a 100baseTX Hub has capacity of 100Mbps overall, period!
a 100baseTX switch has capacity of 100Mbps times the number of ports. Thus a 16 port switch has total bandwidth capacity of 1.6Gbps (minus some efficiency losses). Compare this to a 16 port Hub, which has a flat 100 Mbps overall max capacity. Also, most switches are full-duplex, which effectively double capacity and eliminates 99.9% of collisions, if you're using all FDX NICs.
That said, using a switch to only hook two comps is a waste of money a cross-over would work, but a hub will work too. Now if your going to get a router, like a Netgear RP-114 (cheap, $85), that has an integrated 5-port switch, then you're also sharing your cable/DSL connection with all your PCs.
Note that, the fastest Cable/DSL rate is substantially slower than 100baseTX. BTW, Hawkings 10/100 NICs are dirt cheap at Fry's ($15). I just installed a couple of them in a server (yes, two, Internet and Intranet).
[I'm not into boycotts and religious wars, Frys has good prices. Please check your adolescent pogroms at the door].
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