integrated or aftermarket

[sicgixxer]

I'm thinking of purchasing a dell 5150 and am wonder I guess first what are the opinions on this model and , should I got with the on-board integrated installed from factory 54g/b card or purchase an aftermarket slot one.

 

[blah]

That is a question of how much the difference is and if you want to carry the WNIC with you all the time. Plus I am sure you'll get better/quicker firmware and driver support from other companies than the Dell.

my too sense

..this is very useful and helpful place for information...

 

[chandanarahul]

Advantages of having the inbuilt card is that the dipole antenna orientation is vertical where as it is horizontal if you plug in PCMCIA or cardbus card and thus u r supposed to get better signal with built in wireless adapters.

Second advantage is that it doen't wast any slots on ur laptop.

Disadvantages are
1. u can never upgrade it..
2. If something's wrong with it u may have to replace the whole laptop and dell sucks at it...
3. These companies like Dell will never agree there is something worng with this onboard adapter as they mave to replace the whole laptop....

I would buy an additional card.. as upgradablity is a must for me...

 

[riser]

I work with Dell Lattitude C800-C840s all day. My company has over 50 of these laptops. If you get a dell, pay the extra money to get the Gold Support on it. You call in to their support and get through without having to wait more than a few minutes at the longer. Want a new laptop with gold support? Tell them, they'll overnight it to your place the next day. Put your old one in the box, ship it out at no cost to you. Swap your hard drives to keep your information.
I'd go with the wireless onboard. I haven't had a single problem with Dell's gold support, and on the few occasions that i've called their regular support, I haven't had any problems. Just tell them what you want and they'll ship it to you. When hard drives go bad because people here drop their laptops, I just ask and I receive. A BIG perk is the fact that you can pay an additional 100 dollars or so for a form of insurance on it. Get mad and throw your laptop out an 8 story building and destroy it? tell dell you hated it and want another, they'll ship it overnight. Beat it with a sledge hammer for entertainment? They'll replace it at no cost. Type a lot and wear out the keyboard? Sorry, you'll have to pay for a new keyboard if the warranty is out. haha
Go with Dell, you can't beat it, talk to a rep about their gold support and the extra stuff. They'll probably even give you a good discount on that support.
I highly recommend dells.

Riser