PCI vs USB wifi for Desktop

[DeanM]

Hi everyone,

I looked at the FAQ section and saw this question which I actually came here to ask!

What are the performance tradeoffs between integrated PCI cards, USB adapters, and PC card/adapter combinations?

See http://www.tomsnetworking.com/Sect [...] -page1.php this part of TomsNetworking's Wireless NTK.

Unfortunately the link is dead and nothing loads. Could anyone share some of their experiences on this? I would assume a PCI wifi card would outperform USB even tho some usb adapters have the advantage of a long cable to try different possitions.

Main uses of the connection would be...
General browsing
Gaming online
Downloading (Games are big!)

My conditions are that computer is placed in a room beside the room with the router in it, so one wall between them. Walls are concrete. Router is a Cisco EPC2425. I see some 20-25euro PCI cards around. I would be willing to pay more for better performance.

Any advice would be appreciated. thanks.
Regards,
Dean

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

I have had better luck with USB.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833381014&Tpk=gamebase

I use this, but it is quite large ^

 

[DeanM]

Hi area51, Thanks for the reply and sorry for taking so long to get back to you!

I borrowed a Linksys WUSB600n from workmate. It works pretty well and havent really experienced lag or anything like that while gaming. Dont really have any issues with it.

Only downside is that i did a speedtest and it got 16-17mbps on a 25mbps connection. My laptop which is an inspiron 1520 and is a few years old got 20-21mbps with its built in wifi card. So the USB adapter isn't getting the best performance. I would like to get atleast 20mbps out of the connection.

I looked at the WMP600n, which is kind of like a pci card version of the usb adaptor mentioned above. Only problem is the router is 802.11g and the pci card version doesnt support any of the wireless standards other than N. I was hoping to try the pci card version and see if it did better so it looks like il have to go with the usb version or find another pci card. I think i've wasted enough time looking up pci cards now tho! haha! But as i said i'd like to try get to 20mbps at least sicne the laptop managed it with ease.