Need help picking a network card please :)

[neonplanet40]

Which network card?

Hey guys, recently updated my WHS mobo to a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R but since i've done that network speeds have dropped from 60MB/sec to about 29MB/sec. So im loooking at buying two network cards. One for main computer and one for WHS. What one would you guys reccommend?

I really dont have the money to spend much so was looking at these ones as they are only £20.99, what do you's think?

Intel Gigabit PRO/ 1000CT PCIe
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/148376

There are three though but I think there all the same except low profile - PCIe and PCI? Listed below
Intel PRO/1000 GT PCI Desktop Low Profile Adapter
Intel PRO/1000 GT PCI Desktop Adapter
Intel Gigabit PRO/ 1000CT PCIe

Am I correct so they should all perform the same? Or would you recommend one over the other?

Never bought a network card before to be honest but want fast and reliable access to home server.

Many thanks for the help

Mark

[Bitemarks666]

yeah get the PCI-E version, the Intel pro/1000 is a great NIC

[neonplanet40]

thanks

[oolon]

Yes they should roughly perform the same, intel is a good brand of network cards, PCI cards can be limited by the speed of the bus (the bus only having enough speed for half duplex and being a shared bus). So PCIe is the way to go if you can. Bare in mind 125Megabytes per second is the maximum you can get from gigabit in a single direction (not taking into account any overhead). Many low end desktop switches can only switch 1Gbit per second.

[neonplanet40]

Thanks Your avatar was in new season of Lost....

[oolon]

Thanks Your avatar was in new season of Lost....

Oh no! Does that mean i have to change it now? I have to admit I have never seen lost, but can understand why it is in there. The shape is an "ankh", the Egyptian symbol of life. I fact made this avatar along time ago for Xtension by egosoft where you could put a symbol of your choice as a wall paper over your ships/stations, shame you can't still do that. It also happens to match my domain name choice.

[Shooty*]

I'd just get the one network card, if I were you. If you search the netwroking forum, I had a similar problem, and just putting a new card in my WHS rig sorted it. I blame the poor driver support for my mobo under WHS/ XP.

[CWH]

Hi,
I've just been talking today about reduced throughput on an Intel network card! One thing that might contribute to lower throughput has been found to be the TCP offloading feature. Some lower-level server hardware appears to compete with the network card when this feature is enabled and only today found a Win-7/SBS network link where disabling offloading trebled throughput.

Colin

[Shooty*]

So.... how do you fix it?

[edgars70]

Hey guys, recently updated my WHS mobo to a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R but since i've done that network speeds have dropped from 60MB/sec to about 29MB/sec.

Have you performed memory to memory tests to ensure that it nic that is the problem and not the hdd that are the cause of the drop in speed.

So im loooking at buying two network cards. One for main computer and one for WHS.

why get two? what's wrong with the one on the main computer?

[neonplanet40]

Already bought now mate, Installing them tonight,

The only thing that has changed is the Mobo so thats why I dont think its the disks as they are the same as they were before when I was getting 70MB/sec.

What is a memory to memory test?

[Shooty*]

Oooh, Oooh, I know this one: as memory runs faster, if you transfer from memory to memory across the network, you get a better idea of speed than disc to disc as you're not weighed down by write/ read speed bottlenecks!

I have, however, no idea how to do it.

[neonplanet40]

I also dont know :s

[edgars70]

A piece of software that measures the network bandwidth between two pcs. Something like iperf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iperf. It was just a suggestion. Let us know how you get on with your new cards.

[neonplanet40]

Hi,
I've just been talking today about reduced throughput on an Intel network card! One thing that might contribute to lower throughput has been found to be the TCP offloading feature. Some lower-level server hardware appears to compete with the network card when this feature is enabled and only today found a Win-7/SBS network link where disabling offloading trebled throughput.

Colin

How do u fix it?

[neonplanet40]

Actually it seems the cards have made no difference.... 20-30MB/sec down from 60-70MB/sec....