The Killer 2100 is Bigfoot Network's flagship NPU, or Network Processing Unit. It is designed to improve gaming performance by decreasing latency and offloading the CPU, and thanks to its bandwidth control and optimizations. First, lets have a closer look at what the Killer 2100 is. This is a quote from our article on the Killer 2100 announcement.
Disclaimer: Our partnership with Bigfoot Networks has no effect on this review.
Forged with the perfect blend of gaming passion and technical know-how, the Killer™ 2100 Gaming Network Card is quite simply the fastest network card available for online games.
Details
The Killer 2100 features a powerful Network Processing Unit (NPU) that runs network operations on your game data. The Killer 2100 automatically identifies online gaming traffic and prioritizes it over other traffic coming to your PC.
To further improve performance, the Killer 2100 bypasses the Windows Network Stack, streaming data to your game faster than any other network card. This card also features an innovative Visual Bandwidth Control system. This allows you to manage your internet connection intelligently, giving you the power to throttle bandwidth for network applications while playing an online game. Gaming traffic takes top priority. You can download files while gaming, and the card can even process voice chat.
The Killer 2100 is said to be 10x faster than onboard network cards. Here is a graph provided by Bigfoot Networks.
This graph demonstrates how the Killer 2100 can lower latencies and improve your frame rate.
The Advanced Game Detect feature by Bigfoot Networks is demonstrated below.
Simply install Killer™ 2100 into your PC, plug your network cable into it and you are ready to go. Now, Killer™ 2100 will detect game traffic as it enters your PC, prioritize it over all other network traffic, and get it to and from your game faster than any other network card.
Killer™ 2100 delivers game traffic up to ten times faster than any other network card. Fast game traffic means faster kills, extra loot and more wins in all your online games.
Gaming network card? Yeah, right...
Yes, a Gaming Network Card. Your “dumb” NIC relies on Windows and your CPU to do all of its work – when Windows and your CPU should be running your game. See the graph to the right? During a game, a “dumb” NIC can have huge, unpredictable latency spikes. Killer™ 2100 has latency in MICROseconds. Which means your bullet gets on the wire first. In short – pwnage.
So how does it work?
Game Networking DNA. We detect game data at the wire using our Game Detect Technology. We offload that data to the Network Processing Unit (NPU) on Killer™ 2100. Offloaded traffic goes around Windows for tremendous speed benefits. Which means bullets, spells and grenades get to you faster so you can get out of the way, and get to your enemies faster so they can’t.
Unleash Your Fast CPU and Internet Connection
You’ve got a fast CPU with more cores than some people have teeth. You’ve got a FAT Internet connection with bandwidth to download a dictionary every millisecond. But you’re still making that CPU drop everything to answer the phone when it comes to network traffic. Why glue your PC and broadband connection together with 65 cents worth of dumb connectors?
Specifications
- Gigabit Ethernet
- 400 Mhz Network Processing Unit
- 128MB RAM
- PCIe
- Killer Network Manager Software Suite
Killer™ 2100 delivers game traffic up to ten times faster than any other network card. Fast game traffic means faster kills, extra loot and more wins in all your online games.
Gaming network card? Yeah, right...
Yes, a Gaming Network Card. Your “dumb” NIC relies on Windows and your CPU to do all of its work – when Windows and your CPU should be running your game. See the graph to the right? During a game, a “dumb” NIC can have huge, unpredictable latency spikes. Killer™ 2100 has latency in MICROseconds. Which means your bullet gets on the wire first. In short – pwnage.
So how does it work?
Game Networking DNA. We detect game data at the wire using our Game Detect Technology. We offload that data to the Network Processing Unit (NPU) on Killer™ 2100. Offloaded traffic goes around Windows for tremendous speed benefits. Which means bullets, spells and grenades get to you faster so you can get out of the way, and get to your enemies faster so they can’t.
Unleash Your Fast CPU and Internet Connection
You’ve got a fast CPU with more cores than some people have teeth. You’ve got a FAT Internet connection with bandwidth to download a dictionary every millisecond. But you’re still making that CPU drop everything to answer the phone when it comes to network traffic. Why glue your PC and broadband connection together with 65 cents worth of dumb connectors?
Specifications
- Gigabit Ethernet
- 400 Mhz Network Processing Unit
- 128MB RAM
- PCIe
- Killer Network Manager Software Suite
Packaging
The Killer 2100 comes in a rather stylish box, with a little bit of advertising right on the front.
The sides of the box are full of advertising and specifications in English, French and German.
Opening the box reveals a user's manual on top of a thick foam box.
