Wireless Networking

I've looked over these and was never really sure which was best for the buy.



I would appreciate some insight, thanks

 

The 6235 is hard to beat for what it offers at $35.

The 6300 will be the fastest, most dependable connections you will be able to get (given it is connected to a 3 antenna router...).

Considering that you loose Bluetooth 4.0 but gain 50% increase in wireless network the $24 additional cost is worth it to me given that you have another connector to add Bluetooth 4.0 with (if you even need it in this system).

Hope this sheds some light for you (I would be getting the 6300...).

 

I agree with tiller, get at least the 6235.

 

The best buy is to get the standard one. It is probably "good enough." And if it isn't, you can upgrade your wireless card to one of the best ones out there, for half the price or less of what this company wants to charge you.

In order of preference::
Atheros AR9380 (pretty much the bigfoot 1103)
Intel 6300

I wouldn't waste money on any wireless card besides those two. A 3x3 card doesn't just give you the best bandwidth, it gives better reception than a 2x2 card.

 

I love the idea of the Intel 6300, but my router only has 2 physical antennas.

Also, where could I get that card cheap? Because it seems like I could get it online and replace it for a lot cheaper price.

Would it be easy to switch out the standard with the 6300? And where would I get a bluetooth 4.0 adapter?

 

I have had Bluetooth on several systems (and phones, of course) in the past. I have never HAD to use them though - if the system you're considering offers it (in addition to a single use card like the 6300) then I would definitely add it - but if it didn't - I would not loose sleep over it (myself).

While I appreciate the fact that these can be upgraded for far less after the fact, the low, low prices we're talking about here negate any true savings by going that route imo.

I would rather have my new system shipped 'complete', hardware-wise, (except for HDD/SSD and RAM) and guaranteed to work rather than me try to save less than the cost of one trip to McDonalds and spend hours (and possibly days - yeah I've seen that happen...) to get a card that 'should work' to actually work in MY new system.

As for your current 2 antenna router - it is not only the number of antenna's that are important - it is how those antenna's are configured and used (by the router's firmware) too.

I would recommend a Netgear WNDR4000:

See:
Netgear WNDR4000 N750 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit | Netgear WNDR4000-100NAS | Computer Networks | Network Routers | Sale Discount Deal - Canada Post Comparison Shopper


Ha ha... I guess I just blew your budget out of the water?

But if you want to fully utilize your new wireless (internal) card - you have to match it to the best router hardware available.

Good luck.

 

It sounds like I would't see a TON of difference between the 6300 and the 6235. I think I'm going to stay with the 6235, I'm trying to save money here because I'm already at the top of my budget.

 

The 62xx series is excellent, you won't see much difference at all by going any higher (unless as mentioned we're talking about 3-antenna setups, which we aren't).

Had the 6205 in an M11x R1 i've recently sold, and have a 6250 in my M11x R3 & G73. Never had any issues with any of them, and their reliability/performance/range is better than any of my mate's laptops and any other laptop i've owned.

 

You aren't going to see a ton of difference between the 6235 and the base wireless card either. If money really is any sort of issue, don't waste money on any wireless card upgrade for now. But if you have any problems or it isn't good enough for you at any time in the future, spend at most $30 and get one of the best cards you can.

 

Yea, but that $30 is purely region based (there's no way i could get it for that price). In some places that's more like $70-80 so that $35 upgrade is quite an attractive price.

you may aswell have it done by the manufacturer, that way it's also covered by their warranty.

 

You would see a 'ton' of difference, with the right router (a 50% increase is almost 3 or 4 generations worth of 'upgrades') - but as you're already at the top of your budget, this is your sweet spot.

I agree to get it now (w/OEM warranty) - especially for that low upgrade price.