But nowadays the network device in your computer is about more than just speed. Speed comes at a cost, particularly due to power consumption. And don’t we all want to go green?
Realtek FE/GbE Family Controller Network Drivers
For computers with a Realtek network card, the latest device drivers offer a lot of control on the network speed and power consumption. That way, you can make sure your notebook battery lasts as long as possible.
A few of the settings the latest Realtek network drivers offer:
- Auto Disable Gigabit – this option allows the user to configure if the gigabit option should be auto-disabled on re-link.
- Green Ethernet – this option enables the feature to detect the length of the connected network cable and adjust the voltage accordingly (lower for shorter cables).
- Interrupt Moderation – when enabled the frequency of the CPU interrupts will be lowered when there is less network traffic. Lower CPU usage, lower power!
There are obviously many more settings, not all relevant to network speed and energy consumption. But in all cases, make sure you install the latest Realtek network drivers to benefit from these features.
Headquartered in the Silicon Valley of Taiwan, Realtek Semiconductor Corp. is a leading provider of computer components, network devices and multimedia products. The company designs, manufactures and sells a wide range of products that are mainly categorized in two divisions: Communications Network ICs and Computer Peripheral and Multimedia ICs. Some of the products in its line of network solutions include network interface controllers, traditional Ethernet controllers, network switch controllers and gateway controllers, among others. Realtek currently has approximately 900 employees, more than 700 of them well versed in the research and development field.