Linksys has some great hubs, but great routers for gaming???

[billyboysport]

I've had a Linksys EtherFast 5-Port Workgroup Hub, EFAH05W, and it's been very quick in sending files and had very few disconnections with multiplayer games. I've decided to get a router too, but I want to choose between a Netgear RT314 and a BEFSR41. Which one is good for playing games like Red Alert 1-2/ CNC / UT / and other high-bandwith games for no more than three computers, the Linksys or the Netgear? I've heard mixed reviews of both, and I've never had problems with games with m Linksys hub. What do you suggest? For three computers, is a switch really worth that much more than a hub? Would it be easier to just get a one-port router or should I go with the switch? Linksys has very good hubs, and at the place that I work, we have many hubs with 3x ports and they work fine, although we have Netgear 10/100/1000 switches. Which router is speedier and more reliable?

[billyboysport]

What is the truth behind the Linksys 4 port router and the Netgear 4 port router. There are a few people talking bad about Linky, but I have yet to find any. I don't know much about Netgear routers, as I only have their PCMCIA card which also worked well. Can switches be able to reach 100 mbps full-duplex? Can hubs? Is a switch really worth that much more than a hub if you have two computers connected on the network? What will the difference in speeds be for a switch for two computers? For a switch, when transferring files from one computer to another, will the speeds be 100 mbps full-duplex and is it faster at sending files between just two computers than a hub? If so, by how much?

Would you recommend a 4 port router with Netgear or Linksys, or a 1 port router?

[C.M. Weaver]

You need to decide for yourself what kind of configuration flexability you want in a router. Both the Netgear and Linksys are great products, but the Netgear provides you with some finer control and features that the Linksys does not. I use the Linksys and have no problems at all playing any online game using a broadband connection.

As for a switch, depends on the use of the other nodes on your network. If each of the other machines (network using a hub) are transferring lots of data while your playing a game on your primary machine you could end up with lots of collisions, effectively crippling the bandwidth on that segment for you other nodes.

Using a hub will not provide you a virtual circuit between nodes. Since ethernet is a shared media, each node on the same segment must contend for bandwidth (ex. 10 nodes on a segment connected by a hub will yield 1MB of bandwidth for each node). Where as a switch will offer you full-duplex (virtual circuits between nodes) speeds at 10/100 speeds (NIC card dependent also). A switched network eliminates the need for nodes to contend for the same piece of wire...no collisions and full use of the configured 10/100 pipe.

If you use a hub for a small network with 2-3 machines on it with light to modest bandwidth requirements you shouldn't have a problem with throughput, but if you throw a switch in the mix you will benefit greatly from the increased dedicated bandwidth.

C.M.

[ 02-03-2001: Message edited by: C.M. Weaver ]