ThinkComputers Reviews the Killer™ 2100 - Editor's Choice Award, 8/10 Rating
Have you been eyeing the Killer™ 2100, wondering if it is the next upgrade awaiting your computer or not? Well, ThinkComputers is here to help after they had a chance to take one for a spin.
"Bigfoot Networks originally released the Killer NIC M1 and K1 models in 2006, with the suped-up network cards getting some major attention in 2007. Mid-2009, Bigfoot Networks released the Killer Xeno Pro, a slimmed down version of the first generation models, both in size and extra features. It didn’t stop there, though. Bigfoot Network released May 11, 2010 the Killer 2100 Gaming Network Card. This new version focuses on the core features at the heart of the idea of a network processing unit: offloading and acceleration. ThinkComputers measures up the Killer 2100 in this extensive review."
The end result? Despite a few reservations, the Killer™ impressed and received both an 8/10 and an Editor's Choice Award. Be sure to check out the full review.
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Bigfoot Networks and TUL to Reveal Gaming Combo Card at Computex
Mad scientists have secretly been at work creating what is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful single upgrades you can make to your gaming rig. We have teamed up with with TUL Corporation to unveil a Gaming Combo Card unlike no other before: one that combines the power of the Killer™ 2100 and ATI Radeon™ HD 5000 technology. Improve both your graphics and networking performance with but a single upgrade. You can learn more in our resent press release:
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – May 27, 2010 – Bigfoot Networks, the networking technology company behind the Killer™ line of gaming networks cards, and TUL Corporation, a leading manufacturer of ATI graphics cards under the PowerColor® brand, will be unveiling a Gaming Combo Card at Computex that combines “best of breed” PC graphics and networking for online gaming. The working prototype is the result of cooperative design efforts on behalf of both companies announced in Taiwan earlier this year.
The Gaming Combo Card is the world’s first single card, PCI Express solution combining Bigfoot Networks’ Killer™ 2100 Gaming Network Card technology and ATI Radeon™ HD 5000 graphics family technology. The Gaming Combo Card taps into massive parallel processing power on the GPU to deliver unrivalled visual quality and gaming performance supporting Microsoft® DirectX® 11 technology. Using Killer™ Game Networking DNA™ technology, the card also classifies network traffic and separates game data for priority treatment, while reducing freezing, stuttering and other symptoms of lag. The Gaming Combo Card is a one card, one slot solution that is plug-and-play ready to give consumers a competitive online gaming edge.
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Killer™ 2100 Available in NA, Xeno™ Pro Software version 6.0 Out
The Killer™ 2100 is now available in North America for purchase, with Newegg getting the jump on the first products up for availability. For those of you in Europe and Asia, don't worry as you will have access to the 2100 shortly as well.
Today is also big for owners of the Killer™ Xeno™ Pro, as the latest update is now available for download. Software version 6.0 packs the Killer™ Xeno™ Pro full of additional features, an upgraded UI, and a major performance upgrade. If you own a Killer™ Xeno™ Pro Gaming Network Card, then we highly recommend this update. Unleash the power of the version 6.0 software by heading to the download section of our website, be sure to look over the new user guide which details the new interface, and check out the full change log for this version of the software.
Also, before installing the drivers, please read through our upgrade instructions.
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Killer™ 2100 - Tested by The Syndicate
Our first meeting, even in the open air of a restaurant patio, was tinged with mystery. Two innocuous-looking guys sat with us and told us all about their mysterious “Leader,” their restrictive membership requirements, and the fact that The Syndicate “has members all over the game industry and beyond – some guys work for [redacted console maker,] we’ve got a guy who works on [redacted huge MMO,] some of our friends work at [redacted huge computer company] and other places.”
"Kinda like Fight Club" we asked?
They didn’t think this was funny.
After a while we knew these guys were the real deal. Based virtually at http://www.llts.org/ , the Syndicate is enjoying its 14th year as an organized Massively Multiplayer Online Game guild. Because of their professionalism, their passion for gaming, and their vast experience in all facets of the game business, they’ve become the Go-To-Guild for testing most of today’s most popular MMOGs. If it’s an MMO that’s been published in the last ten years, The Syndicate has had a hand in the behind-the-scenes testing and evaluation of almost every part of it.
So we gave them a few early-release Killer™ 2100 cards and let them beat on them for a week. We knew we’d given our babies to the right people when we discovered the horrific torture they’d subjected them to – hours of macro-initiated spell-spamming, large file transfers, massive file downloads, a week’s worth of grenade spamming and other assorted online delights.
At the end of a week we got a thick report, precisely distilled from the combined impressions of 5 different Syndicate members, and full of deadly feedback about things as diverse as the user interface, the prototype packaging and the red lights on the inside of the Killer™ 2100.
What impressed us most, though, was the density of the positive feedback:
"Additional observation was load times for entering the zone. Qualitatively, the network gaming card delivered a faster load time for surrounding graphics (characters and changeable graphics : mounting, crafting, and character actions. Specifically there was a perceived qualitative reduction in the delay after completion of action bar."
We’re used to getting feedback from gamers that says "Lots faster, more fun. Felt good."
And it went on:
"Conclusion: this would definitely lead to an increase in damage per second (DPS) throughout the course of consistent and sustained game play."
"In sum, really feels more responsive (faster) when running multiple instances of WoW."
For those of us having trouble managing just ONE instance of World of Warcraft, this is a pretty impressive feat. We were just happy to help.
It wasn’t all fun and games – The Syndicate pointed out many possible improvements in our beta software, and we’ll be passing lots of these improvements on to you, not only for launch but also in future updates to Killer™ Network Manager.
Nice to know that there really is a secret society out there that delights in "crushing the bones of our enemies and wielding the burning light of justice." And they’re on your side.
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Xeno Pro Version 6.0 Drivers Are Incoming
While we've just announced the launch of the Killer 2100, we aren't leaving you Xeno owners high and dry. In fact, we've developed a version of the Killer 2100 Network Manager that will run on the Killer Xeno Pro, giving you extended functionality and even greater performance than ever.
On the week of May 24th, your opponents will tremble in fear as your already impressive online performance will rocket to new heights. We'll be launching the Killer Xeno Pro version 6.0 drivers, giving you these new features at no additional charge. You can also rest assured, we will continue to support this latest Xeno software with maintenance releases as needed.
We do need to note, that due to hardware differences between the Xeno Pro and the Killer 2100, the Xeno may not be able to support every enhancement and feature in future Killer Network Manager software releases, but as Xeno owners, your online gaming experience will still be reaching new levels of epic.
You can learn more about the Killer Network Manager, and if you have any questions, just head on over to the forums and get in touch. We'll do our best to get them answered.
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- bigfootnetworks: Winners are announced at PAX and emails sent. We gave away FIVE cards in our drawing today and 8 today over all.
- bigfootnetworks: Final drawing for our #PAX give away is on NOW. Killer 2100 and a pair of Asoka PowerLink Ethernet Adaptors.
- bigfootnetworks: Whoa! Someone beat one of our pro gamers in 1v1! He won himself a Killer 2100 Gaming Network Cards!
- bigfootnetworks: In our 2v2 Pro vs Joe tournament, two Joes beat our Pro Gamers! We have them both Killer 2100s!
- bigfootnetworks: Our container at the alienware booth has CS tournaments for a chance to win a Killer 2100 by playing with pro gamers.