I just got my road runner cable modem and I have a question which would you say is faster USB connection or NIC thanks
It depends. USB 1.1 is 12mps top speed, USB 2.0 has a raw speed of 480mps. Ethernet is 10mps or 100mps, and although gigabit ethernet 1000mps is starting to become more common more than likely your modem's interface it either 10 or 100. The USB speeds are mostly top speeds under ideal conditions and your effective speed is usually less than 100mbs ethernet. Many factors come into play such as if you have any other USB devices attached. It really doesn't matter which you chose in the long run, the bottleneck is the WAN connection of the DSL or Cable modem. More than likely it won't be anywhere near even the 12mps that USB 1.1 provides so you would never use the full capacity of the LAN side anyway.
