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

How much can a network card improve game performance? Can an onboard card really hinder your gaming performance? What's the difference between a $20 card and a $130 card?

Earlier this year we were introduced to Bigfoot Networks' new Killer 2100 Gaming Network Card. As we didn't have a chance to test out the card for ourselves at that time, some of you said: "Hey, what's up with that?" Well, the good news is that Bigfoot has provided us with a testing unit so we could check out the power of the card ourselves.

The card itself is considered a gamer's network card. What this means is that Bigfoot Networks claims the Killer 2100 Gaming Network Card is the fastest networking product available for online games. It "maximizes online game performance, improves game play and reduces problems associated with lag."

How does it make such a claim? First, the card analyzes the packets going in and out of your PC and is able to identify if it is network traffic from gaming. If it is, it gets priority over other tasks your computer may be trying to use your network connection for. It completely bypasses the Windows Network Stack and gives users full control over which applications get bandwidth and offers the ability to customize how much bandwidth, if any, each application will be alotted.

In addition, since the NIC has its own processor, it takes the processing load off the CPU. As you'll see from our tests coming up, this can mean a finite boost in frames rendered per second.

Before we get into the results, here are the specs of the PC with which I outfitted the Killer 2100.


I also connected an HP Pavilion laptop with a gigabit ethernet connection to the network from which I ran part of my tests.

The installation was simple. The network card is a PCIe card, so you'll need to have a PCIe slot free. The card can be installed in any PCIe x1 or faster slot. The only issue I had with the installation process was trying to fit the card into the only PCIe slot I had free. I ended up having to remove one of my video cards, installing the NIC card, and then reinstalling the second video card. It's important to note that this was solely due to the layout of my motherboard, and had nothing to do with the Killer Network Card itself.

Once installed, the software installed quickly and easily and I was good to go. I booted up some of my favorite games and started running some tests. The following are the games I tested.

Age of Conan: All settings set to max. I ran the DX10 client at 1920x1200 and ran around Conall's Valley during the tests.

APB: The newest MMOG to hit the gaming space, I felt this test would be a good one as it relies more on pinpoint accuracy and response time than the other games tested. Max settings. 1920x1200 racing around the Financial District.

Dungeons & Dragons Online: All settings to max with DX10 enabled. Resolution was 1920x1200. I ran around Stormreach Harbor.

EverQuest 2: All settings to max except foliage density. Shader 3.0 enabled. 1920x1200. Qeynos.

World of Warcraft: Dalaran. Full effects. 1920x1200

Onto the test results!