Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Product, Pricing, Availability, and Support
FNA: Flexible Network Architecture:
More Technical Product Questions:
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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What is the Killer NIC?
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It is a network card designed specifically for online gaming to reduce lag:
Smoother game-play during intense action
Increased responsiveness when it matters most
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How does Killer make online gaming better?
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Killer NIC lowers Ping and increases Frames per Second (FPS) in most games providing a smoother, more responsive online game experience.
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Which online games will Killer NIC improve?
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Killer reduces lag and latency that often occurs in interactive MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Play) and First Person Shooter games over the internet such as Battlefield 2, World of Warcraft, Counterstrike and others. No special patches, system manipulation, or game integration required - just plug it in and start playing. Learn about game support here.
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How does it work?
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In brief, Killer NIC utilizes a dedicated onboard NPU (Network Processing Unit) to offload all network processing from the CPU. Killer's LLR™ (Lag and Latency Reduction) Technology prioritizes the game data packets above all other network traffic and bypasses the Microsoft Windows OS 'network stack' to deliver data to the game much faster. The result is less lag, lower ping and boasted frame-rates for a smoother, more responsive gaming experience.
More specifically, Killer NIC utilizes its NPU to bypass the Windows networking stack reducing latency (ping) and increasing FPS. By bypassing the Windows networking stack (XP and Vista), Killer NIC utilizes a one packet, one interrupt approach. Every time a packet hits the network card, an interrupt is issued and that packet is delivered to the game-no caching, no queuing, no waiting. This delivers crucial packets to the game faster and more frequently. Learn more by downloading the LLR White Paper.
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How much of a performance improvement will the Killer provide?
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Here are the results from PC Gamer Magazine:
World of Warcraft: 36% FPS Improvement / 36% Ping Improvement
Counter-Strike: 31% FPS Improvement / 9% Ping Improvement
Battle Field: 22% FPS Improvement / 1% Ping Improvement
In most games you can expect to see a 10% improvement in FPS and a 2-5ms improvement in Ping. All reviews and customer testimonials can be found on the product website here. In addition to measurable data, reviewers and customer consistently remark that games also feel smoother, and more responsive.
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What are users saying?
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There are many customer testimonials, independent reviews and awards that show the benefits and advantages of Killer in online gaming. Visit our Reviews page or read discussions and testimonials on the Forum. There are also several technical White Papers you can download to learn more about how it all works.
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Product, Pricing, Availability, and Support
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How much does the Killer NIC cost?
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The M1 version of the Killer retails for $279.99, but is widely available at $249.99.
The K1 version retails for $199.99, and is widely available for $179.99.
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What is the difference between the 2 versions of Killer NIC?
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The difference is mainly in the processor speeds of the two cards:
K1: 333 MHz processor
M1: over-clocked to 400 MHz with a nickel plated aluminum heatsink. The extra processing power in the M1 is especially helpful when running FNapps.
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Is the Killer available outside the U.S.?
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It is available through major e-tailers and retailers in the USA, Canada, Australia, Denmark, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, Portugal and the United Kingdom. The Killer NIC is also available through leading online game PC vendors including: Alienware, ABS, CyberPower, iBuyPower.com and Velocity Micro. See the most up-to date list at KillerNIC.com's Where to Buy.
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What is your warranty on the Killer NIC?
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Killer comes with a limited one-year manufacturer's warranty. Warranty details can be found here.
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What are your tech support hours and terms of service?
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Tech Support will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via forums and self-help knowledge base tools. Phone support, live Chat, email, and ticket submission support will be available Monday-Friday, 10:00AM to 7:00PM central time zone and Saturday-Sunday, 12:00PM to 6:00PM central time zone.
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What OS does the Killer support?
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The Killer NIC ships with 32 bit Windows XP drivers. 64 bit versions for Windows XP is available along with 32 bit & 64 bit Vista drivers. Uncompiled Linux drivers and developer's kit are available in downloads section of the support section at KillerNIC.com.
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Does the Killer have a PCI-E version?
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Not at this time.
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Is there a MAC version?
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Not at this time.
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Is there a wireless Killer NIC?
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Not at this time.
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FNA: Flexible Network Architecture:
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What can I do with FNA?
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If you are a gamer, there are several FNApps that you can download. FNApps are applications that run on the Killer NIC's NPU. By running FNApps on your Killer's NPU, it will not impact your online gaming performance.
Current FNApps include a Firewall, Torrent (file sharing), and Automatic Game updating. These FNApps can be downloaded from this support page.
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How do I run an FNApp?
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An FNApp can be launched or loaded from within any standard windows program. Alternatively, your card will ship with a Console FNApp, which literally gives you a Linux command prompt on your windows desktop. From the command prompt, you can run any programs you have previously downloaded.
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Why is there a USB Port on the back of the Killer?
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The USB port is currently used by the FNTorrent Client. A user can run the FNTorrent client directly on the Killer's NPU and download the torrents directly to a USB hard drive that is attached to the Killer's USB port. The computer will not be affected by the download at all. In the future, other FNApps will also use the Killer's USB Port.
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Can I write my own FNApp?
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If you are a programmer, Killer enables you to write your own FNApps. Being essentially a Linux computer, you can download an SDK, tools and documentation. Almost everything is open source!
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What about security? Couldn't an FNApp be malicious?
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Just like any software, FNApps only run if the user allows it.
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More Technical Product Questions:
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How can a network card affect FPS?
