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    Best choice for SXPS 16 Wireless card

    Discussion in 'Dell XPS and Studio XPS' started by Colbs, Jun 4, 2009.

  1. Colbs

    Colbs Notebook Guru

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    Sorry for the influx of threads from me everyone, but I'm probably about to buy this laptop, and i just want to make sure I make the best choices possible without going poor.

    I've got basically everything picked out, but i'm still a little stumped on the matter of which wireless card to get. There's a plethora of options:
    Intel® 5100 WLAN Wireless-N (1x2) Half Mini Card (may delay)
    Intel® 5300 WLAN Wireless-N (3x3) Mini Card [add $45 or $1/month1]
    Intel 5150 Wimax, Wireless-N combo card More Details [add $60 or $2/month1]
    IntelJIntel 5300 Ultimate-N Half Mini Card (3x3) with MyWiFi [add $45 or $1/month1]

    Is Wimax worth it? (I plan on having my laptop for the next 4 years, so i want to compensate for advance in possible WiMax usage.) Is the 5150 more limited than the 5300 otherwise? What about mywifi? can someone tell me the difference between the speeds in all the cards? Like what 3x3) means, mini vs half mini card etc.
     
  2. robjbw

    robjbw Notebook Geek

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    I got the Wimax. It's the future for long distance broadband WIFI.
     
  3. Colbs

    Colbs Notebook Guru

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    no one knows about wireless cards? you guys are letting me down
     
  4. BlackRussian

    BlackRussian Notebook Deity

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  5. poison7fl

    poison7fl Notebook Consultant

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    Just get the 5100, the rest are excellent, but unless you have the hardware/routers/connections to support them, they are basically the same. My last SXP16 had the 5300, and my Current SXPS has the 5100, and I see no difference. The Wimax may be the future, but you'll probably never get to use it while you own your laptop.

    I know I'll get blasted because of my comments by the "More is better & Mine is better" group, but realisitcally, think about the amount of that particular technology out there (Or lack thereof), and what you need, before plunking down YOUR $$.

    Although I think it's a waste of money, you can pickup a 5300 on ebay for around $20 and install in two minutes yourself, it's super simple. Remove the back of the SXPS 16, remove one more screw, pull the card out, slip the new one in. Done.

    And... this is the first I have seen of this;

    IntelJIntel 5300 Ultimate-N Half Mini Card (3x3) with MyWiFi

    -Intel® My WiFi Technology for Intel® Centrino® 2 processor technology Transforms your notebook into a Wi-Fi personal area network
    -Connects directly with up to eight Wi-Fi certified devices without cables or a wireless router
    -Lets you print, share, show & sync wirelessly at home or on the go
     
  6. jamesweston

    jamesweston Notebook Guru

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    I would either

    Intel® 5300 WLAN Wireless-N (3x3) Mini Card [add $45 or $1/month1]

    Or

    IntelJIntel 5300 Ultimate-N Half Mini Card (3x3) with MyWiFi [add $45 or $1/month1]

    I selected the 5300 on my SXPS16
     
  7. MyDellHell

    MyDellHell Notebook Enthusiast

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    I have the 5100 and have not had any problems.