Keep in mind, MOST servers on the web, and even fewer people have more than a 100meg connection, and in the case of servers, that bandwidth needs to be divided up among the people connecting, and if the server hosts multiple websites, it gets further divided. My company web server is on a 10meg connection shared by several dozen sites. Then you have bandwidth shaping as well.
So while you may have a gigabit connection, the times you can truly take complete advantage of it are really not all THAT common for the average person.
It won't help your ping in games and it won't help your streaming if you have a greater than an 8meg connection already (barring other people sharing said connection). (compared to anything over 8meg or so ).
As for routers, I have an N66U, same as TP, which has run fantastic since I got it several years ago. It's one of the best routers I have ever used in terms of reliability, especially over time. Most routers under the load I subject them too start showing issues after a year, sometimes less either due to heat/abuse, poor design, or faulty power systems.
The companies I recommend are Buffalo, Asus, and Linksys, but they have been passed around like a library book, so you don't know how good they are anymore. Netgear is hit or miss, sometimes they under spec the power supplies so they don't last. and I don't have enough experience with TP Link and with the new laws about power output, they essentially locked down their routers. Also, don't buy anything you can't install different firmware on, with luck, you won't need it, but you want the option. If it's not listed here, I won't buy it, too many bad experiences with them.
Oh, and another thing to avoid... cloud based (Cisco and Google). While I have a customer with the Asus based Google router, which works AMAZINGLY well so far (REALLY good coverage) and the cloud system works well for them (non-techs), I wouldn't go near it with a 10 foot pole for myself. Sure they can disable the kids access from a cell phone, but it spies on you, and you shouldn't need to be online to change a firewall setting. It's just a massive vulnerability hole you shouldn't have. And no, there is no local access to control it, I checked, in fact there isn't even a way to access it from a desktop, you have to use an phone app. If I could load it with DD-WRT or Asus firmware, it would rock, but as it is, no way in hell.