Turns out the foam box holds a disk which contains drivers and other software, and of course the Killer 2100 which is wrapped in a protective bag.
The sides of the box are full of advertising and specifications in English, French and German.
Opening the box reveals a user's manual on top of a thick foam box.
Turns out the foam box holds a disk which contains drivers and other software, and of course the Killer 2100 which is wrapped in a protective bag.
So the packaging is very good, the contents are well protected by a thick foam box inside the standard box. The Killer 2100 is packaged inside a standard bag for electronic components with a warning against static electricity. Nice, compact and flashy packaging and it includes everything you need. Lets have a look at the Killer 2100 now.
First Look
The face of the Killer 2100 has a Bigfoot Networks logo and a stylish, black plastic housing. This is a nice improvement over the raw PCB which the Killer Xeno Pro is. It fits into any PCI-E slot, however it is meant to be used in a PCI-E x1 slot given its size.
The card only has an ethernet port. No headphone and microphone jacks here like on the Killer Xeno Pro. Looks like only the Killer Xeno Pro can only offload voice chat from the CPU.
Back of the PCB.
The card only has an ethernet port. No headphone and microphone jacks here like on the Killer Xeno Pro. Looks like only the Killer Xeno Pro can only offload voice chat from the CPU.
Back of the PCB.
In terms of aesthetic appeal, the Killer 2100 did it right with a black housing and minimalistic styling. Much nicer than just looking at a PCB. Lets see this card inside of a computer now.
Installation
Installing this card is simple. As I previously stated, it is designed for a PCI Express x1 slot but fits into any PCI Express slot. I installed it in a PCI Express x16 slot since the top x1 slot is sandwiched pretty good by my Prolimatech Megahalems and GTX 480. That and I wanted to do it differently - I installed a Killer Xeno Pro in the top slot last time. Just fit the card into the desired PCI-E slot, and secure it to the expansion slot. My case uses normal screws for the expansion slots unfortunately.
A Killer 2100 logo is what you will see if your case has a windowed side panel. Nice looking card.
Here are the guts of my PC, now with a Killer 2100. That black strip of Velcro adds a nice touch, don't you think?
Once you're in Windows, pop in the driver disk. This allows you to install the drivers required to use the Killer 2100. You can also view a manual from here, install Adobe Reader, download FRAPS and go to Bigfoot Networks for support or for any other reason.
A Killer 2100 logo is what you will see if your case has a windowed side panel. Nice looking card.
Here are the guts of my PC, now with a Killer 2100. That black strip of Velcro adds a nice touch, don't you think?
Once you're in Windows, pop in the driver disk. This allows you to install the drivers required to use the Killer 2100. You can also view a manual from here, install Adobe Reader, download FRAPS and go to Bigfoot Networks for support or for any other reason.
Once it's done installing, let it scan your internet connection so that it can evaluate your internet speed. This is required for proper use. After this, that's all! Very simple and straightforward. With the Killer Xeno Pro, I had to go through hours of troubleshooting. I am so thankful installation was a quick and easy process. Once the card is installed and the computer is running, a bright red LED can be seen coming through the face of the card. Goes well with some computers, not so well in others like mine. Thankfully it can be disabled. Now lets see more of the Killer 2100's features before we move onto testing.
Features
One of the unique, innovative and lovely features the Killer 2100 is a very simple and very advanced control panel. Man, I haven't seen a simple and advanced control panel since the Cooler Master Storm Sentinel Advance. So what does the Killer 2100's control panel have to offer? Well, lots of things. Lets start from the top.
The Overview tab shows system info, CPU usage, FPS (if FRAPS is installed) and internet traffic.
The PC MONITOR tab can display frame rate, CPU usage, NPU usage, internet traffic, memory usage and various pings. The hardware monitoring features are nice to have.
The Applications tab shows the bandwidth being used by various applications, and this is where you can prioritize different programs for bandwidth. Games already have the highest priority which is nice to see, no need to fiddle around in here. Well there is one thing I recommend doing... I'll go on about this later.
The Network tab shows your network settings and allows you to configure the internet provider speed. This is where it automatically scanned your internet speed after installation.
The Advanced tab allows you to configure Killer 2100 settings such as default priority, block rule and this is where you can enable or disable the red LED.
The PC MONITOR tab can display frame rate, CPU usage, NPU usage, internet traffic, memory usage and various pings. The hardware monitoring features are nice to have.
The Applications tab shows the bandwidth being used by various applications, and this is where you can prioritize different programs for bandwidth. Games already have the highest priority which is nice to see, no need to fiddle around in here. Well there is one thing I recommend doing... I'll go on about this later.
