Short for network interface card, the NIC is also referred to as an Ethernet card and network adapter. A NIC is a computer expansion card for connecting to a network (e.g., home network or Internet) using an Ethernet cable with an RJ-45 connector.

A NIC is also known as a network interface controller (NIC), network interface controller card, expansion card, computer circuit board, network card, LAN card, network adapter or network adapter card (NAC). Techopedia explains Network Interface Card (NIC). What kind of expansion slot should you use for your video card? There's lots of slots. To add a video card to your computer, you have to pick an expansion slot. There have been many kinds of expansion slots over the years so most motherboards contain more than one kind of slot. They usually have a few of the older slots and a few of the newer ones. Riser cards are often used to allow adding expansion cards to a system enclosed in a low-profile case where the height of the case does not allow for a perpendicular placement of the full-height expansion card. A riser card is a board that plugs into the system board and provides additional slots for adapter cards.

Due to the popularity and low cost of the Ethernet standard, nearly all new computers have a network interface build directly into the motherboard. The top image shows the SMC EZ Card 10/100 PCI network card, one of the more common examples.

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The bottom picture shows a PC Card. More specifically, the SMC EZ Card 10/100 wireless network card, which is found with older laptop computers that do not have onboard wireless capabilities.

1. Including support for Accelerated iSCSI, plus additional iLO 3 NIC Expansion Slots: Two PCI-Express Gen 2 expansion slots: (1) full-length, full-height slot and (1) low-profile slot Optional PCI-X Riser expansion slot for PCI-X cards only Ports: USB 2.0 Support: 4 Total: (1) front, (1) internal for security and (2) rear accessible ports.
2. FWIW the 7010 SFF only has 2 PCIe slots. You didn't happen to mention the hypervisor you plan on using, but if its ESXi you need to stick to the hardware compatibility list for the hypervisor. The intel nic mentioned by JohnHall above will work nicely. I think you will run into a memory issue, in that the 7010s only have 4 memory slots.

A network card is sometimes improperly referred to as a broadband card or Internet card. The network card is what allows your computer to connect to the Internet (a network) using a cable (Cat 5). That cable is connected to a router that allows your computer to use a broadband connection.

How does a computer with a network card connect to a network?

Network cards can communicate with each other over the same network using a network switch, or if two computers are directly connected. When computers need to connect to a different network (e.g., the Internet), they must be use a router to route the network packets to the correct network.

Where is a network card located in a computer?

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In a desktop computer, the network card is most often located near the USB ports on the back if it's an onboard version. If it's a separate network card expansion card (not onboard), it usually is on the back of the computer, near the bottom, taking up a PCI slot.

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In a laptop, the network card is integrated into the motherboard. The network port is usually on the side on the laptop, or it may be on the back. If you cannot find a network port on your laptop, it may only have a wireless network connection. You can purchase a network card for laptops, which is installed into a PC card slot on the side of the laptop, if available.

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Related pages

Broadband, Computer acronyms, Connection, Hardware terms, LAN, Network terms, Processing device