EVGA Bigfoot Networks Killer Xeno Pro Review

Name: EVGA Bigfoot Networks Killer Xeno Pro Review
Brand: EVGA

by Marco Chiappetta — Thursday, June 18, 2009, 01:00 PM EDT

Bigfoot Networks generated quite a bit of buzz back in 2006 when the company launched the original Killer NIC M1. As many of you probably remember, the original Killer NIC was / is a PCI-based device that featured an on-board network processor, or NPU, that was supposedly able to lower in-game ping times and free up CPU resources, which in turn could increase framerates. The Killer NIC performed these duties by bypassing the Windows networking stack through the use of custom software and offloading network related tasks from the host CPU. And generally speaking, the Killer NIC delivered on all fronts to some degree.

The $250+ price tag of the original Killer NIC was tough to justify, however, and almost immediately there were calls for a PCI Express version of the card. Instead, a few months later the market was treated to the more affordable Killer NIC K1 which had less elaborate cooling and a lower clocked NPU.

Fast forward to today, and Bigfoot Networks is ready with a completely re-vamped PCI Express version of the Killer NIC, dubbed the Xeno Pro. We actually told you about the Xeno a few months back, but the product hit the market just a few weeks ago. We should also note that a Killer Xeno Ultra which sports more memory and an LED readout is also planned, but that product hasn't arrived just yet. We've had a Killer Xeno Pro in the lab for a few weeks though, and have the full scoop laid out in the pages ahead. First up the specs, and then we'll dig into the juicy particulars...

Bigfoot Networks Killer NIC Specifications & Features

Casual Gamers Need Not Apply

Speeds	10/100/1000 Mbps
Electrical
Power Requirements	Max 10W, Typical 3W
Network Processing Unit	400MHz
Memory	128 MB DDR PC2100 266MHz
Connector	PCIe
Ports	RJ-45, USB 2.0, 3.5mm audio input and output
Physical
Individual Card	4" x 4.5" x .75"
Weight	4 oz.
Operating Systems	Microsoft Windows XP 32 bit
	Microsoft Windows Vista 32 bit; Microsoft Windows Vista 64 bit
Certification/ Compliance
Microsoft Certification	WHQL - XP and Vista
IEEE Compliance	802.3, 802.3u, 802.3x, 802.3z
Regulatory	FCC Class B (CFR 47, Part 15, Subpart B)
	CE
	RoHS Compliant

As the specifications above show, the Killer Xeno Pro is essentially a gigabit ethernet card, equipped with a 400MHz network processor and 128MB of DDR2 RAM (the original Killer NICs had only 64MB). There is also a USB 2.0 interface and audio input and output jacks. We'll explain why this network card needs all of these additional components on the next page, but specifications alone should tell you that the Xeno is no standard NIC.

Tags: Gaming, evga, Nic, Enterprise, Networking, Killer, Xeno, Bigfoot

Marco Chiappetta

Marco's interest in computing and technology dates all the way back to his early childhood. Even before being exposed to the Commodore P.E.T. and later the Commodore 64 in the early ‘80s, he was interested in electricity and electronics, and he still has the modded AFX cars and shop-worn soldering irons to prove it. Once he got his hands on his own Commodore 64, however, computing became Marco's passion. Throughout his academic and professional lives, Marco has worked with virtually every major platform from the TRS-80 and Amiga, to today's high end, multi-core servers. Over the years, he has worked in many fields related to technology and computing, including system design, assembly and sales, professional quality assurance testing, and technical writing. In addition to being the Managing Editor here at HotHardware for close to 15 years, Marco is also a freelance writer whose work has been published in a number of PC and technology related print publications and he is a regular fixture on HotHardware’s own Two and a Half Geeks webcast. - Contact: marco(at)hothardware(dot)com