Hey guys!

I have just purchased a cheapish PC (POC ) to utilise as my internet browsing PC. I still have my monster PC for gaming.

What I want to do is utilise the same internet connection for both PC's. I have an external modem (cable broadband) which is currently connected to my gaming PC, and this is the only connection available from the modem.

The modem is also wireless capable, but I have had problems utilising the wireless function (I also have wireless phones which interfere with the signal (found that out the hard way)) so I would rather have both connected by network cable if at all possible.

My gaming PC also has dual Gigabit LAN (2 x LAN ports on back) - am I able to utilise this as a sort of HUB? i.e. so that my new "internet" PC can access the modem?

In addition to this, does the gaming PC (with the dual LAN) need to be switched on AND booted up (as opposed to just switched on wheere there is power to the MoBo), or can it run through the dual LAN without the necessity of the gaming PC being booted up?

Any other suggestions are welcome - I can build a mean PC, but I am an Internet n00b. I do know a bit about LAN's however, so anything you guys suggest will be helpful. Also, if you think that the wireless option might be worth a try, let me know (I still have my wireless USB antenna for the PC)...

Cheers. Oh, and any questions welcome too!

B|U|Z|Z

I possibly forgot to mention some fairly critical info - I want to keep the PC's on separate networks - as in I only want data to go between the two if I want it to - i.e. by USB key, CD/DVD or removable hard drive....

Cheers!

You can get a router to split up your cable connection, I use a Dlink, HERE is one from newegg.com. I'm not necessarily recommending this router but it gives you the idea of what I'm talking about. With the router you can fire up either or both computers. I have 2 desktops and a laptop that I hook up and have no trouble with.

You could always connect a switch.

Well really I see a few options. 1 would be to have the connection linked off the Gaming PC. This is not the best option as it i9s a pain to setup and will need to have the gaming PC on to get the network working from the other machine.
Other option would be to use a wireless setup and use a wireless card in the second machine. I gather as you stated this is a cvheap machine only for internet this maybe a waste of money.
The last situation is to get a cheap ethernet hub or switch and connect that the the modem and set both machines to different static IP addresses with the correct gateway addresses. This will mean they are both on the same network and would make transfering files easily. I am not sure of anyway of linking the 2 machines together without this functionality unless you invest in a seperate Router.

Thanks for the replies guys!

I still have the USB wireless adapter to connect to the modem wirelessly, so I guess that may be the option (to save any more expenditure). I am talking to my ISP now to see about how I can do it, so hopefully they will be able to give me the final word.

I guess my next question is therefore - if I can't utilise the same modem easily without both PC's being on the same network (and as such be able to share files), how do I ensure that there is minimal to nil traffic between the two? (i.e. the cheap PC will be utilised for torrents, and I can't have the possibility of getting a virus on the gaming machine (which doubles as our photo storage etc))...

Cheers

They're two seperate connection. If the cheap PC get's a virus, it won't spread over to the gaming PC.

Regards,
TheYoda

Well that's good news! Cheers!