ethernet

[darkm]

Folks,

I'm Considering buying a new laptop and was wondering what is the difference between fast ethernet and giga ethernet? If im subcribing to the 20mb service from virgin will I still get up to 20 megs on both connections via a wired ethernet connection? At some point I will buy a wireless router so anyone offer any advice..

cheers

[Halcyon]

Your connection will depend on how many people are on the network near where you live and your connection will vary. It is rare for people to get a full consistant 20mb.

Having a wireless router should not make much difference. Any router will slow your connection down slightly, but I doubt most people notice.
Any new cable router that supports 10/100 should be fine for broadband.

Gigabit ethernet will give you 1000 data bit rate whilst fast ethernet is 100.
You should be fine with fast ethenret but if you want to future proof for years to come get the gigabit ethernet.

As for router recommendations, many people here go for Linksys or Netgear routers.

More info on ehternet types here:
http://www.rhyshaden.com/eth_intr.htm

[Cobbydaler]

Original ethernet was 10 Mbit/s, fast ethernet is 100 Mbit/s, giga ethernet is 1000 Mbit/s. Also called 10, 100 & 1000 BASE-T.

Draft wireless N routers are claimed to allow speeds up to 300 Mbit/s & this will eventually increase, so it's probably best to go for the giga ethernet option.

Current wireless G routers are 54 or 108 Mbit/s...

[lsproc]

Gigabit ethernet allows for ethernet connections up to 1 gigabit (1024 megabits, thats the same as 512 Size M connections together).

(If the next bit is a bit confusing, see the Brief at the bottom).

Generally, a lot of computers are coming down in price, so I would get one. You would need extra hardware (unless you connect directly to the modem, in which case you just need a good cable and a good modem), but since Virgin don't yet sell anything faster than 20mbit (the other type of ethernet goes up to 100) you dont need to bother with that for now, but having the port is useful for future proofing.

If your getting a router, I would not bother for now. Wait till the final 802.11n routers come out, and get one with Gigabit(1000)/100/10 switching. You don't need an ADSL router. Also note to get 802.11n cards so you get the fastest speeds out of them.

For now however, Virgins 20mbit will work fine on whatever you use, so this is my advice in brief:

• Get a computer with a Gigabit port (as they should not be overly expensive)
• When getting a router, get one with Gigabit (1000)/100/10 switching, that has Wi-Fi type: 802.11n
• Make sure any wireless cards you get are also 802.11n. Don't buy any wireless till the n spec comes out in final.
• Your 20meg will work fine on whatever port.
• If Virgin bring out speeds faster than 100m, then either directly plug the modem into your gigabit port (using a certified gigabit cable, CAT-6), or plug it into the router that I mentioned earlier.

If your confused, just ask

[darkm]

Thanks people for your advice. I could always just get a laptop with a 10/100 connection and at a later date buy a wirless n router with either car or usb adapter. The trouble i'm having at the moment is I have a £500-600 budget and I wanted the giga connection for future proofing. I do like HP laptops but for that budget they just do fast ethernet connections. Acer is ther other possible route but im not too sure about the quality and build from acer. I'm not too bothered about AMD or Intel, you seem to get better value for AMD. The other reason for going with HP is lightscribe and firewire port. ANy help

[lsproc]

My tips: NEVER EVER EVER use USB Networking, always go for PCI/PC Card

Anyway

I quite like Acer laptops, IMO their build quality and ease of use is excellent (just have a mouse as the touchpad is annoying IMO).

I would get a Giga port though for future proofing.

[darkm]

thanks for the replay,

From what I read Pci cards seem to be the way to go rather than usb. I have been looking at this model
http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/-/654/861...archtype=genre

and this one

http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/-/654/861...archtype=genre

im not really sure, any thoughts or alternatives?

[lsproc]

By the look of it, the Acer is the better one to go for, cause I think you get a better graphics card for £20 less (twisted logic :P).

Apart from a MacBook (:P, that might be out of your budget though) i cant recommend anything else

[darkm]

cheers dude,

the graphic card does support directx10 a bonus but its very basic but better than intergrated. It doesn't have firwire though I can always add that on via pci card. No lightscribe but I suppose I could buy an external dvd writer as well. The acer isn't too bad on the whole and a nice price, just hope it holds up on the quality front.

[lsproc]

Its okay!

If you need a cheap mouse cause the touchpad is being annoying (for me it is), try a Labtec.

Anyway, have fun!