Wi-fi card question, and anxiety issues lol

alright, so I know that a Bigfoot Network Killer will do better than a default onboard card, but how does an Intel Centrino put up against the Bigfoot, whats the performance margin in there?

Also, I've been looking online, how close are we to seeing the next gen mobile CPUs and GPUs? and when they come out, will the current setups for custom laptop choices, such as the Sager NP8150 still be offered, but for a discounted price?

 

Ivy bridge (next gen CPU) is supposed to come out in June. By then we should see the next gen GPUs or at least have a release date for them. Right now it is looking like Sager is discontinuing some of their offerings and waiting to refresh when the new processors come out. I have seen nothing to indicate a discounted price so I wouldn't count on that.

Both the Intel and Bigfoot are better than the default onboard card. To get the most out of either one though your router must support the same features though. If you just want faster downloads then they won't help as that would be your internet bandwidth limiting you.

 

Bigfoot Network Killer is just an atheros wifi card (which is comparable to intel) with some software loaded on top. In real world usage it makes 0 difference and costs about 4x as much as an intel card. Just get yourself a nice atheros or intel card for $30 or so and call it a day.

As Snipore said, Intel CPU refresh is around the corner, AMD just did theirs. GPU gets refreshed once a year or so (fall for NVidia, just finished for AMD).

 

If you get an Atheros adapter, be careful, the high end models are good, but they have some pretty crappy stuff too. Personally, i'd go with an Intel 6200/6300.

 

Ok I don't really know much about wifi cards, but I want an inboard card that can support my wifi. How do I know if it does or not?

 

What exactly do you mean by that, if you mean your wireless network, then any wireless N adapter will obviously work.

 

ok what i mean is that there is a black block in my basement. im pretty sure thats the modem. i connect to it with my ipod, this laptop im typing on, and my xbox almost always at the same time, and i get no lag whatsoever. what i want is an internal wifi card (NOT EXTERNAL) that will connect to that modem and give me teh internet, and i dont know how to tell if it conncts or not...

 

Any wireless adapter will do that, that is the purpose of the adapter after all. I'd get an Intel 6200 or 6300 then simply because they tend to have good performance. The intel 6200/6300 are what you'd call internal adapters just in case. When you configure a notebook the adapter you're choosing is internal.

 

ok but im looking on the config page on xotic pc and it says that its a module, which make me think of a black box on the outside of it, so i just want to be sure.

 

Nope, internal. Xotic doesn't offer external adapters whether they be USB or expresscard. Besides, the options they list don't have external versions, they are all half-height mpci-e adapters.

 

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH okay that makes more sense. thanks for helping me calm my nerves. lol