Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Test Chart

For the first test, I took a simple average framerate. The test in each game was run 3 times for one minute each. The result in the FPS column is the average FPS from all 3 tests. The purpose of this test is to show how much smoother a game can run when the processing is taken off the CPU and put onto the Killer 2100.

The second test was a result of a series of 100 32-bit packets sent from the laptop to the test machine as it was running the game. Why is this test valid? Again, it shows how quickly the Killer 2100 can process traffic. This test is a more accurate test of the cards capabilities as it eliminates other variables over the internet that we have no control over (ex. a routing ISP down in San Diego as our traffic tries to continue to the game's servers in Redwood.)

	53 FPS	45 FPS	<1ms	<1ms	14ms	16ms	2ms	4ms
	30 FPS	28 FPS	<1ms	<1ms	8ms	11ms	<1ms	1ms
	52 FPS	40 FPS	<1ms	<1ms	11ms	19ms	<1ms	<1ms
	37 FPS	34 FPS	<1ms	<1ms	8ms	10ms	1ms	2ms
	38 FPS	35 FPS	<1ms	<1ms	8ms	13ms	<1ms	<1ms

Results

It's possible that the results are even more obvious if we start measuring the fractions of milliseconds, but when you're talking about those kinds of speeds, it's doubtful they will even be noticed. So any result that was a fraction of a millisecond received the appropriate "<1ms".

Even so, the results are pretty clear that the Killer 2100 NIC does do exactly what it sets out to do. It's faster than the onboard card, and it takes enough load off the processor that we even see a framerate increase in all games. This is the biggest advantage to the card for most MMO gamers as millisecond response time difference that we see in the ping tests aren't usually a concern if you're playing an RPG. In shooters though, it becomes much more important and noticeable.

Software

We would be amiss if we didn't mention the network card's software suite. The power and versatility of the included software is one of the card's most valuable assets. With the ability to throttle your network activity on any given application, and view every application that is using bandwidth at a quick glance, the advantage of the Killer 2100 becomes clear.

As gamers we often are patching our games, downloading music, and streaming video out to the television in the entertainment room. All of this network activity takes resources and no other card that we've seen is able to manage those resources as well as the Killer 2100.

The ease of use of the suite is what makes it favorable. The interface is intuitive and streamlined, so it shouldn't take even the very unsavvy long to figure out how to get the card to work to their advantage.

Conclusion

Bigfoot Networks' Killer 2100 Gaming Card provides the fastest, most responsive, most controllable card we've seen in a desktop computer. Its performance is simply unmatched. However, at a price tag of  $130 it's hard to recommend it to anyone but the most hardcore of gamers. The performance increase in framerates is respectable, but in most cases tested, it was only an increase of a couple of frames. The actual network response times were the same. While there was a definite improvement, those numbers probably won't be noticed by anyone but the most extreme performance-seekers.

On the other hand, if you are the type of gamer who just needs to optimize their gaming experience in any way possible the Killer NIC offers a performance boost in an area that you'll be unlikely to improve otherwise without it.

So, in that way, this card is a must-have for elite performance tweakers. For everyone else the most valuable aspect of the card is in its software suite. The ability to micro-manage all your applications and bandwidth is something that's hard to put a price tag on as it will vary according to your needs. If you only play one game and patch while at work, you probably won't need the card. If you're like me, though, and are constantly flipping through multiple tasks online and through your network, there is definite value to the Killer 2100.