New Bigfoot Networks Killer vs Intel cards x 2

Just wondering if any of you Sager / Clevo enthusiasts have any thoughts on which Wireless Network card to consider when creating a new pc build and why? Has anyone used the new killer card yet (listed below)?

The system I would be using would be mainly for Gaming. I currently have a Linksys e3000 router (2.4/5Ghz). More than likely, I would hard-line direct to laptop for best gaming experience. However...at times, I like to play and surf the net via my "recliner" I am aware that there will always be more latency with wireless...however, if I decided to play wireless etc... be it in my home, or elsewhere with my new machine, what would people recommend?

Oh yeah...my home is rather large. I get pretty decent wireless reception atm on this old laptop I am using, but again....I am looking to make the best decision if I am going to pay for a new gaming laptop. Although if using/setting up killer cards are a pain...then... please let me know...looking for advice prior to ordering.

Bigfoot Networks Killer™ Wireless-N 1103 802.11A/B/G/N LAN Card +60.00 usd
(any feedback from people playing FPS online games would be great)

vs

Intel® 6230 Advanced-N 802.11A/B/G/N LAN and Bluetooth Card 25.00 usd
or
Intel® 6300 Ultimate-N 802.11A/B/G/N LAN Card 35.00 usd

thx again for any an all help from the forum members

 

if you dont need a built in bluetooth, intel 6300 gives you the best signal because of its three antennas, not sure if the bigfoot offers that

 

Bigfoot 1102 is 2 antennas.

Pretty sure Bigfoot 1103 is 3 antennas.

Here's a review: BigFoot Killer Wireless N 1102 Review | KitGuru

 

You can read the new review of (the older) killer card here:
AnandTech - Bigfoot?s Killer-N 1102 Wireless Networking vs. the World

My opinion:

All 3 of these have dramatically better reception and signal strength compared to the default network card that ships with many laptops.

So people really should buy at least the 6230 if they depend on wireless a lot. You will notice a big improvement over the default adapter!

I think few users would come close to maxing the bandwidth on their network card, most would be far more concerned with signal strength and range. (the far smaller bandwidth of their router's wan internet connection would be the real bottleneck unless you're transfering huge files within a lan)
People will see the 6300 (or 3 antennae new killer card) has 50% more bandwidth and think they will benefit from that, well not bloody likely.

The 6300 (and presumably 3 antennae killer) does however offer a modest benefit with signal strength and range over 6230, but you lose bluetooth functionality with it. I personally would choose it because I'm eager for a little improvement there and don't care about bluetooth. (you can easily add bluetooth via USB if you want)

The killer card would shine if you are mixing gaming with downloading a lot because of packet prioritization. Especially with say bit torrent. This is a real benefit and not hooey, if you are actually doing these things at the same time. I don't do them at the same time myself.

Some routers already have this feature which would reduce the utility of having it on the wireless adapter card.

 

The Killer 1103 and the 6300 will off you similar speeds and performance, but the Killer comes with some software that makes optimizing the performance easier. You can do the same thing with router/laptop QoS settings and performance tweaks on the 6300 though.

If you want no fuss setup, the 1103 will be a bit better due to the software. Realistically though, most applications won't have a significant difference anyway.

 

Thanks for the Update Malibal #2. I have never used a Killer card so...I would love to try it...but again...I sure don't want to have to mess around with this card for each and every Online game I want to play? I will try to read up more on this but was hoping I wouldn't need to set up "game profiles" for each game etc...on the card since I am a "laptopnub"...

 

If you ever at any time down the road want to put Linux on is hassle free, get the Intel.

 

How exactly did you dig up this thread? It's almost a year old

 

This - and nymusicman is quite wrong, the Killer 1103 works flawlessly in Linux. It's just an Atheros AR9xxx inside, thus uses the a9k driver. If I were at my PC I'd boot Linux Mint just to demonstrate.

 

Yes I was wondering the exact same thing. We've uncovered that they work in Linux flawlessly... basically it's a Atheros with a preloaded driver to make the l.. oh wait you already know this nvm

+1 rep k0nane

 

Thank you good sir.

Mods, can we get a lock up in here?

 

Gotta say, I love my 1103. Yes I've read about being able to flash the card, you could save some money that way. I didn't want to deal with that. I get 0ms when I'm at my friend's place with a great connection. I downloaded DOTA2 in less than 6 minutes, so awesome.