New 3x3 Bigfoot or Intel Ultimate 6300?

Is it worth it to upgrade from the Intel Ultimate 6300 to the new Bigfoot 3x3? How much of an impact will I likely see? I do a great deal of web browsing (research) and some gaming. Thanks.

 

The Bigfoot Killer N is a great upgrade. If you can, go for it

 

Both cards are pretty solid, but if you're going to be using it at home you may not really notice the difference between the cards. I personally prefer the Intel card (to save some money ) because of the better driver support.

 

Don't let any Linux users hear that.

 

If you don't do online gaming or video streaming, you won't benefit from the Killer. It shines in lowering ping and lag. I absolutely love the card. Compared to the 6300 my ping in AA3 was slashed by at least 20-30% in addition to lag reduction.

 

I would go with the Intel card since you can do QOS on your router anyway.

@ Aikimox: What is the Killer cards based from? Atheros, Broadacom, or something else?

 

Atheros, they work fine in linux, just won't have the Killer Software.

 

Oh nice! Atheros cards are awesome when it comes to wireless cards and routers.

 

LOL

What Atheros chipset the Bigfoot has?

 

Hopefully its based on their 4th Gen reference chips like this: Qualcomm Atheros :: Technology :: WLAN :: AR9390

 

When I get to the shop tomorrow I'll look up the 1102 and 1103 what specific chipset it has.

Check back tomorrow =)

 

AR5BHB112

 

Info: Qualcomm Atheros :: Technology :: WLAN :: AR9380

 

Going back to raevon1's question (you guys hijacked the thread to geek out ), you should probably even consider just the Intel 6230, which has bluetooth built-in but only 2 antennae. The reasons someone would have the Intel 6300 or Killer Wireless N 1103 are:

- Heavy gaming, streaming videos (especially HD content)
- Future-proofing, or utilizing an existing 3x3 antennae wifi access point

If you do not see yourself heavily gaming or streaming videos, Intel 6230 is a great choice. If you want to future-proof your notebook, but do not need all the bells and whistles of Killer's software (manual QoS, network monitoring, etc.), then Intel 6300 is a good choice.

 

^yup bluetooth is actually pretty handy sometimes

 

Now that the 1103 Bigfoot has been out for a while, for users that have had both, please chime in on your verdict.
_

 

thank god for usb bluetooth get the 1103 and don't regret the decision one bit.

 

Yeah, I only got the 6230 because of the internal Bluetooth. It's a shame they couldn't have Bluetooth separate from the wireless module.

 

I'm really interested in the 1103 but does anyone have benchmarks on it? Also, I read somewhere that the 1102 had some reliability problems. Can anyone comment on that?

 

If you haven't already seen it, Anandtech has a good article on the 1102:

AnandTech - Bigfoot?s Killer-N 1102 Wireless Networking vs. the World

The 1103 should be, for all intents and purposes, the same. The only difference will really be in local area file copy speeds if you have a 450Mbps router.

 

The 1103 really shines for me in streaming from my server. usually moving large files (1gb+) or streaming movies.

 

Yes this is the kind of feedback we were wanting. Thanks!
_

 

Not according to the article you linked, which showed pretty significant differences in signal strength, range, dropoff distance between the 2 and 3 intel antennae versions.

I would expect to see a difference in connectivity range between the 2 and 3 Killer also....

Few people care about the diff between 300 and 450Mbps for most applications.

But signal strength and range? Hell yeah! I need every bit I can get.

On one of the tests, with the netgear router, the 3 antennae intel had nearly double the dropoff range versus the 2 antennae...

 

I purchased my laptop with a 6300. Performance was pedestrian and had a big issue with the wifi taking up to 3 minutes to connect when resuming from sleep.

Purchased an 1103 from Mythlogic, popped it in and everything is working great. Fantastic performance and no issues whatsoever. Highly recommended.

 

The difference between the 6230 and the 6300 is significant, yes. However, the difference between the 1102 and the 1103 is not. The 1102 already performs quite well, even compared to the 6300. The gains over the 1102 are not as significant as the gains from 6230-6300 or 6300-1102.

So yes, you're right, there is a difference. However, it won't be as statistically significant. Signal strength is stabilized going from 2x2 to 3x3, but it is not technically correct that range is increased. You will however, notice stronger signal at the same range. WiFi is still limited to a maximum of 230ft indoors, with best possible cases. (Typically much worse).

 

What are you basing these statements on?
The 1103 was not tested in the link you posted.
Are you just making this up?

The 3x3 intel had twice the working range of the 2x2 with the netgear router.

I don't see how anyone could argue that means the range was not increased!?!

It works at twice the distance, if that isn't what range is then range is meaningless.

 

After reading that article it seems like for range you'd want to go 6300, for any other reason you'd want to go with the Bigfoot 1102?

Any update on how the 1103 compares to the 1102?