> Whether PCI-based or not, my recollection is that an internal
> modem is functionally a "Winmodem" whether it bears that name or
> not.  This is because  internal modems (whether PCI or ISA) use
> the system CPU to perform some of their processing, while an
> external modem actually has a separate processor built into it
> and does not "steal" processing capacity from the system CPU.
>
> Therefore, it's my understanding that you'll get better overall
> system performance by using an external modem.

        Unfortunately the situation is far from this simple. First off, an internal
modem is NOT always a winmodem, many ISA internal modems are hardware
modems, but this is not of much use anymore since fewer and fewer systems
have ISA slots anymore (a shame really). Second, while most external SERIAL
modems are true hardware modems many (all?) USB external modems are software
modems just like their internal cousins (and in some ways worse). TTYL

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