Help needed making a linux router

I am looking at making a linux router since the regular cable routers
I get keep breaking on me. One had ports that stopped working and now
the other drops connections and has somehow turned into a hub since it
sends the data I download to all of the computers on the network.
I have a 266 MHz box to use but it has a bad hard drive, do the
floppy linux firewalls work any good, like FreeSCO? What about IPCop if
I got a different hard drive? Or what about Red Hat with the minimum
install, it says it can be used for routers?
I also have a question about the NIC cards. Is there a difference if
I put 5 into the computer or 2 cards and use a hub? I think the router
would be too much extra and the 5 cards would be easier.
Do router cards work well?
http://www.outletpc.com/c3442.html

Thanks in advance!