Tests

For our test we used three different computers which were available for testing. Two of the computers were desktops, with the other being a laptop.

1) AMD Athlon 1.4GHz, 256MB DDR, Netgear 10/100Mbps networking card, Windows XP RC2
2) AMD Duron 750MHz, 128 SDRAM, 10Mbps networking card, Windows ME
3) (laptop) Intel PII 233, 192MB SDRAM, 10/100Mbps networking card, Windows 2000 Pro

The first two systems were a mere 3-5 feet away from the switch while the Duron computer was about 45 feet away. This setup was best to allow for simulation of a windows network, which most small businesses use. We had the laptop and the Duron computer grab the same 300MB file from the Windows XP computer in the first test.

PII - 8.03 MB per second
Duron - 1.02MB per second
Athlon - 8.0MB per second

In the second test we had only the two 10/100 Computers transfer the same 300MB file to each other.

Laptop to Athlon - 10.2MB per second

These scores are quite good. Remember, that the theoretical maximum data transfer rate of a 100Mbps connection is 12.5MB per second and 1.25Mb per second for a 10Mbps connection.

Should I buy it?

We are very pleased with the overall performance of this switch. The amount of features, and the excellent performance of this switch make it very attractive at the price of $169. Not only that but many retailers are already offering this product for a cool $130 (buy.com) despite being released only a few days ago. The only real problems that I have with this switch is that the included power cord is way to short, and doesn't offer a lot of room to move. You may have noticed that in some of the pictures of this unit that I had a difficult time getting this unit to my ethernet connections which were a few feet away from my power outlet. Overall this switch is an superb buy and worth every penny.

by Ryan Wissman

Price - 10 Performance - 9 Overall - 9.5/10

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