5100 vs 5300

I use to have an older 3945 Intel however I would get consistent drop outs. I am buying the Studio XPS 16 and I am trying to but cost and this is where I was debating. Is the 5300 Intel wireless that much better than the 5100?

 

Use the search a million threads on this.

 

Depends on what you are using your machine for. If it is just connecting to the internet via the wireless then it's probably not going to make much difference. If it's connecting to a network to share files etc then the higher bandwidth will be noticeable.

 

They both have n capability, so they both should have the same bandwidth. The only difference is range since the 5300 has more antennae.

 

That is, at least in theory, correct.

 

The 5100 has maximum bandwidth of 300Mbps, the 5300 has maximum bandwidth of 450Mbps.

See source: http://www.intel.com/network/connectivity/products/wireless/adapters/5000/index.htm

 

is the 5100 alot better than the 3945?

 

True, but the router has to support it (which most do not).

 

The 5100 and 5300 are identical except that the 5100 uses 2 antennas whereas the 5300 uses 3. That is 150Mbps per antenna. Also the extra antenna is valuable for increasing the reception. Anyway, get the cheapest wireless card you can with your laptop and buy the 5300 on ebay. I bought mine for $18 shipped, and it isn't an engineering sample or anything.

Edit: I can't really compare the two, because I upgraded from a broadcom wireless card that came in my laptop I bought a month ago.

 

Personally, I don't think it's worth it to go through the hassle of replacing a wireless card, when the difference is only a few dollars - the upgrade is not that costly (at least on Lenovo's website). It's not like adding your own RAM, which is both simple and will save you a lot of money.

 

Agreed completely.

 

On Dell's site the 5300 is $45 more than the 5100. It is just a few screws you have to take out to access the wireless card. The third antenna can be added along the keyboard so you don't have to open up the screen portion. The 5100 was the upgrade option on my laptop with no 5300 available, so upgrading to the 5300 for $27 less than a 5100 would cost me from Dell was a no brainer. I checked the XPS 16 options, and since the 5100 is pretty good already, I wouldn't spend the money to replace it or upgrade.

 

It depends on how happy the op is to take their machine apart, because it's more than a few screws to be able to tuck that wireless cable against the keyboard.

If it was me, I'd stick with the 5100 anyway, but if I was upgrading to the 5300 then I'd buy it from Dell. It's not that I couldn't fit it myself, but it's the fact that if I buy it from Dell then it's covered by their warranty (although I don't think I've managed to break a wireless card yet).

 

I guess I'm one of the few people on here not afraid to use a screwdriver?

 

There are many people on here that are not afraid to use a screw driver. I built my first computer when I was about 13 years old; that was 16 years ago. Since then I have disassembled all manner of machines, and sometimes re-assembled them correctly too

The point is, we do not know if the op is happy to take their laptop apart. There are many people who would not even be happy changing the RAM on their laptop; or like me could do so but prefers the peace of mind that comes from having a warranty on all parts from the same place.

You know why I like these forums?

Because there is such a diverse range of people with a great many different skillsets and opinions. This has meant that in this one thread the op has heard not only the answer to their original question, but also an option if they wish to go with the 5300 and save a bit of cash by buying it from eBay.

To the op, should you wish to buy and fit the 5300 yourself, you can find the service manual for the SXPS 16 here

Regards

 

Oh, that's a steep upgrade. I am not very comfortable with disassembling laptops, so personally I wouldn't go through this process (especially since it seems more complicated on my T500 than it is on your machine), although that is up to the OP.

 

Reception strength and tranfer rates are related, aren't they?

Regardless of whether a router supports the 5300's top speed, wouldn't having a "five bar" signal over a greater area result in a sort of 'secondary' speed gain?

 

Buy a barebone, and add 5300 from ebay ^^

 

The intel 5300 is a lot better than 5100 if you have 3x3 spatial streams(3Tx transmit and 3Rx receive antennas) going. 5100 with 1x2 just does not come close to 5300. My laptop came with the 5100 and the wifi card was my first update. I am actually upgrading again to 5350 with wimax since we are getting it in my area. With the 5300 I was able to get about 25% more avaliable networks than the 5100, over 350Mbps file transfers easy and able to get longer distance. The distance isnt from having Draft-n but the 3x3.