Question : Linksys Gigabit Switch Too Slow

I just installed a Linksys gigabit switch (model EG008W) and two Linksys gigbit network cards (model EG1032). To test the speed, I started copying files from one PC to the other; the speed seemed slow so I looked at the network performance in the task manager. The network utilization was only about 8-13%. If I look at the network connection properties on both machines it says they're connected at 1Gbps.

Both machines are running Windows XP Home and I'm using cat5e cable. I've tried shutting down and unplugging both machines and the switch...Linksys support had me to change the link speed from Auto to 1000 in the network connection properties, but no change.

I'm not sure what to try next to get the network running at the proper speed.

Answer : Linksys Gigabit Switch Too Slow

Ok, so TTCP shows a throughput of about 37% of your theoretical maximum.  Better than your 13% for file transfers.  This basically confirms disk io was the problem.  If you really need to transfer files faster, you'll need faster HDDs and/or controllers.  If you monitor cpu while you do the ttcp test you may find your new bottleneck.

-Pascal