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Network
Adopters
- (February - 2009)
A network
computer is connected to the network cabling with a network
interface card, (also called a "NIC", "nick", or network
adapter. Some NICs are installed inside of a computer: the PC is
opened up and a network card is plugged directly into one of the
computer's internal expansion slots. 286, 386, and many 486
computers have 16-bit slots, so a 16-bit NIC is needed. Faster
computers, like high-speed 486s and Pentiums, often have 32-bit,
or PCI slots.
These PCs
require 32-bit NICs to achieve the fastest networking speeds
possible for speed-critical applications like desktop video,
multimedia, publishing, and databases. And if a computer is
going to be used with a Fast Ethernet network, it will need a
network adapter that supports 100Mbps data speeds as well.
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