Killer NIC is a killer network card… for WoW

This was probably the reason why the Killer NIC network card from Bigfoot Networks was included in those custom-built-for-WoW PCs. While numbers are scientifically accurate in depicting the performance of any given product, there’s no substitute for real-world tests by real-world gamers, so [H]Enthusiast set out to see if this card lives up to its promise of improving frames-per-second and decreasing lag and latency.

[H]Enthusiast used CounterStrike, Quake 4, FEAR, and yes, World of Warcraft (and their related gamers) as their test subjects. The test involved the gamers playing their game on their preferred PC setup – but each setup had both the PC’s built-in network card and the Killer NIC which [H]Enthusiast could switch between at any point in the game. The gamers were asked to observe any changes in frame rates and latency.

The verdict? For Quake and CS, the gamers didn’t notice much of a difference between using the Killer NIC and the regular network interface card. In FEAR the gamer noticed that with the Killer NIC, his PC was “ahead of what was on the server,” with less lags than the regular network card, or the NIC in his own PC at home.

It was in World of Warcraft where the Killer NIC really shone. Not only was the gamer’s overall gameplay smoother, with less lags and latency, he also “felt like the Killer was keeping the server from ‘spiking and lagging.'” Fluid animation, steady gameplay where he didn’t have to worry about killer lags, the Killer NIC turned out to be the killer card for WoW.

So how much does it cost if you’re a WoW player? A whopping US$ 280.00, a price point that generated enough industry buzz in itself. Now that’s what you call a killer card. Excuse us while we take our budget to the emergency room.

Via [H]Enthusiast

This was probably the reason why the Killer NIC network card from Bigfoot Networks was included in those custom-built-for-WoW PCs. While numbers are scientifically accurate in depicting the performance of any given product, there’s no substitute for real-world tests by real-world gamers, so [H]Enthusiast set out to see if this card lives up to its promise of improving frames-per-second and decreasing lag and latency.

[H]Enthusiast used CounterStrike, Quake 4, FEAR, and yes, World of Warcraft (and their related gamers) as their test subjects. The test involved the gamers playing their game on their preferred PC setup – but each setup had both the PC’s built-in network card and the Killer NIC which [H]Enthusiast could switch between at any point in the game. The gamers were asked to observe any changes in frame rates and latency.

The verdict? For Quake and CS, the gamers didn’t notice much of a difference between using the Killer NIC and the regular network interface card. In FEAR the gamer noticed that with the Killer NIC, his PC was “ahead of what was on the server,” with less lags than the regular network card, or the NIC in his own PC at home.

It was in World of Warcraft where the Killer NIC really shone. Not only was the gamer’s overall gameplay smoother, with less lags and latency, he also “felt like the Killer was keeping the server from ‘spiking and lagging.'” Fluid animation, steady gameplay where he didn’t have to worry about killer lags, the Killer NIC turned out to be the killer card for WoW.

So how much does it cost if you’re a WoW player? A whopping US$ 280.00, a price point that generated enough industry buzz in itself. Now that’s what you call a killer card. Excuse us while we take our budget to the emergency room.

Via [H]Enthusiast