How do USB wi-fi adapters fair against pci?

OzyOly

OzyOly

OzyOly

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Ok I have a problem with my PC where it keeps freezing. It seems to be my safecom wi-fi card and I can't update the drivers because they don't exist, no support what-so-ever.

So I need a new wireless NIC for my PC that is vista ready. The linksys seems to be good fro vista.

This card; http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=NW-003-LS

Seems to be compatible with vista if it is version 4.1. I have no idea how I can find this out before buying it.

This is the USB version; http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=NW-058-LS
That is defiently compatible with vista.

However I have 2 USB ports left, both at the front. What is the rage difference, also what performace hit will I get seeing as I play online games, will the USB adapter give me stupidly high pings?

Thanks.
 
USB wifi will take no more of a hit than using a USB modem, same ammount of data, same bus. That said I still wouldn't go with USB unless I needed to move it from one machine to another for some reason or all PCI slots were full.
 
I use a USB wireless adapter as my machine is a shuttle type box and the only PCI slot is taken up by the cooler on the graphics card.

The USB works fine I get very few disconnections and can happily be downloading on the newsgroups and maxing the 10Mb Blueyonder connection. I do not see any issues with USB wireless but if you have a spare PCI slot then I would use that over USB.
 
My USB wireless adapter ( a WPN111) seems to do the job very nicely, and I don't have to worry about the aerial on my old Netgear PCI card anymore. I see no problem with resource hogging either. Maybe it's just horrid memories of that old Alcatel Frog thing that gets people so worked up about USB.

Good little bit of kit in my opinion. It helps that it came bundled with my router though. ;)
 
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