10/100 or Gigabit ?

daveza

daveza

Honorary Master
Joined
Apr 5, 2004
Messages
49,864
Reaction score
21,622
Location
Durbanville, Cape Town
Looking for a basic FAQ on network speed and hw.

If a pc has a Gigabit network port will a 10/100 switch create a bottleneck?

If you use a Gigabit switch will network speed increase ?

Do you use standard network cables ?
 
daveza said:
Looking for a basic FAQ on network speed and hw.

If a pc has a Gigabit network port will a 10/100 switch create a bottleneck?

If you use a Gigabit switch will network speed increase ?

Do you use standard network cables ?
Click to expand...

giga is better and no 100/10 would not create a bottle neck it would just be slower. (i guess that could be a bottle neck :D)

you need to also get giga cables.
 
daveza said:
Wha't the difference between 10/100 cable and Gigabit cable - and will the speed increase be noticeable ?
Click to expand...

yep. if you either stream constantly or transfer huge files- trust me giga is the better route.

don't know the numbers though :)
 
daveza said:
Wha't the difference between 10/100 cable and Gigabit cable - and will the speed increase be noticeable ?
Click to expand...

Gigabit cable uses an extra wire, if memory serves. It also has extra shielding and whatnot to make sure that the signal's stable.
You'll be looking for CAT5e or CAT6 cable, both of which are gigabit capable and backwards compatible.

Using a gigabit switch instead of 10/100 may improve network speeds if your current network gear isn't great quality, but you'll still only get 12MB/s or so as a maximum if your equipment's only 10/100. Switching everything to gigabit will of course make a huge difference in maximum speeds attained.

Ps. A perk of gigabit equipment is that it eliminates the need for cross-over cables. Two gigabit NICs can be connected directly, unlike with 10/100 hardware, which requires a special cable or a switch or a hub.
 
The network will work at the speed of the lowest connected port, i.e. plugging a 1000mbps card into a 100mbps switch will result in a 100mbps connection. 1000 mbps is usually faster, although the actual benefits depend on several factors.

100 versus 1000 used to be a more difficult option due to the costs. However, nowadays most mobos have gigabit ports, gigabit switches are standard and much cheaper than a few years ago, and most cables are of a high enough quality to handle gigabit speeds. If you really have a tight budget then 100mbps will be OK; but 1000 will be faster in most cases while still being affordable....
 
The cat5e/6 thing depends on distance many. For normal distances you can use cat5e. Cat6 is only needed if you are going for 50m+ cables.

Theres is absolutely no reason to get 100mbps gear since the gigabit stuff is now almost as cheap anyway.
 
ok, so just to confirm, special cable must be made up for Gigabit lan.

anyone know where to get normal and Gb lan cabling made up. Obviously one will also need a Gb lan router
 
Not special cabling per se as most people use cat5e nowadays - only diff is Pair 1 & 2 is in use for 100mbps,while 1 2 3 and 4 are needed for gigabit,standard 568a or b pinouts work fine
 
dudleygb said:
ok, so just to confirm, special cable must be made up for Gigabit lan.

anyone know where to get normal and Gb lan cabling made up. Obviously one will also need a Gb lan router
Click to expand...

No need to get special cable, in the sense that any cable you buy new should be suitable for gb lan. What do you mean buy Gb lan router, or do you mean a switch?
 
cool, I have old cables, I guess I could just test them to check for sure.

where does one have lan cable made up? Or buy off the shelf?

Yup, a Gb lan switch/router 4 port thingy..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X