The Network tab shows your network settings and allows you to configure the internet provider speed. This is where it automatically scanned your internet speed after installation.
The Advanced tab allows you to configure Killer 2100 settings such as default priority, block rule and this is where you can enable or disable the red LED.
Well I am really liking the control panel. Plenty of useful features, control and it is very easy to use. Looks like we can finally run some tests on the Killer 2100.
Testing
Since the Killer 2100 can prioritize internet traffic, speed up downloads, reduce latency in multiplayer games and offload the CPU for better frame rates, I decided to test all of that. First, I'll list my system specs.
- Case: Cooler Master ATCS 840
- Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
- Motherboard: XFX nForce 680i LT
- CPU: Intel Core 2 DUO E8400 @ 3.8 GHz (475 x 8)
- Memory: 2 x 2 GB OCZ Reaper HPC DDR2 1066 @ 1140 MHz, 5-5-5-18
- GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 480 @ 863/1726/1050 1.138v
- Power Supply: Antec TruePower New 750W
My internet provider is Verizon FiOS.
Lets start with a simple internet speed test done by Speedtest. The web browser I use is Google Chrome, and I left its priority at the default setting for this test (normal).
Onboard NIC
Killer 2100
Killer 2100
So obviously your results will never be the same. The results are nearly identical, so the bottom line is - the Killer 2100 made no difference in this test, regardless of Google Chrome's priority setting.
Updated with new Verizon FiOS package. Now rated for 30 mb/s download and 5 mb/s upload.
Onboard NIC.
Killer 2100.
Onboard NIC.
Killer 2100.
Ah, seeing an increase in upload speed this time around. Time to move onto gaming performance.
For the first series of tests, I used the games Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 and measured the ping for certain servers. Sadly servers are listed by the game mode, level and player count while the server provider is not listed. So I had to do this test through Steam, and I only know of several Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 servers - EVGA. They were all empty for the test so this does not completely demonstrate the power of the Killer 2100.
Onboard NIC.
So lets list those servers like this.
Killer 2100.
Onboard NIC.
So lets list those servers like this.
- Left 4 Dead #1 - 69 m/s
- Left 4 Dead #2 - 85 m/s
- Left 4 Dead 2 #1 - 86 m/s
- Left 4 Dead 2 #2 - 91 m/s
Killer 2100.
- Left 4 Dead #1 - 68 m/s
- Left 4 Dead #2 - 85 m/s
- Left 4 Dead 2 #1 - 71 m/s
- Left 4 Dead 2 #2 - 84 m/s
So in these empty servers, the Killer 2100 made no difference in Left 4 dead but the ping in one Left 4 Dead 2 server went down by 15 m/s while the other went down 7 m/s. Not bad, I got very similar results with the Killer Xeno Pro, except after hours of trouble shooting. But these tests don't do the Killer 2100 justice. Lets move onto some real gaming tests.
The next set of tests were done in the game Crysis Wars. This is one of the best games to test since I used some very populated servers, up to 42 players. Not only this but I used a variety of servers with different locations. Two servers, also the most populated ones, are located somewhere in Europe while I'm from New York. I also did a more local server. The game is also very demanding in terms of hardware, so it will be easy to see a frame rate increase.
So the first server, Ferrett's Place, is located nearby. There are 14 people in this test. This was done with the onboard NIC. Recorded ping was 10 m/s.
Now with the Killer 2100 and 23 players, 11 m/s. So no difference.
Next is the NH server. 42 players and the server is located somewhere in Europe, same goes to most of the players. Onboard NIC. Ping is 111 m/s.
Same server, 42 players but with the Killer 2100. Ping is 90 m/s. That is a reduction of 21 m/s.
Now it is another NH server, also in Europe and this time with 30 players. Onboard NIC, ping is 101 m/s.
Same server, Killer 2100 and 32 players. Ping is 106 m/s. So no difference since the ping always varies slightly.
CPU usage is less than usual. Prior to the Killer 2100, CPU usage in Crysis Wars remained between 70% and 100%. It varies quite a bit more now, and no longer even gets close to 99%.
So the first server, Ferrett's Place, is located nearby. There are 14 people in this test. This was done with the onboard NIC. Recorded ping was 10 m/s.
Now with the Killer 2100 and 23 players, 11 m/s. So no difference.
Next is the NH server. 42 players and the server is located somewhere in Europe, same goes to most of the players. Onboard NIC. Ping is 111 m/s.
Same server, 42 players but with the Killer 2100. Ping is 90 m/s. That is a reduction of 21 m/s.
