torch93 Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 I'm not very experienced with computer networking but I was wondering what kind of improvements you can see from upgrading from a wifi chip on the motherboard to a dedicated wireless card on a desktop. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex.forencich Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Depends on what's on the motherboard. Also, I presume the chip on the motherboard is replaceable -- wi-fi cards are rarely fully integrated into desktop or even laptop motherboards to simplify the board design and simplify regulatory requirements. If the unit on the motherboard can be replaced, then that would probably be a better idea than adding an extra card, be it PCIe or USB. Depending on what card is currently installed and what wi-fi router/access point you're using, you may or may not see any improvement by upgrading the card. Newer cards do support more efficient methods for utilizing the spectrum, but the router/access point you're connecting to also needs to support this. And even then, you may not see any improvement if the bottleneck is your internet connection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HankGunn Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 Integrated networking devices usually add a fair bit of input latency over an extra card. Go for the card if in doubt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoofz Posted December 12, 2018 Share Posted December 12, 2018 Agree with Hank, the integrated components be it wireless or wired take a toll on your performance. Extra card all the way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faboone Posted February 27, 2021 Share Posted February 27, 2021 If we do not talk about parameters and specifications, it is important what the hardware itself offers like a features. For example, the ability to have one or more antennas on a dual-band card, the ability to replace antennas with more powerful antennas is a big advantage, all these advantages increase the performance we are looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidnightHawk Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 So many variables involved. First, what wireless router do you have? Is it wireless G, N, AC? Does it support 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz channels? How far away from the wireless router is the desktop? It'll probably be better to get a USB Wifi Adapter that matches up with the specs of your router. 2.4Ghz will have longer range but slower speeds, and 5Ghz will offer higher speeds but shorter range. I have a netgear r7000 nighthawk router running dd-wrt firmware (more stable in my opinion) and it puts out both 2.4 and 5Ghz channels. I have my newer devices connecting to the 5Ghz and older devices connecting to the 2.4Ghz. I added a Netgear NightHawk AC!900 USB 3.0 adapter to a desktop a couple rooms away from the router and it gets 150Mb download over the 5Ghz signal. Its an older desktop running windows 7, I think it would get even higher speeds if it was a newer computer. My Internet speed is 200Mb down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danjayh Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 On 10/15/2017 at 4:38 PM, torch93 said: I'm not very experienced with computer networking but I was wondering what kind of improvements you can see from upgrading from a wifi chip on the motherboard to a dedicated wireless card on a desktop. Thanks! If you want the absolute best performance, you need to get a wifi router, put it in bridge mode, and then wire it to the PC via multigig. Add-in cards never support more than 3 spatial streams, but many routers have far more, and can therefore achieve higher rates than a card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perpetual Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 (edited) This past week I ordered an Alfa AWUS036NHA (external USB, only 2.4GHz wireless N with AR9271 wifi chip, upgraded 9 dBi antenna as the factory antenna is only 5 dBi) interested in the range (ie. for backyard wireless) will update once its received and tested Edited June 19 by perpetual Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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