Re: pcmcia nics
On Thu, 19 Jul 2001 10:52, Dan Cox wrote:
> Any recommendations on a pcmcia nic?
PCMCIA is officially obsolete. The two new names are "PC Card" and "Card
Bus". PC Card can only handle about 1.5MB/s, so it's a waste of money to get
a PC Card 100baseT card as it won't be much faster than a 10baseT card! Also
PC Card takes heaps of CPU time, so a fast Ethernet card transferring 1.5MB/s
of data will make your machine unbearably slow.
Card Bus is faster and takes less CPU power, so you can transfer >8MB/s thus
making 100baseT cards worth-while.
In terms of brands of cards, every card I have tried has worked, but it makes
sense to take your laptop to the store to test out a card before buying it.
When comparing cards, any card that is not NE-2000 compatible should be equal
to any other (NE-2000 means slow).
I like the Xircom RealPort cards as they are physically stronger and unlikely
to break. Apart from Xircom (which are expensive) I suggest getting the
cheapest non-NE2000 card available.
For a PC Card device I suggest buying a second hand 10baseT card, more people
want to sell than want to buy such cards and they are really cheap.
Otherwise get a Card Bus 100baseT card.
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