Now it is another NH server, also in Europe and this time with 30 players. Onboard NIC, ping is 101 m/s.
Same server, Killer 2100 and 32 players. Ping is 106 m/s. So no difference since the ping always varies slightly.
CPU usage is less than usual. Prior to the Killer 2100, CPU usage in Crysis Wars remained between 70% and 100%. It varies quite a bit more now, and no longer even gets close to 99%.
Now I know what you're wondering. "Did it increase your FPS?" In short, yes it did. Now I run this game with a mixture of high, very high and custom settings at 1920 x 1080 along with 16x AF and 16xQ AA. My GTX 480 has no trouble with that, however when there is a big close quarters fight with many players, things can get a bit choppy. With the Killer 2100, close range gun fights with many players were more smooth, little stutters are gone and there are less "freak occurrences". Have you ever had a situation where you emptied a whole magazine into someone but they still miraculously lived? Well, that's what I mean. That happens because of lag, while it appears you fired 40 shots or so you really only shot maybe 30. Well there were a lot less situations like that. Differences like this are very useful to hardcore online players, especially those who play Call of Duty which has a very bad engine and can be very laggy.
Now lets move on to download speeds.
For these tests, I downloaded a 531.50 MB file from NVIDIA's website. The file is Warmonger: Operation Downtown Destruction, a free FPS that uses both the Unreal 3 engine and PhysX engine. It can be found for download here. For these tests, I simply downloaded the file without the Killer 2100 and with the Killer 2100. Without the Killer 2100, the download speed was 2-3 mb/s, sometimes dropping below 2 mb/s. I haven't got an image of that, sorry. Now lets see what the Killer 2100 did.
With Google Chrome set to normal priority, it was downloading at 5-8 mb/s. So my download was 2x-4x faster. Not quite the 10x that was advertised right?
Hold your horses. Lets see what happens when I set Google Chrome's priority to high.
With Google Chrome set to normal priority, it was downloading at 5-8 mb/s. So my download was 2x-4x faster. Not quite the 10x that was advertised right?
Hold your horses. Lets see what happens when I set Google Chrome's priority to high.
I'm sorry, I think I just fainted there for a second. 19-25 mb/s??? Yes folks, the Killer 2100 really can make your download speeds up to 10x faster. This is just incredible. When set to highest, it actually went down to around 15 m/s for some reason. Oh well, I didn't expect it to get much better than 10x faster. I think I know how I'm going to score this.
Conclusion
The Killer 2100 is said to maximize networking performance and gaming performance. And it did exactly that. The Killer 2100 offers a fool-proof installation setup, very simple and advanced control panel and excellent performance reducing latencies encountered in online games and speeding up downloads by up to 10x. It is an amazing piece of technology that I can easily recommend to anyone who plays multiplayer games and downloads lots of files.
Now it's time to score this product. Five is the highest score available and the final score is the average of all the others.
- Appearance - The Killer 2100 is a tasteful looking product, much more pleasing than a raw PCB inside of your computer. The black cover is nice and the red LED adds appeal to your computer, and can be turned off if preferred. So I'm going to go with a 5 in this category.
- Construction - There isn't much to be said about the construction of a small little card, but the black housing is solid and holds very well and I like that it can fit into any PCI-E slot. So I'm going to have to go with another 5 here.
- Performance - The Killer 2100 is easily the best performing network processing unit on the market. Being just a network card, it makes no noise and doesn't affect temperatures of other components in your computer. It is good for dropping latencies in online games, giving you a performance boost in areas where you definitely need it, and the improved download speed it offers cannot be ignored. Downloading files up to 10x faster is amazing. I would have liked to see a latency drop in all servers, but even those where the ping wasn't dropped significantly, it still felt smoother in intensive areas. So I think I'll go with another 5.
- Functionality - Installation is very easy and straight forward. The control panel is very simple, yet has so many features. Works well with a variety of Windows operating systems. Personally everything was smooth as silk on Windows 7 Professional 64-bit. So I'm going with another 5 here.
- Value - A quick google search shows this product normally sells for around $90 give or take a few dollars. Now lets see, $90 for improved gaming performance and ridiculously faster download speeds. Regarding games, hardcore online gamers will notice a difference with this card. The improved smoothness and lower latencies will help you. Regarding download speeds, you should really set the priority for your primary web browser to high. What else in this price range is capable of this? I mean, you can always get a better internet provider but this would obviously cost way more and not be nearly as effective. So I'm going with another 5 here. Oh boy, perfect score? That's a first ever.
- Overall - 5/5
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