What's so amazing about the Bigfoot Killer 1103?

So I ordered the 1103 with my new laptop after a lot of researching, but I haven't found any statistical data on the overall boost in wireless performance.

I just wanted to know the full features of this card in comparison to the stock brand. Obviously any upgraded wireless card will be better than the stock. ^^

 

The main reason to buy a Killer network card is to get the Killer Network Manager that prioritizes certain traffic to help reduce latency. Anandtech has a nice write up.

 

If you have a 5GHz N network, the Killer 1103 is just about unbeatable. The major thing about the Atheros AR9380/Killer 1103 is that it has really good Tx power and very good Rx sensitivity.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/killer-wireless-n-1103-wi-fi-benchmark,3164-7.html

 

I don't have statistical data but I swapped my Intel 6230 with a Killer 1103 and not only did my response times improve but also my wireless range. Every time I ran Pingtest.net with my 6230, I could never get below a ping of 15 but with the 1103 I never get a ping above 5. Also, with my 6230, I would only get about 3 bars in my basement (w/ router on the first floor) but now I get a full 5 bars with the 1103. With the 6230, I couldn't play on some of my favorite servers because it would push my ping above 100 but now my ping is pretty much the same as it is when I'm 5 feet from the router.

 

Tx beamforming and Maximal Ratio Combining make the AR9380 based Killer 1103 a helluva performer... especially on 5GHz. I have the XB112 which is the full mPCIe card and I get pretty much double the range I got out of my Intel 6205, with also double the throughput.

HB112 = half-height AR9380 = Killer 1103-N
XB112 = full-height AR9380 = Apple Airport Extreme mPCIe

The XB112 has an external front end module that gives it extended transmit range. The HB112 isn't quite as high-power, but it still has VERY good performance.

 

Hey guys thanks for the Anandtech and TomsHW analysis. Was a good read, but now I realize that I don't have a wireless-n to utilize its full potential.

And thanks Jrwingate6 for your own personal experience with the router, just what I needed to hear also, but quick question, is your significant boost in wireless performance a result of owning a wireless-n router? or you have the basic b&g router and it's the Killer 1103 that is improving your performance?

 

Wireless N will be way faster than B/G - even if your connection speed's fairly limited you'll still get better range and performance with a good N router. If you had a good N router and a basic N card you'd get better performance than a B/G router and Killer 1103, since B/G is based on old technology so its range is shorter and its speed is more limited.

 

My situation would probably be significantly different than yours considering I am using one of, if not the fastest router available today. The Netgear WNDR 4500.

 

SWEET!! My favorite router for the Killer 1103 and the PnP for the consoles too!!

 

Dude, this router is insane. I pretty much purchase a new router once a year and I'm usually a Linksys fan but the WNDR4500 is just sick. I've had it hooked up for about 4 months now and I haven't had it drop a connection once. There isn't a room in my house that I don't get full bars. The combination of the router and n1103 is Killer (pun intended).

 

What are you guys talking about?
I googled and it seems to be some small micro-scheme for windows. What does it do and where do i put it?

 

lol a ping of 100 is bad psh....i remmember owning CS with my ISDN duel channel with 170ping. Anything around 100 or less is awesome. 170 is still playable....break 200 your dead...remember back when playing vs with 250 ping....that was hard

 

I remember back in my CS 1.2-1.5 days, I use to use a ping of 200 to my advantage.

 

It is a wireless card. Killer Gaming :: Solutions :: Wireless

 

So would this reduce my ping in games like League of Legends even though my ping is already around 50? Or does it only reduce high pings?

 

I can't answer that for sure. I'm sure it depends on a couple of things like what router you're using. I can attest it lowered my ping in a three multiplayer games I play regularly. It also improved my wireless strength.