Network Cards

Network cards, also called network interface cards (NICs), ethernet cards, or network adapter cards, physically connect a computer to a local network and the internet. They offer higher speeds compared to WiFi, with no chance of interference. They fit PCI or PCIe slots, and many models will have more than one port for a faster connection to the local network.

Do you need a network card?

Most pre-built computers will come with a network “card” integrated into the motherboard. This will suffice for most people, letting them connect to their home network and the internet beyond. There won’t be much, if any, speed increase with a different network card, as the modem and internet service will be the limiting factor.

More advanced users may build a PC or server using a motherboard that doesn’t have a network connection. There are also situations where higher local network speed is vital, such as when sending massive video files between computers or between a computer and network-attached storage devices. For servers especially, a dedicated network card can offer significant performance benefits as well as redundancy in case of failures.

Adorama features network cards from brands like ASUS, Intel, and Synology.

Network card speed

Buying a card with a faster-rated speed than your network likely won’t do anything to improve your speeds. A faster network card won’t, for instance, make surfing the web faster, since the bottleneck in speed is almost always your internet service.

For example, if your internet is a fiber connection at 1 Gbps, a 10 Gbps network card won’t make it faster, as all you’re getting from the outside world is 1 Gbps. However, if all the devices on your home network are rated for 10 Gbps, you’ll be able to transfer files between them significantly faster than if they’re 1 Gbps. In that case, don’t get a 1 Gbps card as it will be slower than the potential of the network, or the slowest device on an otherwise fast network.

You certainly can get a faster card than your network, potentially for futureproofing, though the price may be higher for you to do so.

Card ports

Basic network cards have a single ethernet port. More advanced models will have two or more. These can provide the computer with an even faster connection to the local network. A multiple-port setup also allows for redundancy in case one of the ports fails.

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