Network Card? 6

[Nocandu]

Hi

I'm still working on my new computer set up and I don't understand exactly what I get by adding a Network card.

The card I'm looking at it the "Killer NIC K1".

Is this something that is worth the cost, about $150?

I don't mind spending the extra money if it is really going to make a difference in my computers performance.

I do play online games.

Is there a down side to running a card like this?

Thanks for the help...

 

[edfair]

Don't do games but if I were seriously into them I would probably want one.

It handles the majority of the network stuff for your computer freeing up the processor for the game graphics.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.

 

[Nocandu]

Hi

Thanks for the advice, for 150 I guess I'll go for it.

I have played MMOs since the beginning starting with Ultima Online. I usually beta everything new that comes along.

Right now I'm doing Aion.

I'm retired officially but I still do enough graphic arts stuff to need to keep my Adobe stuff up to date too.

Thanks again.

 

[Nelviticus]

I wouldn't bother with it just for MMOs - it's only really useful when you need every last drop of CPU performance, like with on-line shooters. MMOs are generally fairly undemanding of the CPU.

Nelviticus

 

[Nocandu]

Hi

You may be right but things like Age of Conan was very demanding performance wise.

Since it has real time combat, blow for blow it ground my present computer to a stop.

I would like to give it another try when I get my new computer.

So it may or may not be worth it but since it's only 150 I may as well give it a try.

Thanks for the help.

Mike

 

[Grenage]

With modern machines having the power they do, I'd be very surprised if it made a noticeable difference.

"We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into the area" - Major Mike Shearer

 

[RichLee]

$150 for a network card! - I'd consider spending that amount on a better processor/memory/motherboard.

 

[cdogg]

I've heard mixed opinions on the card. It has onboard memory and a processor so you can install a mini-OS (such as linux) to run a firewall.

Features aside though, I haven't seen or heard of any concrete proof that the benefits in games are actually noticeable. I wouldn't throw away $150 on it unless you're really after one its features.

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
[tab][navy]For posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[BadBigBen]

Mind this is not the K1 but the M1:

Frame Rates

We used the same 24" monitor for all tests on both machines, with AA and AF turned off at a resolution of 1600x1200, and all detail settings turned up to their legal maximum values for both Crysis and Second Life. We then used FRAPS to capture frame rates for similar, easily repeated scenes in Crysis, and ran FRAPS against a set of identical scenes from the Second Life demo. The results of our testing are reported in Table 4, based on 30 runs for each game; there, values reported represent total frames per second, so higher values are better than lower ones.

FPS Reading for Crysis and Second Life

Game[tab][tab][tab][tab][tab]Min[tab]Avg[tab]Max
Crysis (Realtek)[tab][tab]25[tab]31.6[tab]37
Crysis (Killer NIC)[tab] 28[tab]34.6[tab]38
2L (Realtek)[tab][tab][tab]66[tab]67[tab]  68
2L (Killer NIC)[tab][tab] 70[tab]71[tab]  72

What we observe for the more demanding Crysis is about a 10% improvement in frame rates for the Killer NIC versus the Realtek GbE interface; for Second Life (abbreviated as 2L in the table), the difference is more like 5.6% (and collecting data is much easier in the latter, because nobody else is usually trying to kill you). The 10% difference in frame rates is pretty widely reported on forums and other coverage of the Killer NIC, so we’re comfortable in asserting that this is a typical difference that most gamers will experience for FPS games after installing this hardware. It’s a modest but tangible improvement that translates more into an improvement in fluidity and an ability to anticipate other players, than into a radical speed-up.

source: Tom's Guide Bigfoot Networks' Killer M1 NIC



Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[kmcferrin]

Not worth it. Instead of getting one of these NICs, take that $150 and add it to what you were going to spend on a video card and get a much better video card. Spending an extra $150 on a video card will get you much better frame rates than buying a Killer NIC.

If you're already at the top end of video cards, spend that $150 on a better CPU. That would be the second biggest bang for the buck that you could get for improving frame rates.

I'm not saying that their NICs don't do anything, but they don't do anything to justify their price. They basically include a separate, tiny computer on the NIC to handle network I/O processing. Of course, if you have a quad core CPU then the odds are pretty good that you already have free cycles to handle network processing.

For that matter, a lot of the performance benefit of the Killer NIC products has been shown by comparing them against integrated ethernet chipsets/adapters. I don't think that I need to mention this, but the integrated components are rarely the best performing for any particular application. You could see a decent improvement in network performance just by upgrading to an Intel Gigabit Desktop Adapter, which you can get for $30 or less. Then put that extra $120 into a video card or CPU.

So in summary, if I were looking to spend extra money to make my gaming experience faster I would prioritize my spending this way:

1. Video card
2. CPU
3. Crossfire/SLI setup
4. Dedicated hardware audio card
5. Dedicated hardware NIC.
number 6 though 37. A whole bunch of other stuff...
38. Killer NIC

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[cdogg]

kmcferrrin,
I was just thinking the exact same thing! Although there are plenty of hardcore gamers out there that will spend all kinds of money for marginal improvements, obviously there are better items to upgrade first. I got a good chuckle from the #38 in your list...

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Einstein
[tab][navy]For posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[gbaughma]

Keeping in mind, too, that network performance is the "weakest link" scenario.

If you're playing a MMORPG with your friends, and one of them is on dial-up.....



Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly replaced his Dilithium Crystals with new Folger's Crystals."

--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com

 

[626F62]

didnt look into it but for that price wont that be a 10/100/1000 card?? (it better be)

if so your other devices would also be acountable...

if you have a gigabit card (1000) and that goes into a 10/100 switch then that making the gigabit capability pointless!

if you then only have 2Mbps internet connection more waste still...

 

[Grenage]

It's a nice idea and I can see where they are coming from, but the minor benefits do not match the additional cost. Not when, as others have pointed out, you can put the money into other areas that will make a large difference.

"We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into the area" - Major Mike Shearer

 

[DOIMPRO]

NIC for 150 .... giggle

I smell Server Farm , not gamer pwn

Surprise! Most loopback jacks are located conveniently behind the ear and above the leg

 

[Nocandu]

Hi

Thanks for the input.

After reading all the comments and the ones in the post I started about video cards, I have decided to skip the Network card.

I will put the money I save (by not using the network card and using 2 Nvidia 250 gts cards in SLI rather then 1 285 card), into the added cost of a Core I7 950 3.03 GHz processor,only about $100 on top of the savings.

I can always update the video cards in a couple of years, when something better comes along, but I'm unlikely to upgrade the processor.

I will be using a dedicated audio card as well.

Thanks again for the help.

.

 

[Grenage]

Good call on the processor, I hope you enjoy your new machine.

"We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into the area" - Major Mike Shearer