An improved network architecture for minimizing latency of preparing and sending data to a network over a physical medium. A system for communicating messages over a network may create and store ready-to-send data packets in a data buffer next to or as close as possible, either physically and/or logically, to a MAC component. The MAC component may then receive the data packet directly from the data buffer and encapsulate the data packet into a frame suitable for transmission to the network. The data packet is modifiable while being stored in the data buffer prior to transmission to the network.