Question about onboard nic vs add on card.

[Porkinator]

I have read in some places that using a add on ethernet card takes a small load off the CPU instead of usining the on board network card .
Anyone have any input ?
This suppose to help reduce lag for some people .

[Yrrek]

I don't know if it does that. It is a chip on the motherboard that should really just be using power and not processor resources. Personally I prefer using a NIC instead of onboard because in my experience the onboard NICs tend to die very quickly, making that functionality pretty worthless.

[Nytefyre]

ive heard conflicting reports from komp sites, gamers, and professionals i know who work in the field...

some say that the NIC card will take a load off the CPU, but it basically is a piece of hardware that is designed for data xfer and such, therefore, does better due to the simple fact that it was designed for the purpose.

other say that the difference, if any, is negligible, and not worth the power it zapz from the PS...

i would think that it may be nyce to have since it is a separate piece of hardware, and therefore easier to replace w/o worrying about the MB at all...

but, no, i only have onboard nic...lol

[Duffy]

Hmm onboard should logically take less power instead of a PCI one. On board although not perfect which some have gone out are there for a reason or the manufacturer's wuld'nt use them as much as they do now. I have 2 Different PC's that are over 4 yr's old with onboard and they both work GREAT. I couldn't see the benefit of adding a off board one unless you just like taking up slots on your motherboard.