Gigabit between computers but the router is 10/100?

[travanx]

I want to be able to move ripped dvd's from my pc to my htpc. I was just thinking my wireless setup is no good for this and i got the wireless because i hated running the wiring arangement in my room. So I was thinking, can I buy a gigabit switch and hook my 2 pc's to that and run another cat5/6 cable to the router, so I only have 1 wire running the length of my room which is ok. Will my pc's (both have gigabit motherboards) talk to each other at the gigabit speeds, or is there anything special to make them go that speed even though the router is 10/100? I also will hook my xbox and ps2 up to this switch as well.

 

[upstreamcurrent]

They won't talk to each other at gigabit speeds if they are going through the router. You could get a pci nic for the regular pc (10/100) and then connect them with a cat5e crossover cable between the gigabit nics and connect them have the HTPC connect through the pc.

 

[Restorer]

[PC]    [HTPC]
  \       /
   \     /
    \   /
     \ /
      |
   [Gigabit
    Switch]
      |
      |
      |
   [Router]

If what you're planning looks like the above, that will work fine. You'll get gigabit speeds on the computers connected to the switch, and the switch will communicate at 10/100 to the router.

 

[FireMogle]

As mentioned above they will go the speed of the weakest link in the chain. So if you go GigabitPC => GigabitPC you should see arount Gigabit speeds, however a GigabitPC => 10/100 Switch => GigabitPC will choke it down to the weakest link, the 10/100 switch.

 

[fiji]

why dont you just hook them up with a crossover cable?
then get like 2 extra $3 NIC for normal network usage


then you'll have a whole 1000Mbps just for those 2 computers

 

[travanx]

Yes exactly like that. And if the xbox and ps2 are on that diagrams switch, it won't slow the pc and htpc down right? This is just double checking since I didn't know that 802.11g and b on the same network makes the whole network go at b speeds when I first started looking at wireless stuff. Thanks!

[PC]    [HTPC]
  \       /
   \     /
    \   /
     \ /
      |
   [Gigabit
    Switch]
      |
      |
      |
   [Router]

If what you're planning looks like the above, that will work fine. You'll get gigabit speeds on the computers connected to the switch, and the switch will communicate at 10/100 to the router.