If my speedtest says I have 10Mbps download does that mean my ISP doesn't allow me to go above 10Mbps?

Solution
with isp speed and network speeds should not be placed in the same hat. the isp speed is the speed from the net to you. that is fixed by the isp and your tier of service. your hardware is the speed you want to look at and have the fastest parts. your max speed now might be 10 megs from the isp to the modem. but you want the dfastest router and net cards in your home to move the data as fast as it can from the router to the pc and from the pc to anther pc or storage device. if you happen to set up a media server to let people watch movies or music on your network the slower 10meg cards would be killing your data speed from the server to the pc. also with ethernet there is driver and hardware over head so in real life your not going to...
Your download speed will vary according to the package that you have from your ISP, so if your package is for a 10Mbps link, then that is what you would expect to get.
No, having a 100Mbps LAN card is not worthless and you can transfer to other systems on your network at that rate, although I must add that you might have an older system if it only has 10/100Mbps for LAN. Almost all come with 10/100/1000 these days.
 


I am looking to buy a network card, that is why I ask. Buying cheaper ones are all 10/100. I think my ISP doesn't go above 50Mbps and that I have 10Mbps max. So a 10/100 card will do just fine?

 
with isp speed and network speeds should not be placed in the same hat. the isp speed is the speed from the net to you. that is fixed by the isp and your tier of service. your hardware is the speed you want to look at and have the fastest parts. your max speed now might be 10 megs from the isp to the modem. but you want the dfastest router and net cards in your home to move the data as fast as it can from the router to the pc and from the pc to anther pc or storage device. if you happen to set up a media server to let people watch movies or music on your network the slower 10meg cards would be killing your data speed from the server to the pc. also with ethernet there is driver and hardware over head so in real life your not going to get 10/100/1000 speed or max wifi speed.
 
Solution


Agreed. While a 10/100 card will work, you really want the faster 10/100/1000 part. They really don't cost THAT much more.
 


Agree on the intel chipsets but if you find anything that has a 3com chip in it you need to put it in the trash can. 3com has not existed for almost 6 years since HP bought them. I don't think HP sells much end user cards mostly things to go in their serves.