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A standard network card cannot, but Killer NIC does. Killer NIC replaces the Window's network stack with a low latency network stack and the NPU specifically designed for online gaming. This leads to improvement in FPS by reducing the CPU overhead associated with processing network calls (even while there is no data to be processed) and speeding up the time that it takes a packet of data to get from your NIC to the CPU.
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How do you expect to lower ping, given that most latency is caused by the internet?
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The Killer NIC will not fix a slow ISP or overloaded game server, but there is a significant amount of lag that can be addressed inside of a computer. Latency (Ping) as measured in-game also includes the OVERHEAD of the operating system and the network stack, which can add several milliseconds of ping to a game. Killer shaves off these extra milliseconds while also prioritizing gaming network packets. ICMP Ping that can be run from a DOS prompt (ICMP Ping) does not actually measure the overhead of the operating system's network stack.
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How can a network card fix the internet to really improve latency (Ping)?
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Killer NIC DOES reduce UDP latency (sometimes in a dramatic fashion), because it is literally offloading the UDP/IP stack (the protocol of games). By offloading the network stack, we can optimize it for extremely low latency and near zero CPU utilization. This means, it is SHAVING off milliseconds of ping that would be introduced by your network stack. Packet prioritization also helps reduce latency, by allowing gaming packets to get serviced first, ahead of non-gaming packets.
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What kind of ping performance improvement can the Killer NIC deliver?
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The Killer was designed to deliver a 2 to 5ms improvement in Ping. The benefit you will see depends on your system and the game you are playing. Reviewers, customer, and internal tests have demonstrated ping reduction greater than 10ms. Reviews and customers have also shown a much more stable ping, in their online games.
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How do I know if I should upgrade my NIC vs. other components?
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The Killer NIC will need to be upgraded much less frequently than other components. You will always have to upgrade your processor, memory and graphics card. Killer NIC can be taken from system to system and will gain in value as time goes on because as more FNApps are released the card will be able to offload more.
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What is the difference between Throughput and Latency, and which does the Killer NIC improve?
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Throughput matters very little in online games, because games don't send/receive a large amount of network data. Latency, however, is very important because the timeliness of data in online games is the difference between dieing and killing.
Throughput is defined as the amount of data per second that can flow between two endpoints, and is almost always limited by the ISP. Latency is defined as the round-trip-time between two endpoints (regardless of the amount of throughput). Usually there is a tradeoff between Throughput and Latency. Killer has been designed for low-latency because it is latency (and not throughput) that affects online gameplay. Throughput does not matter in online gaming or daily web surfing because it is limited by the ISP.
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If I have a dual-core system, will I still see performance benefits with the Killer NIC?
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Yes, a dual-core system will still see the benefits of a Killer NIC. Most games are written to run their main game loops only in a single core. Customers and reviewers have said that the few games that are written to run specifically for dual core see very good benefits in both Ping and FPS when using the Killer, and testing in our labs has shown increased smoothness as well.
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For the price of a Killer I can get a new graphics card?
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A graphic card focuses on and improving FPS. Killer improves game responsiveness, and reduces ping while also improving FPS.
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What types of computers benefits from the Killer NIC?
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Reviewers, customers, and internal tests have proven that all types of computers benefit from having a Killer NIC installed. Whether you run the latest and greatest dual-core / quad SLI system, or a single-core rig with an AGP video card, the Killer delivers smoother gameplay, lower ping, and higher FPS! Amount of improvement varies based on your system, resolution settings, etc …
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When will you provide Linux host drivers for the Killer NIC?
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Linux host drivers are available in the Downloads section of the Support suite.
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Can I use the Killer NIC for other internet-based applications, such as browsing, email, etc.?
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Absolutely, the Killer NIC is a fully functional network card, and was optimized for lower latency in all applications. Games are particularly improved by low latency technology, but other applications may also benefit.
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Will the Killer NIC boost my 'offline' game performance?
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No. The Killer does not impact single player or offline game play.
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Who else would benefit from using this product?
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Among other things, Killer is a UDP (User Datagram Protocol) accelerator, so other applications that are UDP intensive could also see benefits. In addition, programmers, Linux developers, and other enthusiasts will love FNA because they will be able to write or download Flexible Network Applications that run on Killer's NPU. Flexible Network Applications could be VOIP apps, peer to peer file sharing utilities...the list is endless.
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Some of the articles about your card say you offload TCP/IP. Is this true?
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While our card does perform some TCP/IP acceleration functions, it does not fully offload this network protocol (nor does any other network card in the consumer market today). Most MMO and First Person Shooter online games don't use TCP/IP as the primary protocol, but rather use UDP. Among other things, Killer IS a UDP (User Datagram Protocol) accelerator, which makes it EXTREMELY FOCUSED on gaming, and very different from what any other company is offering today.
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Can I install this card in my gaming server?
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The Killer NIC is not optimized for server gaming communications. But it should function in a gaming server, provided less than 256 users are playing on the server. It may or may not improve gaming server performance (depending on the game).
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In what situations will the Killer NIC performance improvement be most noticeable?
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When the action is hot and heavy (i.e. World of Warcraft PVP battlegrounds, 24x24 CS: Source, 64 man BF2) is when the Killer performs the best, by delivering better frame rates (FPS) lower ping, and most importantly a smoother gameplay experience.
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Will the Killer NIC help my performance in a LAN gaming environment?
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Yes. In a LAN setting, the Ping benefit may not be as measurable (due to server proximity) than on the general internet. However, many customers report still seeing the measurable FPS benefit and smoother game play with the Killer NIC installed during LAN play.
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