EVGA has released a network card which promises to accelerate real-time Internet gaming by giving your main processor less to do.
The Killer Xeno Pro uses a 400 MHz network processing unit (NPU) which acts as a 'network cop', redirecting all networking operations, including voice communications and allowing the CPU to run at full speed.
Using licensed Bigfoot technology, onboard software accelerates, prioritises and shapes the packet stream that goes to and from the computer, bypassing the Windows Stack and allowing the NPU to handle all network functions including Voip, streaming video and background downloads.
EVGA reckons this results in less lag, 10 to 20 per cent better frame rates and smoother, more responsive gameplay. What's more, the company says plug and play compatibility means the card works out-of-the-box with 'all online games'. A bold claim.
The PCI-E 1x card features gigabit ethernet, 128 MB of 266MHz DDR2 RAM, USB 2.0 and 3.5mm audio input and output. It should be available some time in April and price is expected to be around the $US130 mark.
There's an absolutely terrible promo video here which is so bad it's funny.
