P5B-Deluxe WiFi, any good?

hybrid11

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Nov 27, 2006
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Does anyone here have the P5B-Deluxe WiFi? I was wondering if it was worth getting it to use its wifi component over the regular P5B-Deluxe?
 

xy

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Jul 24, 2004
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I have this MB and personally the built-in WIFI is really frustrating. Keep on disconnecting every 5-10min. My advice is get the P5B Deluxe w/o WIFI and get a nice wireless adaptor. And ohh... The built-in sound isn't good too. Drivers for the HD audio is horrible. Try searching the internet and you'll see what i mean.
 
I have the WiFi and don't have any wireless problems, though occasionally I have had issues with the Asus WiFi Solo software hanging. This is very infrequent and could possibly be eliminated by using the Windows XP wireless software instead. Disconnects may be due to interference such as wireless phones and may not be motherboard related.

xy is right about the onboard sound being buggy. I'm happy with it after playing around with different drivers and settings in the SoundMax control panel, but others are not so lucky. The most common issues are crackling sound, increased boot times, and S/PDIF problems. As I said before, I've worked through all issues and am happy with the result.

Another thing to research is RAM compatibility. I've seen many posts from people having trouble with Corsair RAM using the non-Micron memory chips. I'm personally using Patriot memory and haven't had any issues.

The last thing that you should be aware of is common to almost all Intel 965 boards and that's the JMicron controller for IDE support. It has been known to have issues that you may need to deal with, but then again maybe not. I'm very happy with my JMicron setup and don't have any problems, but others have had problems.

Overall, I love my P5B-Deluxe. Everything on it works as it should and it's a great overclocker. I suggest going to the P5B-Deluxe forums on Asus' website and observe what common problems you see people complaining about.
 

xy

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rwpritchett,

I don't think it has something to do with the interference. Here's how my computers was setup.

1st Floor:
Wireless phone 5.8Ghz
Kitchen (microwave)

2nd Floor:
Cable modem SB5120
Linksys router WRT54GS
Computer P5B Deluxe/WiFi - 4ft from router-
(tried to be as close as possibLe for testing purposes, I'll move my router if everything works)
- signal is excellent
- disconnects every 5-10min
- tried all the latest driver for WiFi
- latest BIOS 0804

*all in the same room

Basement:
Computer A7N8X-E with D-Link wireless Card
- signal is good to very good
- no disconnections. playing online games are excellent
- no interference

** My wife can use her laptop anywhere in the house without any problem accesing the router. No disconnections or something like that.

I hope you can give me some more ideas on how I am going to make my WiFi work. :( It's really frustrating on my side. The only solution I can think of right now is buy a decent wireless card. But still it doesn't solve my problem on P5B WiFi.
 
You can try the RealTek driver v5.1234.0719 (not the one Asus provides) along with the RealTek software. Note-the RealTek website says its v5.1234.0420 on the link for some reason, but it's really 0719. The software is very similar to the Asus WiFi Solo but it has the addition of an interference meter as well as signal strength meter when you click on the tray icon. That might be handy for you to troubleshoot your WiFi signal.

RealTek RTL8187L WinXP Driver and WiFi Software

or

RealTek Driver Download Page

You can uninstall the Asus WiFi drivers and software and just install the driver only through device manager and let Windows handle the WiFi settings. I haven't tried this myself with this particular WiFi chipset, however this was a fix for my wife's laptop in which her wireless card would constantly disconnect if WPA encryption was used with the WiFi software that came with her mini-PCI card.
 

ches111

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The P5B Deluxe Wifi is a really nice board.

C2D compliant,
Vista Compliant,
Easy setup (w/correct bios rev),
Too many gadgets onboard to list (like opening up multiple Christmas presents when opening the box).
Q connectors (although not needed are a nice touch)

Issues with recognizing (off the bat) drives of size greater than 48 bit LBA >137gb. (simple driver correction)

Wifi is actually pretty good. Gets a strong signal in places where my notebooks connectivity washes out.
 

ches111

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PS..

A little known thing, is that nearly all connectors for the MB are edge mounted allowing you to easily plug in items with a finger behind the board for bracing.

Makes the 24 pin ATX Power a breeze without worry.

This is both good and bad in that (my situation) the connectors for front panel were too close to the PSU tunnel of the P180B. Easy to overcome, just install the headers before mounting the board.
 

xy

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Jul 24, 2004
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rwpritchett,

I tried the realtek drivers but it didn't work for me. :( Maybe, I'll just get a decent wireless card someday. Thanks for the help anyway. :)
 
At least you can take the WiFi daughter board off and free up a USB connector making it the same as the regular non-WiFi P5B-Deluxe. Haven't tried it myself, but I've read it can be done. I could use some more USB ports on the back and I have a spare WiFi PCI card lying around. Good luck with your WiFi endeavor.
 

dnoiz

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Jan 30, 2007
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WiFi works great here. I have a Netgear WGR614 router. No problems with that part of the board. I'm currently struggling getting a eSATA HD to work.

R.
 

crualtortus

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i had long since given up on my p5b's wifi. it would disconnect every 5-10 seconds. i guess its a hit and miss weither it works well or not. if i were you just get it, and if you get a gay one well w.e. it looks nice, good for bragging, and you can just get a pci wireless card. Oh and very very overclock friendly, I love my board.