I need help with networking
 

I am getting either the Abit NF7S or the Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe and I need to know what kind of network card I will need to buy for my current computer, and what kind of cable will be necessary to connect the two together.

Thanks in advance :D

Edit: what is a good brand of network card?

i dont think it matters really what kinda network card you get.

most are pci and should work with your computer.

as for networking, u cant just connect them.

you either have to go thru a router of some sort or use a cross over cable (not sure about the last part)

If you're just looking for a network card, any should work fine. If you're trying to build an expensive system, you'll want to look into Intel nic's. 3com also makes some fairly nice ones.

2 computers and no DSL or Cable modem, then use a RJ45 crossover cable.

2 or more computers with anything else, DSL, NAS, Cable Modem, Ethernet Printer.. get a Router.

-SF

Doesn't the A7N8X motherboard (and most nowadays, really) have a built-in internal NIC?

Fairly nice? They invented the standards. I personal find them to be the highest quality in the market. They also make controller based nics at a time when more nic's are using the cpu instaed of their own chip like win modems do. Even Intel nics are shiting the controller tasks to the cpu now. That's why 3coms still cost over 50.00 usually.
Quality usually costs good money and they have a high reputation. In a mission critical setting, 3com or intel controller based are used. For every consumer, anything is fine. No consumer will ever need the controller based for simple lans and simple game servers. Controller based can ahndle thousands of simultanious requests. Netgear and linksys nics are of amazing quality and exactly fit the needs of consumers. 3com is focused on industrial applications.

The situation will be new computer with either stated motherboard, and older computer with network card. i will be getting adsl very soon, so i take it what i need is a router and two RJ45 CAT 5 blue network cables to link both computers to the router?

That'll do it! Plug'em both up, and if you have Windows XP on either of them, XP usually fixes all of the settings for ya. It should work "out of the box." There is some configuring you have to do if you have previous Windows versions, but the router or DSL tech help people can usually walk you through it very quickly.

-Lasereth

Begging to differ(and go off-topic a little)...Xerox developed the standards. Ethernet was developed by XEROX/PARC (Palo Alto Research Center), as part of the ALDO project. One of the developers was Bob Metcalfe, who later left to found 3Com. Google "xerox invented ethernet" to verify.

That being said, I do agree that 3Com definitely makes some of the best ethernet controllers I've worked with.