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| Thread ID: 35664 | 2003-07-18 12:38:00 | Modem | fatnakedman (1497) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 160903 | 2003-07-18 12:38:00 | Hi was considering buying a new modem. Any recommendations, and does anyone know if the dick smiths one with the intel chip is any good? I am running P4 1.5ghz, 512mb DDR Ram, Windows ME. Dunno if thats any use but better be safe than sorry Thanx in advance |
fatnakedman (1497) | ||
| 160904 | 2003-07-18 13:45:00 | A EXTERNAL MODEM 2nd hand is good ,look non trademe.co.nz | kiwibeat (304) | ||
| 160905 | 2003-07-19 00:01:00 | A Dynalink E-modem 1456VQE external modem is currently serving me well. It is a true hardware modem which are far superior to any internal "soft" modem. If you think you may dabble in Linux in the future you will have far less problems with a hardware modem than a soft one. Be aware that external USB modems are not true hardware modems. | tommy (2826) | ||
| 160906 | 2003-07-19 00:37:00 | righto,Seeing as everytime someone asks this everyone starts the old get a hardware modem line id like to ask a question or 2,hell,ill even answer my questions...... What,are the advantages of a hardware modem? Do they speed up downloading?......................uh,no they dont Do they speed up surfing?......................uh,no they dont Are they more expensive?......uh,yes they are. Alrighty, what makes a software modem a "poor" choice? The general thinking that they place unneeded stress on a machine is bollucks,There impact is so close to non-exestint that it cant even be recorded,all user speeds are the same as a hardware modem,Machines bench the same whether they have a software or hardware modem,and a software modem is 25 bucks. Far superior?.....i ask you how?...in what way?....because people keep spitting that line out?..is it because they cost more?.....id love to know. And i will convenitly ignore the linux refrence as that wasn't asked in the original question,although from what iv'e seen running winmodems in linux is close to simple nowadays... |
metla (154) | ||
| 160907 | 2003-07-19 01:15:00 | Your points are very valid Metla and as I deem you to have had far more experience with computers than I have I will not argue. I will, however, say that over the past six months or so I have seen countless questions regarding problems with software modems and their drivers compared to none with hardware modems. And as far as the hardware modem speeding up downloading and/or surfing it was my experience that it most certainly did. Other people's mileage will vary, of course. | tommy (2826) | ||
| 160908 | 2003-07-19 01:34:00 | I have been using modems since 300 bps was fast (I started with 50 bps) . 56,000 bps would have been a pipe dream . I have written DOS interface programs in assembler code for 50 bps units . External Hardware (serial RS232) modems are a fully self contained modem, which is not dependent on the main PC CPU for any functionality . Its very true that CPU loading is not an issue these days with fast processors . Its all about reliability in an dynamic environment that is changing when any software is loaded, or hardware is changed on the PC . When a cheap "soft" modem/winmodem/PCI modem works correctly, there is no difference in performance between the two types, as stated . Add or change hardware, change software, Operating System etc and its often a different story . I have had to throw several PCI modems away when upgrading as they were simply not able to work under a new environment, one for which their chipset was not designed . Thats reasonable, as the maker had no knowledge of any new OS . Not so for hardware based serial RS232 modems, which will work on anything from DOS to Win XP, with either the original drivers or Windows default ones . (This trend may be coming to a halt if legacy RS232 ports are no longer included on new generation PCs?) And by the way, USB external modems are also "soft" modems with the added overhead of a USB interface . If I was buying a modem, and NEVER wanted to use it under any other configuration or operating system, then a good quality winmodem would be fine . Otherwise I would spend twice the money and get a modem I know would work across all the environments it may be needed . And thats what I did, and it has survived 2 Operating System changes . |
godfather (25) | ||
| 160909 | 2003-07-19 01:56:00 | Excellent. And Tommy,Although looking back my posts tend to be a bit harsh,i wasn't trying to disprove your post,merely questioning the wide-spread belief that winmodems should be avoided. Imo they are fine...Just had a few rough spots in the transition from 98 to xp. |
metla (154) | ||
| 160910 | 2003-07-19 03:00:00 | hardware modems tend to handle poor lines a lot better than most winmodems. on good lines theres no difference in speed. for gamers a softmodem usually causes a bit of lag. the gets really bad when you are running one of the latest games that is maxing out your pc. each time you get a bit of cpu hungry action the ping goes up. an varable ping is a pain to play with, it makes it hard to guess who much you have to compensate for the lag. |
tweak'e (174) | ||
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