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Killer NIC Hands-On Testing
basscomm writes "IGN has gotten their hands on the 'Killer' NIC recently mentioned here on Slashdot and have written a two part article detailing their impressions: 'The performance boost we got out of the Killer NIC in this testing exceeds Bigfoot Networks' own claims of 10-15% gains by a long shot and certainly seems to validate the potential of the technology. We suspect, however, that the fact that these computers were marginal at running F.E.A.R. in the first place had an impact in the comparison. In many cases the non-Killer NIC machine became absolutely bogged down as particles flew and grenades exploded, enough so that the entire machine would hang for a moment as things got sorted out. Obviously this murdered average fps figures.'"
I'd just buy a gigabit-capable mobo.
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We suspect, however, that the fact that these computers were marginal at running F.E.A.R. in the first place had an impact in the comparison.
Which is why spending 300 bucks on a NIC is such a retarded move. Why not spend that money to upgrade the video card, or add more ram, or do something that's going to bring the level of the machine up a few notches?
The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
You didn't actually bothering READING the article now did you? No that was just too tasking.
They tested one of these cards using an actual game and received a increased framerate and overall game experience vs the identical computer without the card.
Well, the article's point is that its advantage is that it helps increase FPS due to lower CPU use. You're talking ping when they're talking FPS. Whether its worth 300 dollars for that FPS boost instead of spending 300 dollars elsewhere in the comp to improve FPS is another question, however.
What about the snake oil of being incredibly self-important without reading the article and blithely dismissing the product? Maybe this little gem, straight from the article will deflate your little bubble of self-righteousness:
Pings were relatively similar to the standard box, though we did notice latency spikes much less often on the Killer NIC'ed machine.
So yeah....you are so right. They are merely bypassing the cpu with ping requests, and somehow that is magically giving them higher fps and a smoother gameplay experience.
You know, this whole "I'm holier than thou without even reading the article" bs on slashdot is getting really tiresome(I have fallen into the same pit many times myself, I know) It really does inhibit intelligent debate about the article and just makes people feel so much more pompous(as evidenced by frequent use of such words as "snake oil") Oy....
Monstar L
To quote the article: "Our test computers weren't fully fledged high-end gaming machines, but we don't have two identical high-end rigs, but we made do."
So what IGN is saying is that the Killer NIC performs better on a machine that is not the same as the control machine. IGN's results are entirely invalid. Heck, the little data that is presented isn't correctly formed.
Nah, the real scandal is that a web site like IGN couldn't put together two identical decent gaming rigs.
"The legitimate powers of government extend only to such acts as are injurious to others." Thomas Jefferson.
at last a card with an onboard bat'leth..
Qapla'!
if you want people to think you know what you are talking about, just put ".com" at the end of everything you say.com
Sweet. ANOTHER responder who didnt bother to RTFA. Sure, your computer has a .135ms response time under ideal operating conditions. This card's advantages come into play when your computer is under heavy duress and your SOFTWARE TCP/IP stack is thus sharing the proc with an app (such as a networked game) that's pushing your CPU to 100% utilization...
The whole point is that the stack is offloaded to the card, so your network functions have minimal interaction with the CPU.
You might as well argue that a GPU is useless because your CPU can push 80FPS easily while sitting at your desktop.
As you noted, getting a better video card would be the more intelligent option.
But, the PRIMARY problem is that they're running the test on two different machines. Even if they're the same make/model/etc, it doesn't matter.
Another item is that you SCRIPT the test. You don't play the game itself.
And, finally, related to what you were saying, you get a machine that does not have trouble running the app in the first place. Upgrade the video card, get a better processor, OR RUN A LESS DEMANDING GAME!
And put a SNIFFER on the network to find out what is happening on the wire. If we're talking a hub, a card that spews packets is going to outperform a card that obeys the protocols if they're played on the same network.
This "review" reads like a crappy ad for that card. There's no real information.
Basically it's the same idea, just on crack. It's not a quantum leap in theory - it's just more machine in the NIC than you're used to.
This Killer "NIC" is a 400Mhz computer with a NIC, that fits in a slot. They replace the entire network stack in Windows with the simplest possible stuff, and the Killer does _all_ the work, including extensively queueing, and lots of real-world software exceptions... I suspect a big part of what they do is making sure that when your CPU is bogged it doesn't context switch into dealing with the NIC as often...
If your CPU _ISN'T_ pegged you'll probably see no improvement at all, though.
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IGN isn't a hardware site, so when they review a piece of hardware, you've got to be a bit suspect. This looks like a carefully planted "review" to prove to people they "need" a TOE network card. If you do, just buy an old 10/100 Intel ToE card off eBay for like $20. No need to drop tons of cash on this junk.
What a joke. Stick to reviewing games, IGN.
I'll wait for a proper review from Anand, Tom's or Ars, which will show this NIC as the snake oil that it is.