Hardware ReviewsNetgear FA310TX 10/100 Fast Ethernet PCI Adapter
Part of the Netgear Fast Ethernet kit we recently reviewed, the FA310TX network card is a top performer and an all-around great value. As we'll detail below, we had only very minor installation issues (it's not right to call them problems) and one quirky performance problem that was easily rectified. Other than that, the rest was all positives, including exceptional performance and a great price (we found it for $23.95 + shipping at NECx). Although we are still completing our evaluation of some other notable network cards (including 3Com's new card targeted at the small office/home office market), we feel confident that this is the card to beat and have recognized it with a homePCnetwork Editor's Choice award. Overview Since the network card we reviewed came as part of the Netgear kit, we can't speak specifically about the package or support materials (manual, etc) that come with the card. However, we assume it's likely to be the same large fold out manual that came with the kit. This was certainly sufficient, but also didn't provide ALL of the information that is nice to give to network newbies. The fold out also was pretty well focused on Windows 95 (A and B), but may have been updated since our kit was packaged. Besides, you can find adapter card readme files for other operating systems, including Windows 98, Windows NT and even Linux, on the included driver diskette. Overall, though, not much of the manual details are a big deal since -- based on our experience it -- you didn't need a lot of detailed information since installation was smooth and well guided with the normal on-screen prompts.
The FA310TX card is full featured, but we've come to expect most or all of these feaures even in the low cost cards like this one. It auto senses to run at either 10Mbps or 100Mbps based on the hub speed, has five LEDs on the back (that can be helpful but damn near impossible to see), and with the PCI "bus mastering" design provides high throughput (which we were able to judge with our tests) and low CPU utilization (which at this point we don't track). On a lighter note, the Netgear FA310TX also gets our award for best artwork with the neat image on the back of the circuit board, a spot often left barren by all other manufacturers.
Installation As we pointed out in the review of the network kit, Installation of the FA310TX went fairly smoothly in both Windows 95 and Windows 98. Neither installation went as specified in the installation guides. On Windows 95, we were asked for the driver diskette supplied by the manufacturer as indicated in the guide, but we did not get to select the adapter from a list (that dialog box didn't even pop up). Also, unlike the instructions suggested, we never were automatically presented the network control panel to install protocols, etc. Obviously that was easy enough to call up manually (although we're not so sure that wouldn't stump "first-timers.") Windows 98 went fairly smoothly although the new Installation Wizard routine in Windows 98 is not covered at all in the guide. Plus, once again (as we've mentioned before as one of our pet peeves) even after you tell the installation wizard where the drivers are and where Windows files are, it gets the two confused and asks again during the install. Argh. We also want to repeat what we stated in the review of the kit. Namely that we did NOT experience any of the plug-n-play problems that we had heard of from others (as you might have noticed posted on our message boards from one homePCnetwork.com visitor). Keep in mind, however, that we install these kits on machines with absolute clean Windows systems (we reinstall a clean version before every test) and have few other peripherals (no sound cards, no game cards, etc) installed on the system. Once you fill a computer up with cards (and lose IRQs), it might be a different story. But, again, we found no evidence of a problem. On the flip side, if many others can confirm the plug-n-play problems still exist, we'll consider removing our Editor's Choice designation. Performance As we mentioned in the introduction, the performance of the FA310TX was excellent. In fact, it's the fastest card tested under our new test bed platform (see How we Test) but only by the slightest of margins (well less than 10% and you'd be hard pressed to notice even 10% in real world conditions). Still, being the fastest is worth something, particularly with a low-cost card like this Netgear. The one performance quirk to again point out came during our tests on the Windows 95 machine (part of the kit test, not the specific set up used for these cards only tests). The Windows 95 machine was completely locking up during some of our tests. The solution was to ensure that NetBIOS support was checked on within the IPX properties. That wasn't a major issue and when we were able to test the performance with NetBIOS on and off, there was no discernable difference in the performance so we're not marking off for this problem. Overall, then, the card performed exceptionally well as you can see in the chart below. As most of you familiar with our tests know, we copy a 30 meg file from the basic machine to the advanced machine (what we call reads for lack of a better word) and copy the same file from the advanced machine to the basic machine (writes). The average of the four tests for the Netgear card at 100Mbps (red bars below) was 24.22 (versus, for example, 26.06 for the Linksys card and 25.39 for the D-Link card). At 10Mbps (blue bars), the Netgear card was again the fastest at an average 41.71 (versus 41.98 and 43.25). If you'll recall (or click back to the Netgear kit review), the Netgear kit was NOT as fast as the D-Link or Linksys kits. Obviously, then, we have to think twice about recommending the Netgear hub, which was holding up the excellent performance from these cards.
Summary Overall, we think this is a great card. Installation went smoothly (although we would have liked the installation guide to do a better job of matching the real world experience) and performance was top notch. We do remain wary that others have reported some problems with these cards, but remain committed to homePCnetwork delivering "real world" results from our own experiences. In addition, we've been told by the same contact that his firm is no longer having the same problems with the Netgear cards. So, based on our tests, we found no problems with these cards and can highly recommend them. In addition, we've also received comments from others that Netgear no longer uses the top performing DEC chipset. But, again, based on our real world tests, the current card, with the current chipset, turns in a great performance. We believe Netgear is a solid company and this is a solid card. Of course, as the performance tests show, this and the other cards we've tested are all very close. Still, facts are facts and the Netgear card comes out tops among other cards tested so far and had no real defaults in installation or setup. Grade = A Details
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