PCI-E vs USB WiFi?

[w0rmh0lez]

Hello guys. I am just wondering what yeilds the best performance. A dual band pcie WiFi adaptar or a simple on you plug into USB?

 

[ThatVietGuy]

Best performance will always come from a PCIe card.

 

[bill001g]

This is mostly personal preference. USB used to be too slow to run a wireless card at maximum speed. That is no longer a limitation. You of course need USB-3 if you are are going to run 802.11ac cards at full speed. The PCI has the advantage of simple ability to put larger antenna on . The USB has the advantage of being able to extend it away from the case with a cheap usb extension if the case is blocking the signal.

I tend to favor the USB lately because antenna replacement advantage is not as clear cut when you consider mimo where there is a very critical dependance on the antenna size and spacing.