Difference between network cards

I ordered my np8130 from xoticpc.com, and I was wondering if there was any big differences, such as latency or distance from router, from the built-in card than the intel cards?

 

Number of antennas, range, reliability, etc.

I'd at least upgrade to the base Intel chip, the 6230.

 

Do you know of any test results we can get to see the actual differences?

 

That is a text Justin from XoticPC did comparing the bigfoot which is an advanced card vs one of Intels cards, i don't believe it compares the stock vs the 6230 but it shows you that yes cards to make a difference.

Bigfoot Killer vs Intel

 

How does the 6300 compare to the Killer one though? The Killer looks like it's one step above the 6230, but there are no numbers regarding how it performs against the 6300.

 

No, it really doesn't. Those tests weren't done by Justin, but by the Killer company. For anyone that knows anything about networking, they had to do some serious tweaks and unfair comparisons (using QoS and changing the MTU on the cards, stuff that makes their card look better unfairly).

Check out the killer card post on the forums. I posted a reply debunking that card here.

It's not worth it at all and does not outperform the 6230 and 6300 when given equal settings and circumstances. The only benefit is has is that it saves you 5 minutes of settings changes and optimizations on your own to your router and wireless card.

Go with the 6230 if you want bluetooth and don't have a router capable of 450mbps N or similar. Go with the 6300 if you want slightly better range, have a high end router, and don't mind missing bluetooth. I personally went with the 6230 because I like bluetooth and primarily have gigabit wired networks all the time.

Just don't get the killer card, it's not what it's advertised to be, does not perform as well as they say, uses proprietary networking stacks (versus Microsoft ones in Windows), and otherwise just isn't worth it. Read through my other post for my insight on the technical reasons behind that though.

 

What is the benefit of upgrading to the Intel chip from the internal? (if the primary use is at home, will be rarely wireless and range is not an issue in my tiny studio)

 

There really isn't one if you don't plan on going wireless much. The stock wireless is more than enough for everday use and it has bluetooth. The upgrade is nice only if you have wireless N, plan to be largely wireless, and really need the speed boost (sharing files over the home network, large downloads, online gaming).

If you don't use the wireless all that often, I wouldn't bother spending the money. You can replace the chip yourself for $10-20 for one of the older 5100 or 5300 cards and it'd be just fine if you ever felt so inclined.