Modem question

Is there any way to tell between a hardware and software/winmodem by looking at them?

Tryin to get a modem for cheap that will hold me till cable comes for my new comp (which I am ordering TONIGHT!)

But can't really tell if this is hardware or not, and creative takes forever to reply to questions.

The question - ??? (Creative - 18 $, "v.90")


Known 1 - win modem (Creative - 25 $, "v.92")


Known 2 - Hardware modem (USR - 42 $, "v.90")


All prices from new egg. If that 18 $ one was a hardware one it would be very cool...

I was thinkin that the little squareish thing on the 42 dollar and 18 dollar modems meant it had a hardware controlller.

The square thing is an impedance matching transformer that the modem uses to get it's signals up to telephone line voltage (around 48-50 volts). Those are CNR modems right? I've never looked at them but I thought they all used software to do the modeming of the signal. I've never seen an analog telephoone modem without a transformer on it. The big chip on the 3com could be the modem DAC, which would make it a hardware modem because it has an onboard processor to do the digital/analog conversion. In a software modem the CPU does this through the software.

To answer your question, as far as I know all CNR modems use software modeming.

So I guess I'm kind of screwed on this issue right?

I just want a good 56k that will let me play games, currently I use an ISA one, and its definetly hardware, because I tried to replace it with a PCI one, and my ping blasted up to 500+, my ISA keeps me at around 200, but I can't use this modem in my new comp =/.

Do you have any recomendations for modems?

I know you probably don't use 56k, but might now of something?

US Robotics model #2976. I have the Performance Pro 56k V.90, upgraded to V.92. I get around a 150-200 ping, but my server is 25 miles away to. But the $50. model at CompUSA is just as good as mine. Just be sure to read the back of the USR box and look for Controller Based Modem(hardware hodem). I bought the Creative Labs V.92 and was ****ed that it was a winmodem, and it says nothing on the box to indicate that. But the USR's are definately the best, and most tweakable modems on the planet.

donny_paycheck said:

To answer your question, as far as I know all CNR modems use software modeming.

Click to expand...

OOPS!

I didn't know you were talking about PCI modems. I think all PCI modems use an onboard microprocessor to do the signaling.