Newbie modem questions

[Ozpa]

I am wanting to buy a new modem, and I have some questions:
1- Which chips are better(Rockwell, Topic, Motorola etc.)?
2- What is the diferrence between Hardware, Software and Winmodems?
3- Any speed increase when using PCI, not ISA?

[Ymaster]

Originally posted by Ozpa:
I am wanting to buy a new modem, and I have some questions:
1- Which chips are better(Rockwell, Topic, Motorola etc.)?
2- What is the diferrence between Hardware, Software and Winmodems?
3- Any speed increase when using PCI, not ISA?

I think isa is faster for pings..but most techs are only pci now. Also cost is cheaper for pci cards.

Don't get winmodems..they = junk. Get a hardmodem. The WinModem makes your cpu run the card.

Rockwell is better of those 3 listed.

As for what 56k modem to get?...hmmm
3com is ok... Superexpress is ok-S3 owns diamond now. And not sure what else...I think 230k throughput is best. But it's hard to get support in windows for it.

[Ozpa]

ahhhh ok, thanks.
Cause now i have a 33.6k ISA(I don't know what manufacturer).
Yeah actually I want to have lower pings

U sayed that Rockwell is the best out of 3, but what is the best of all?

BTW do U know any progies that lower the ping? I use MSpeed now and get 200-400 ping.

[rock]

Not sure of the difference, but I dug up a program called iSpeed that helped tremendously. But, most of these programs just change the MUT, RWIN, and TTL settings, so the differences between them should be much.

I'd suggest looking into an external modem: 1st, they're guarunteed to be hardware (not software, winmodems). 2nd, ISA slots are on the way out since they're archaic technology - but you'll always have an external serial port. 3rd, they're a bit easier to debug and check on when you think you're having connection problems. The only drawback is that they're a bit more expensive, but I firmly believe it's worth it. Brand doesn't matter quite as much in the external world, either - since any crap fly-by-night modem company isn't going to put forth the effort to make an external model.

[Ozpa]

Hmmmm, I didn't know that.
Thanks

[NEwBoY]

dont ever get a US Robotics modem, i have had many and they always break down and have connection problems, get a genuine Hayes, they are a bit more expensive but they are well worth the money and have unbeatable reliability

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If everyone were like us, Dell Compaq and Gateway would be out of business ^_^

[sww]

I have never heard anything but good things about US Robotics modems until I read your post. They are good products made by 3Com. You may have had bad luck, but that does not make USR modems junk. I have always used and recommended USR modems and I have never seen an unhappy owner of one.

Originally posted by NEwBoY:
dont ever get a US Robotics modem, i have had many and they always break down and have connection problems, get a genuine Hayes, they are a bit more expensive but they are well worth the money and have unbeatable reliability

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Fightin' Texas Aggie
Class of '97
Whoop!

[Ozpa]

USR, U mean USSR?