Author Topic: never ever buy a winmodem (Read 473 times)

Citabria · « **on:** March 20, 2002, 03:23:58 AM »

I got suckered into buying a winmodem by usrobotics...

the title of the modem said:

PCI 56k modem in big bold letters

then in tiny print on the lower side it says: "for windows"

me not being terribly awake thinks hey its not a winmodem or it would say:

" this is a piece of crap winmodem that sucks"

well after playing ah on it and getting everything from warps when i pull trigger or move controls to an annoying hourglass that is fixed in the middle of the screen I finnally figured out i had a winmodem and immediately switched it out with a diamond pci controller based modem that has worked great thus far since i switched em.

point of this tangent:

never buy a winmodem or any modem that says: "for windows"

Animal · « **Reply #1 on:** March 20, 2002, 03:55:07 AM »

Good tip to always make sure ALL of your components are not CPU dependant.

Skuzzy · « **Reply #2 on:** March 20, 2002, 08:39:35 AM »

Heck, I would go further. Only buy an external modem. That garantees the best performance and most stable connection and it will work flawlessly with any operating system.
Internal modems are subject to all the EMI/RFI inside your system and this can cause slower connects and dropped connections.

If you must use an internal modem, make sure it is physically as far from the CPU, RAM, and video card as possible. Those 3 items, along with the surrounding support circuitry generate the most EMI/RFI.

The other high sources of EMI/RFI are your case fans and hard drives.

The cables from the power supply are also prett nasty.

Hawg · « **Reply #3 on:** March 20, 2002, 09:46:07 AM »

EMI/RFI:confused:
Some of us aren't up on all the terms used. I assume something to do with interference?
Hawg

UserName · « **Reply #4 on:** March 20, 2002, 07:48:02 PM »

Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) is an electromagnetic field generated by an electronic device that has the potential to disrupt the operation of electronic components in its vicinity.

Radio Frequency Interference (RFI), which is more specific than the above, is interference located within the electromagnetic spectrum associated with radio waves.

There have been some links that prolonged EMI/RFI exposure can lead to cancer. However, more importantly, EMI/RFI exposure can degrade computer component performance, and thusly, multiplayer performance!

They are dangerous stuff, which is why I always wear my tinfoil cap...

-lynx- · « **Reply #5 on:** March 27, 2002, 08:09:44 AM »

Skuzz - what about USB externals? Are they all hardware things? I had to say goodbye to my Hayes Accura - new mobo has no ISA slots...

Now I'm wondering what to get...

Skuzzy · « **Reply #6 on:** March 27, 2002, 02:09:55 PM »

USB externals are probably software based, but not neccesarily. I would not use a USB based modem anyways as the overhead is too high and will degrade performance of your system.

Oh,...so sorry for the use of RFI/EMI without explanation. ~~Username for covering my 6.~~

Lephturn · « **Reply #7 on:** March 27, 2002, 02:11:22 PM »

I would NOT recommend a USB connected external modem. The USB bus would use up CPU resources for your communications. Your best bet is an external modem connected via a serial port. You don't need a screamin' fast one, just a good solid 33.6 or 28.8 will work fine for gaming. If you want fast web surfing and downloads and your ISP supports it, a 56K might be a better choice.

-lynx- · « **Reply #8 on:** March 28, 2002, 05:50:35 AM »

Aha, thank you guys cuz otherwise a USB thing looks pretty external:).

UserName · « **Reply #9 on:** March 28, 2002, 11:50:54 AM »

How much does an external serial modem set you back in the States?

Here internal modems are dirt cheap, but they are Winmodems. (cost about ~10$ USD) US Robotics 56K winmodems go for around ~40$ USD, and external modems go for $120

I'm glad I have DSL

Costs me less than extra phone line and ISP.

Wlfgng · « **Reply #10 on:** March 28, 2002, 04:32:48 PM »

yup, winmodems suck.. that's for sure.

bloom25 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 29, 2002, 03:02:06 AM »

External modems are about $90 - $100 here UserName.

I'd resist buying a USB modem, and absolutely never get a DSL or Cable modem that's USB based.

USB is kind of a mixed blessing the way I look at it:

Since I'm in engineering, I can appreciate the ease in connecting devices to a PC. Very little actual hardware is required for a USB connect, only drivers. Minimal cost and effort - That's the good part. The bad part is that using a USB connect consumes CPU resources, and with devices like CD writers and DSL modems that load can be significant.

Skuzzy · « **Reply #12 on:** March 29, 2002, 07:38:05 AM »

Yep,..one day someone will design a hardware based USB controller which will solve the problem bloom25, until then the bandwidth available on USB is pretty much a waste.

You would think the computer industry would learn from the past. Everytime a good idea gets rolled into the PC, they have to do it the cheapest way possible, without regard to us power users who really would pay for a better implementation.
With the MS OS's moving to true multi-threading, it becomes more and more important to be able to multi-thread the hardware, which requires some level of offloading from the main CPU.

But I guess us "in the know" guys are the only ones who can appreciate the performance gains to be had in this area and we are too small of a percentage of the computer market to make a difference. Hmmmm,...I guess I answered my own question about why PC breakthroughs are so cheaply implemented.