Thread
Will any old PCI ethernet card do?
I'm needing to add an ethernet card to a powermac 6500 so it will work with DSL. Does Apple have generic PCI ethernet drivers? Do I need to specifically go and get one that says it will work with Macs? Ones I've seen so far seem to be up to 4x as much as ones that don't mention mac compatibility.
Any input would be helpful.
Any input would be helpful.
Apple does not provide generic drivers.
You can use any standard Realtek 8139 based card (those are very, very common in cheap cards) with the drivers from Realtek's website or the FE-551 driver from Macsense's site.
But if you want support, you will have to buy a card advertised for Macs (the Macsense FE-551 is a good cheap option if you want support).
tooki
You can use any standard Realtek 8139 based card (those are very, very common in cheap cards) with the drivers from Realtek's website or the FE-551 driver from Macsense's site.
But if you want support, you will have to buy a card advertised for Macs (the Macsense FE-551 is a good cheap option if you want support).
tooki
Wow...this is downright depressing!
Macsense 552 card supporting PC only, $16.99 at their store.
Macsense 551 card supporting mac and PC, $34.99 at their store.
Looking at the picture it looks like we're paying for a logo on the chip...this is mind-boggling.
Could I buy the 552, download the drivers, and have it work? Does no support mean no warranty? I've never used support of any kind to "figure things out"...the only times I've dealt with any support is when things are broken and need replacing.
Macsense 552 card supporting PC only, $16.99 at their store.
Macsense 551 card supporting mac and PC, $34.99 at their store.
Looking at the picture it looks like we're paying for a logo on the chip...this is mind-boggling.
Could I buy the 552, download the drivers, and have it work? Does no support mean no warranty? I've never used support of any kind to "figure things out"...the only times I've dealt with any support is when things are broken and need replacing.
No support means no technical support. If the card's broken, they should replace it. If you don't need tech support, buy any old Realtek 8139-based card and use the Realtek drivers with it.
tooki
tooki
I bought a farallon PCI Ethernet card, 10/100 for my server on ebay, I think it was like $5 or something. Under $10 I know that. Been working great ever since.