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    Killer Wireless

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by Mechanized Menace, Jul 27, 2011.

  1. Mechanized Menace

    Mechanized Menace Lost in the MYST

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    If anyone is on the fence about these, here are some reviews to look at. There are not that many due to it being a newer product.

    http://www.tentonhammer.com/reviews/bigfoot/wireless-n-1102
    BigFoot Killer Wireless N 1102 Review | KitGuru

     
    Mechanized Menace, Jul 27, 2011
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  2. livid

    livid Notebook Consultant

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    The Killer NIC's are a gimmick. Most of them are made from Atheros chipsets with a couple of driver tweaks.
     
    livid, Jul 27, 2011
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  3. ewitte12

    ewitte12 Notebook Evangelist

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    I did the WiMax upgrade because I'm thinking about adding a broadband plan. Didn't see the need for the killer nic. If I really want online no wireless can beat wired in latency.
     
    ewitte12, Jul 27, 2011
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  4. Mechanized Menace

    Mechanized Menace Lost in the MYST

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    Which Atheros chip does it use?
     
    Mechanized Menace, Jul 27, 2011
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  5. Mechanized Menace

    Mechanized Menace Lost in the MYST

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    Mechanized Menace, Jul 27, 2011
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  6. vads24

    vads24 Notebook Evangelist

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    Of course its a rebadge. The atheros card is good. The Bigfoot software enables certain functions that most certainly help. Its a gimmick? No. Its over priced? Perhaps yes..Arent most popular softwares?
     
    vads24, Jul 27, 2011
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  7. Mechanized Menace

    Mechanized Menace Lost in the MYST

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    Better than the 6300?
     
    Mechanized Menace, Jul 27, 2011
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  8. TraptPatriot

    TraptPatriot Notebook Consultant

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    Yes... Aikimox (Fortnax systems) tested the 6200 and it is better. Granted, this would only be needed if you were into online gaming and needed the edge.

    I have used the desktop card in the past and it lowered my ping/latency by almost 70%. Lower ping allows you to see things faster and react faster. I was into competitive CS:S teams, and I needed every edge I could get. This helped. It is NOT a gimmick. May be a little pricey, may be rebadged, but it does what it says it will do.
     
    TraptPatriot, Jul 28, 2011
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  9. james_2k

    james_2k Notebook Evangelist

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    in the uk the killer is 5 pounds cheaper than the 6300 in the dell configurator
     
    james_2k, Jul 28, 2011
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  10. indigo_dc

    indigo_dc Notebook Enthusiast

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    What kind of detectable difference would I see with this in games over a standard card? e.g. in FPS, WoW etc? Since it's only going to improve the link between my r3 and the router, if I still have an average connection it's not going to noticeably improve it will it?

    I guess what I'm looking for are quantifiable things that I can check myself.

    I'm getting one, but it was bundled for free while haggling with the dell rep. Just curious as to how it can be empirically tested for performance rather than "it made me more competitive in CS:S" - I mean no disrespect, but that's not a before/after benchmark, or something I could try to replicate, or quantitative at all - whereas I was hoping to find cold hard numbers and ideally something I can test myself.

    Does getting this card in my r3 mean I won't have the standard Intel one? If both came and only the Killer was enabled I could therefore switch between the two to test the differing performance. Are there even benchmarks available to test this?

    edit: just seen the two links to reviews right at the top, reading them now :)
     
    indigo_dc, Jul 28, 2011
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  11. TraptPatriot

    TraptPatriot Notebook Consultant

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    First off, in competetive gaming, FPS is NOT the most needed thing. You could have 60+ FPS and still have a shoddy connection and you will get destroyed no matter what game you play.

    Lower ping/latency reduces lag, which is not something you can measure (unless you went by ping numbers). More lag = worse gameplay. Less lag = better gameplay. That is not something you can benchmark when doing online gaming. Plus, I don't hold much faith in benchmarks. I trust my own eyes, and if it looks better, it will be better for me.

    You will only get the Killer card, no Intel one will be there (Killer card takes up the slot).
     
    TraptPatriot, Jul 28, 2011
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  12. ejohnson

    ejohnson Is that lemon zest?

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    FPS = First person shooters in this case, not Frames per second.

     
    ejohnson, Jul 28, 2011
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  13. Mechanized Menace

    Mechanized Menace Lost in the MYST

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    Pretty sure he is talking about Frames Per Second.
     
    Mechanized Menace, Jul 28, 2011
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  14. ejohnson

    ejohnson Is that lemon zest?

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    I figured when indego said " e.g. in FPS, WoW etc?" he ment first person shooters and world of warcraft. I could be wrong, too many acronyms in the interweb.
     
    ejohnson, Jul 28, 2011
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  15. Mechanized Menace

    Mechanized Menace Lost in the MYST

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    Oh, yah he did mean First Person Shooter. Thought you meant the text you quote. :)
     
    Mechanized Menace, Jul 28, 2011
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  16. TraptPatriot

    TraptPatriot Notebook Consultant

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    Haha yea my bad, I meant frames per second. =)
     
    TraptPatriot, Jul 28, 2011
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