[SOLVED] Choosing a PCI-E Wifi Card for Asus TUF X570 motherboard

[realghostbuster]

Hi there,

Apologies is this is not the correct section to post this thread but I was hoping somebody would give me advice regarding the purchase of a decent PCI-E Wifi card for a new build that has a TUF gaming X570 motherboard. The board does not have Wifi built into it and I've been told that PCI-E wifi cards are usually better than built-in wifi.

I will be using the PC for online gaming and I really don't know what card I should get. My understanding is that Wifi 6(801.11ax) is the newest standard and maybe I should choose a card that has that standard?

I've come across the "TP-Link Archer T4E AC1200" here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Archer-T4E-Wireless-Interface-Low-Profile/dp/B07NZ1ZJLR/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=TP-Link+AC1200&qid=1591889026&sr=8-3


It's supposed to be a well regarded card but I was wondering could anyone give me advise on whether I should go with something else based on what I've described above?


Thanks

 

[bill001g]

Really the only feature that make much difference between similar pci cards is the remote antenna. Cards that allow you to place the antenna away from the back of the case tend to have better performance because you have less signal being blocked by the case.

802.11ax cards are just coming to market so you will pay a premium for them. Unfortunately they are already outdated. New devices will likely be on the market "soon" that can use the new 6g radio band the fcc approved a month or so ago. This extra bandwidth will reduce interference from neighbors and likely will be the largest performance increase we have seen in many years.


Note it is going to be very hit and miss how well gaming works on any wifi card. It mostly depends on how much interference you get from neighbors. There is no magic card that can stop your neighbors from using wifi.

 

[realghostbuster]

For the time being until the very new standard cards come out do you think I will be okay with the TP-Link Archer T4E AC1200 ? My current wifi card was TP Link 150mps 801.11n standard and I've been using it for the last 10 years and it has been perfectly fine for browsing and downloading things etc. So I assume the AC1200 would be a significant improvement in regards to those two things.

Maybe when I'm gaming I can get a long ethernet cable to run from the router to my PC?

 

[bill001g]

There is nothing wrong with that card it will work better than your current card assuming your router is already updated to 802.11ac.

A ethernet cable is always the preferred method for games if you have that option.

 

[realghostbuster]

There is nothing wrong with that card it will work better than your current card assuming your router is already updated to 802.11ac.

A ethernet cable is always the preferred method for games if you have that option.

If my router happens to not be updated to 802.11ac will the card still work? Are they backwards compatible with older standards?

 

[bill001g]

Yes they all work with new and older equipment.

 

[realghostbuster]

Thanks for helping me with my previous queries. I have just one last question regarding the Wifi card I mentioned in a previous post if that's okay?

I have the option of purchasing a "TP-Link Archer T4E AC1200" or a variant of the card called "TP-LINK Archer T5E AC1200 Wi-Fi Bluetooth 4.2". The Amazon link for the two cards is shown here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B013HCN...colid=1MCERZDVDXSBF&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

I'm just trying to figure out what advantage would there be for me to get the bluetooth 4.2 version? I use a bluetooth wireless mouse,keyboard and an Xbox One controller - all of which have corresponding USB bluetooth dongles that have to be plugged into the USB slots on the front panel of my PC.

Does the bluetooth 4.2 compatibility of the second Wifi card mentioned above allow for me to use the three devices without their respective USB dongles? Or does it just offer faster bluetooth speeds?

Thanks

 

[bill001g]

This I don't know I run very little bluetooth on desktop. Maybe someone else will see this and know.