GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB LGA 1155 Intel Z77

[mrjones15]

Can someone tell me if the wifi is any good on this motherboard? Is it worth the extra money or should i buy the board w/o the bluetooth/wifi and get my own wifi adapter?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128549

 

[hellfire24]

^your choice!that board is a solid performer.if you want bluetooth and wifi then i would suggest going with inbuilt adapters.

 

[suteck]

Yes it works great. I used this board in a build I did for someone and he raves about how well it works for him. The onboard bluetooth and wifi are very nice features on this board. No need to waste a pcie lane when you get this board!

 

[darkguset]

I agree.
If you are planning on buying an external one, you might as well get the ones that come bundled, guaranteed to work and cost less than individual components.

 

[NLight95]

I'm also thinking about picking up a UD5H but it will be the version *without* the wi-fi adapter. I'll purchase a PCIe dual-band wi-fi adapter separately so that when I eventually sell the UD5H down the road I can keep the adapter. I will save money in the future because I'll already have the adapter and won't have to look for a mb with one.

Gigabyte actually sells the exact UD5H-WB wi-fi adapter under the part name GC-WB300D (search Newegg--they carry it). I'm also considering the option of going with a faster dual-band wi-fi card like the TP-LINK TL-WDN4800.

My recommendation would be to purchase the wi-fi card separately for portability and for cheaper upgrades to future mobos.

 

[NLight95]

^your choice!that board is a solid performer.if you want bluetooth and wifi then i would suggest going with inbuilt adapters.

Actually the UD5H-WB adapter is not built-in (like the Asus products), it's a PCIe add-on card which is even better, imho, because it doesn't tie you to any manufacturer.

 

[suteck]

Sorry, I would have to disagree with the add on card being an advantage. You just lose the pcie slot to get something that's already built in to other boards. If you think it going to save you money down the road it probably won't since when you do upgrade more than likely the new boards will have them. It's a trend that seems to be catching on. Unless you switch motherboards frequently of course then it might be easier to do it that way. But there are lots of wifi cards available, have been for quite some time. The add on card is nothing new but the built in to desktop motherboards is. Matter of choice really. But if a top of the line dual band wifi card is what you want or need then go for it. Nothing wrong with wanting the best performance you can get.

 

[NLight95]

Sorry, I would have to disagree with the add on card being an advantage. You just lose the pcie slot to get something that's already built in to other boards. If you think it going to save you money down the road it probably won't since when you do upgrade more than likely the new boards will have them. It's a trend that seems to be catching on. Unless you switch motherboards frequently of course then it might be easier to do it that way. But there are lots of wifi cards available, have been for quite some time. The add on card is nothing new but the built in to desktop motherboards is. Matter of choice really. But if a top of the line dual band wifi card is what you want or need then go for it. Nothing wrong with wanting the best performance you can get.

Keep in mind that you will lose a PCIe slot on the UD5H-WB if you use the included wi-fi card. It's not like the Asus mini-cards that are inserted in a socket where the I/O panel is located. You are right in the respect that mobos are going to increasingly include wi-fi as everything in today's world is going mobile.