Rubberized Versus Not - and other minor things

Alright guys, its decision time, going with a Lotus P151HM1, but I am considering the p150hm for the rubberized finish.

Anyone have any thoughts they would like to share on the matter? Whether or not the rubberizing is worth the upgrade?

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Also, I notice some people on the boards having the bigfoot/killer network cards..I've seen several reviews that essentially dethroned anything that wasn't a cheap, standard 802.11B/G/N LAN card. Your thoughts? Anything you're gaining by sinking the extra bones on the upgraded card?

Otherwise, I've got all the details ironed out and I'm really looking forward to another great addition to my computer setup.

Thanks

 

Choosing between the plastic and rubberized finish is a matter of personal preference. With the rubberized finish, you don't have to worry about fingerprints. In addition to the different finish, the P150HM comes with a 180W adapter vs. the 120W adapter for the P151HM1. Whether or not that is worth the cost is your call.

If your not gaming over wifi, then there really is no reason to get the bigfoot wireless card. I do recommend getting a 3 antenna wireless card though.

 

Well, actually due to a mistake on my part, I'm going to essentially have to go with the Rubberized P151hm1, seeing as I'd like the 6990m

Anyone have any thoughts on the network card?

Thanks

 

If you're gonna game over wifi then killer 1103. If not, then Intel 6300.

 

I will game, does the card itself have a stronger antenna? I mean what is the big deal with these "gamer grade" network cards, I mean the router only puts only so man mb/s, right?

Thanks Laz

 

they prioritize connections better...

You don't need a super fast connection to keep a low ping...

 

Oh I see, more research to come.

Thanks Whit

 

I recall Bigfoot Networks' desktop ethernet network cards being debunked as offering "better performance", most likely because ethernet is so fast in the first place. But there are a few reviews of the Killer N 1102 (2 antenna version of the 1103), and they show that the Bigfoot 1102 outperforms other network cards, including the Intel 6300.

Anandtech's review of the 1102

 

Thanks for the link confucius

 

You're welcome! I love Anandtech's reviews and was very happy that they were reviewing the 1102. There is another site that reviewed the 1102 before Anandtech did, but I could not find it with my Google-fu.

 

The benefit to the killer cards is simply the software. They don't have any better antennas than the 6300/6230 (the use the same antennas). It's the QoS (Quality of Service) that they can handle in software, among other things, that makes them faster. It's stuff that you can do in your router and laptop settings, but without the hassle.

 

the rubberized finish probably feels more "premium" than the matte finish.

 

The flat black finish also looks very Military. Hmm maybe they can come out with a Desert tan or Olive drab and green camo color schemes also.

 

I went with the base wireless because the 3 places I will be gaming I have an Ethernet drop. I realize that gaming over wireless is possible, but unless your in a place where your not planning on being there should be no reason you can't use Ethernet. Or maybe people aren't as obsessive as I am. I ran Ethernet throughout my house so I could do hassle free streaming to my TV and so that when I transfer my bluray movies to my server for compression the 80GB transfer doesn't take forever - Yay for gigabit!

Bottom line (IMO) is any wireless card you have "should" be faster than your internet connection, especially if you have crappy comcast like me (~4Mbps).

 

Exactly. While Killer cards will help a bit with latency, neither can match ethernet. The biggest draw with faster Wireless N cards/routers is in the LAN speeds. They still won't match gigabit ethernet, they can come in around half (450Mbps).

 

does wifi mean wireless or is that something else?

 

yes, wifi = wireless

 

WiFi=white falcon.