Tom's has a generally favorable article on Bigfoot's Killer NIC products.  http://www.tomsguide.com/us/killer [...] -1083.html
 
The concept seems logical, in that it is common for dedicated/discrete versions of peripherals to outperform on-board counterparts (e.g., video, sound, etc.).   I understand the benefits generally, but for me, the point of diminishing returns comes in way before the $250 price for the product.  
 
I read that other dedicated, outboard-chip-based NIC boards also help--but at a lot lower price.  Anyone have any experience with them?  Would other boards provide tangible benefits, even if lets say 50% of what the Bigfoot provides?
 
E.g., this one was referenced in a NewEgg review for the Bigfoot, and for ~$24 it is a no brainer to try as an upgrade to my MoBo ethernet connection.   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6833106121
 
Thoughts?  Bueller?  Bueller?  Bueller?  Bueller?

It MIGHT offload a bit from the CPU, but at that price I'd give it a miss...  If you are determined to use a NIC that's not onboard, look at the intel 10/100/1000 Pro.  In a heavily used network environment it can make a small difference.
 
The CPU requirements for the TCP/IP stack are so minimal that unless you are doing layer 7 inspection it will be hardly noticed.  Your ISP is your bottleneck, not your CPU or your NIC

your better off spending the $$$ on a faster cpu/video card or more ram, better cooling for overclocking, or even a faster hdd/s, but in todays systems, every little bit counts - eg more cache, higher fsb, ncq, ht, sata2 - alone there all pathetic and dont seem to perform any better but together they make a system feel more robust and perform better.
 
I get the feeling Intel and Realtek will add its features into an upcoming budget/mainstream chips    

^ Hence why I pointed the OP to the intel Pro...  It already does stack manipulation, and does not cost $250...

 
lower overhead too i believe - we need to see Intels' vs Realtek and others vs (Wallet)Killer

I agree with you all so far.  But I am wondering if anyone has any direct experience with either the Killer NICs or in upgrading to other outboard NICs.
 
My system is fast enough that I should at least be on par gaming wise.  But it all boils down to those last few miliseconds when in some games I always get the first few rounds off, and on others I am dead before I get a few off...
 
$250 is alot, but there is certainly an amount that I am willing to pay so that I do not come in second place in a gun fight...  

 
All i know for certain is when using BST from multiple clients to an AMD Semperon (64) 3000 with a Realtek Gigabit PCI card the cpu overhead was the first limit - at ~40% (~400mbps) it reached 100% and wouldnt go any higher - wonder wether this card would do any better in this situation...