do you honestly think that you can "see and respond" to something if your performance enhancement is a few nanoseconds?

That comment about "bypassing the OS TCP/IP stack" is BS. Regardless of the network peripheral you use (on board network card, PCI network card, wireless, etc) if your games are accessing it....they access it through the OS TCP/IP stack. Now granted Linux/Unix TCP handling is a lot cleaner and faster than Microsoft XP or Vista, but you aren't ever going to stream instructions from your game directly to the hardware.....you still have to traverse the proverbial OSI model to go from the Application Layer (where your game is running) down to the physical layer (where your network card sends the 0's and 1's across the wire).

The only benefit you would get from a dedicated network card vs. using an integrated network card on a motherboard, is that the dedicated network card would have its own co-processor to offload some of the load from your CPU. Keep in mind here guys that on a current dual-core CPU you are only talking about a 1% load on the CPU (if that).

So like I said......unless you are in to having the "fastest rig" and all of the "cool macho components", save your money because IMHO the rate of return on the investment is going to be so minor that you'll never notice the difference.

For most folks, I'd recommend spending the money on upgrading your video card or increasing your RAM.

If you are still convinced you can do better with your network and you have a reliable broadband connection, take a look at upgrading your Router/Modem or optimizing your TCP Frame sizes from your gaming rig to your router.

Abi
(CISSP, CISA, CNE, MCSE, CCNA, CCWS, CCA, qLogic, and list goes on...)

<for the non-IT folks all of those letters represent the myriad of IT industry certs I currently hold>

[LA_MERC_YellowDog]

;201088']

Abi
(CISSP, CISA, CNE, MCSE, CCNA, CCWS, CCA, qLogic, and list goes on...)

<for the non-IT folks all of those letters represent the myriad of IT industry certs I currently hold>


The Ab1dab1 has spoken... All Hail the Abi...

AWWWW HELL!!

(I would agree with you on the fact there are better ways to invest your money)
I dont know the technical aspects of why... but it just seems like theres not a lot your going to get out of a amped up network card.

[Hamburger]

If there were any performance boost, wouldn't it come from LAN games as opposed to internet games? Internet games you would still be limited to your provider's bandwidth?

Forgive me, but I am not that technically savvy.

[LA_MERC_johncst]

hold on saw it wanted to know more about it I think someone need decaf

[LA_MERC_YellowDog]

If there were any performance boost, wouldn't it come from LAN games as opposed to internet games? Internet games you would still be limited to your provider's bandwidth?

Well maybe in a technical sense there might be... but I think Abi may be right on it being such a unnoticeable difference that its just not worth the price you pay.

[Rollout]

I saw a review on Anadtech or Tomshardware and they proved it was usless, save your money!!!

[Chi_Townz]

i agree... just get more speed!

[Ab1dab1]

Hamburger had a good point too.

We are talking latency of a broadband connection that at most would likely only be between 2-10mb of bandwidth (most likely in an asymetrical configuration...meaning faster download than upload).

I didn't mean to come of as harsh as I did.....I just get on my soapbox every now and then.

Abi