Onboard NIC vs NIC Adapter

[MagikMark]

Which one performs better using with and without VPN?

[Philip]

It depends on the chipset, and how fast your PC is to handle the load without any noticeable side effects. Onboard NICs are usually adequate with newer PCs that have plenty of RAM, fast CPUs and newer chipsets. On slower hardware, however, there may be noticeable slowdown with faster connections, and VPNs because of the higher resource utilization.

If you have a newer motherboard with plenty of RAM/CPU and a decent onboard NIC, with good drivers, you should be ok.

If you want the best, get a dedicated Intel Gigabit NIC (or some other good brand NIC) because of the stable drivers, and ample hardware to handle more load. It also depends on what settings you use with your adapter, any type of packet-coalescing will cause some type of latency and additional load. We have an article on Network Adapter optimization on the main site here: https://www.speedguide.net/articles/...imization-3449

VPN speed is dependent on your CPU/RAM and particular software in addition to the NIC. We also have an article on the different VPN types and what to use for best throughput, you can check the section on VPN protocols here: https://www.speedguide.net/articles/...-with-vpn-5051

I hope this helps

[MagikMark]

Thanks Philip! I'm considering of getting a dedicated network adapter. Can you recommend a good Intel model? Preferably the latest available. Thanks

[Philip]

Up to you, either one of those $20-$40 NICs on Amazon should work:

Intel Gigabit CT EXPI9301CTBLK
Intel PRO/1000 Pt
Intel 82576

[MagikMark]

Thanks Philip!

Opted for the CT. Looking good
However, I noticed there is no updated driver for this in Intel website. What I'm using right now is the one provided by windows 10 x64 Pro
Do you happen to know if there are any new drivers?

Tried IPvanish as you have recommended. Looking good as well

It would be awesome if you can make a reviews on other VPNs. We have no way of knowing which ones are Tier 1

[Philip]

Namecheap started using the same backhaul provider as IPVanish actually, so the quality should be the same and they are very competitively priced for longer terms, not sure about the software they use though as I haven't tried them. I use IPVanish myself.