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are the processors in my USB network adapter card useful at all? do they help out the CPU in any way or not really?

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— the "processor" on a USB network dongle is an embedded controller that implements the USB↔Ethernet bridge and, in many designs, implements offload functions (checksum calc, large-send segmentation, etc.). Whether that on-board work actually reduces host CPU load depends on three things: the adapter chipset, the driver/NDIS support, and how the adapter is connected to the host.

Practical checks that show whether the adapter is helping the host:

  • Look in Device Manager -> network adapter -> Properties -> Advanced for entries like "Checksum Offload", "Large Send Offload (LSO)" or "Receive Side Scaling". Presence of those items indicates the driver exposes hardware offloads.
  • Identify the hardware ID (Details -> Hardware Ids) to confirm the chipset/vendor and then install the vendor driver if Windows is using a generic one.
  • Measure with a real transfer: run a sustained large file copy or an iperf stream to saturate the link while observing CPU usage (Task Manager / Resource Monitor). Toggle the offload settings off/on to compare CPU use. Capture behavior in Wireshark will change when offloads are active (checksums may appear incorrect in captures).

Common reasons an on-board controller does not lower CPU:

  • Generic or buggy drivers that do not enable offloads.
  • USB bus overhead (older USB 2.0 ports, hubs, or shared controllers) shifting work back to the host.
  • Adapter design that only implements minimal bridging and not true TCP/UDP offloads.

Notes: offloads can interfere with packet capture, VPNs, or some firewall/virtualization stacks; testing with offloads switched on and off is the clearest way to see real benefit. ’s point about driver and design quality is the main deciding factor.

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Member Avatar for Chaky

Usually yes, if the appropriate drivers are installed and if the design isn't flawed like nForce4 chipset and its hardware-driven firewall. Otherwise, they would be redundant.

Member Avatar for cbusen

thanks alot

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