Creative Modem Blaster V90 ISA (Creative Modem Blaster V90)

Name: threenorns

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Product:	Creative Modem Blaster V90
Date:	05/05/03 (255 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: stable, *fast!*, worry-free

Disadvantages: not a *true* hardware modem

my computer originally came with a PCTel-based winmodem and it was a living hell! constant problems, chiefly "dead pipes": the connection is there, but nothing goes to the ISP and ends up 404. reconnecting didn't help, the only thing was to reboot every 20 - 30 minutes. no matter what i did, the problems wouldn't stop. i finally figured it's because my machine's an older one -- PII-350 -- and it probably couldn't handle all the processing required: sysmonitor showed that CPU usage increased whenever i went online.

i decided i wanted a hardware modem to reduce the load on the CPU and because i'd already lost my temper and sent the old modem flying across the basement to lodge in the drywall. when i went in to my favourite computer shop, "buddy" recommended the Creative ModemBlaster. i would have preferred a PCI card, but ISA was all that was in stock. he said i could buy it for now and exchange it when the PCIs came in in about a week (he's good that way).

i never went back.

this modem is *sweet*! never, ever have i had disconnects or dead pipes in the year-plus i've owned it. i did have to do some jiggery-pokery with updating drivers, but that's because my then-ISP was Kflex and my new ISP was v90. it's rock-steady, never acts up. it also came with Cheyenne Bitware, a really, really great fax/voicemail app that's taken a load off my local phone bill.

connection speeds are unbeatable: if it's less than 50,666 i hang up and reconnect. it's usually 52,000 and occasionally i hit 53,333 (although it is a bit flakey at that speed). these speeds were confirmed with the ISP's connection records by a disbelieving tech who said rural phone lines on a loaded-pair cable cannot connect higher than 28.

on netmeeting, the sound is, for the most part, true -- none of the choppiness, lag, and drag i suffered with the winmodem. when chatting with
scotland and ireland, there was a multiple-echo, but nothing that compromised comprehendability.

i put down a "one year" guarantee, but that's just a guess -- i can't remember. i also put "good" on the service/support, but that's talking outta my hat: i've never had to call them so i don't know.

one thing that kinda steamed my clams is that i've just found out that mine (the DI5660) is not a *true* hardware modem -- it's a "controllerless" modem. i haven't looked up the difference yet -- too busy trying to figure out how to configure it for Knoppix -- but given the performance, i'm not all that upset.

i thoroughly recommend this card -- all the more now that it's older and can probably be bought cheap at computer discount shops! if the PCI is anything like the ISA version, jump on it!

Summary: