wireless card for laptop

I'm building a laptop (dell) online and I'm not sure which wireless card to get. These are my options:

Dell Wireless 1397 802.11g Half Mini-Card [Included in Price]
Dell Wireless 1515 802.11 Wireless-N Mini-card [add $25 or $1/month1]
Intel WiFi Link 5100 802.11 Wireless-N Mini Card [add $35 or $1/month1]

+ Internal Wireless Card w/ Router
Dell Wireless 1397 802.11g Half Mini-Card with Netgear WGR614 Wireless Router [add $40 or $1/month1]

Intel WiFi Link 5100 802.11 Wireless-N Card with Linksys WRT160N Wireless Router [add $115 or $3/month1]

I'm not sure which is the best for the money. I'd like to have the best without being terribly excessive. If I'll never need it, it's not really worth the money to me.

 

Unless you need a router, it's not worth getting package with the router. This is a decision that is solely up to you.
Are you going to be able to take advantage of N speeds? Well, this really depends on what router you connect through. You will most likely never see N speeds in actuality, so G is plenty to suffice, but if you want to "future-proof" your laptop, I would recommend upgrading to either the Dell Wireless N or Intel Wireless N card.
If you do decide to choose an N card, which one is better?
In actuality, you probably will never see the difference, but the Dell is a Broadcom-based wireless device. The Intel is more expensive, but there are people on this forum that attest to the fact that Intel has fewer compatibility issues associating with different brands of routers.

I have also heard reports that the 5100 is a little bit dodgy at times, so you might want to do a search on this forum to see the pros and cons of the 5100.

Good luck.

 

Get the g card with the g router and then purchase the Intel 5300 separately for under $40. It's a 3-antenna wireless N card and will give you better performance over just the g card.
For home use, wireless g is usually acceptable. We have wireless g here in my university, and unless there are a dozen or so people connected to the same access point, it's plenty zippy enough (15MB/s down and 5 MB/s up).
Wireless N on your notebook will make it so you'll get better range and speed wherever you go, and will probably give you better performance even with wireless g routers.

Sidenote: I have the 5100 and it's never given me any problems, ever.

 

I just got the cheapest card, then went on ebay and got the Intel 5300 for around $22... replaced it, Then sold the stock one for $15 on ebay....

 

Exactly what I did with my Studio 15. I got the cheapest Dell 1397 card, then bought an Intel WiFi 5300 on eBay for $20, and sold off the 1397 to a friend.