best wireless network card for gaming?

[midnightfire]

i'm getting new internets in a few days, and i'm gonna have to ditch my cat6 cable and get a wireless card, which i'm not pleased about. i just need to know the best (most reliable, etc.) for gaming. thanks in advance.

[improbabilitist]

Concerned laptops, have a look at the Intel wifi Link 5300 AGN (it has 3 antenna's).

Still, be aware that even the best wireless cards are no match for the good old cable, there's just too much processing force needed to even maintain the connection.

[macdad-]

Not to mention the power consumption of Wireless cards 

Regular wired networking doesn't drain your battery as fast as Wireless.

[BC_Programmer]

a Wireless-N card and a fast internet connection can exceed 100mbps, which is the "standard" speed for wired cable.

Also I've never seen the need for extra antennas with a laptop, unless you want directional reception- normally, the antenna is around the sides and top of the screen.

[macdad-]

Gigabit Ethernet 

[BC_Programmer]

well, yes- I'm using it myself, but the more "common" wired variety is 100 mbps.

god forbid some poor sould is stuck with Cat3 or 10mbps... Oh wait, I have a 10mbps adapter, lol

[macdad-]

Cat5e 

[BC_Programmer]

I don't get it...

anyway, my modem-to-router connection is category-6

[midnightfire]

Ah sorry I probably should have mentioned that I'm using a desktop lol. The router is going to be set up about 30 feet from my pc, and I've got 20 feet of cat6  . My roomates don't want wires going across the house, so yeah.

[macdad-]

I don't get it...

anyway, my modem-to-router connection is category-6

No, I'm saying that i have Cat5e and not stuck with old Cat3(ugh...the old voice lines...)

[midnightfire]

I can't seem to find any decent pci wireless network adapters for xp x64. Does anyone know of any? I'm totally going insane from this lol.

[Geek-9pm]

What is the speed of your internet service?

[midnightfire]

Embarq DSL. 5mbps down/1mbps up.

[Geek-9pm]

Embarq DSL. 5mbps down/1mbps up.

Almost any PIC wireless adapter will work. Even at 11Mbps.
If you have problems, it is the router, not the adapter on the PC.
(Some routers have wimpy firmware/ controller design.)

So you spend $80, or more,  on a wireless DSL outer.
And then just $20 for a basic PCI wireless card.

[midnightfire]

Right, but the problem is finding a card that is compatible with my o.s. I'm having a difficult time finding one.

[Geek-9pm]

I do not know of any major vendor that does NOT support Windows XP.
The hard thing is to find the ones that support Linux;
Here are some that give support to Linux:
Acer
Asus
D-Link
Dell
HP Compaq
Linksys
SMC

But that is not a full list at all. I copied it from a Linux site.
And they did not even mention Realtek . Because Realtek is more of a chip maker and not a big retailer.
More important, IMO, is to buy from a store you trust.

[midnightfire]

That's great, except I'm running windows xp 64-bit. I need a card that supports windows xp x64, NOT Linux, vista, or standard xp, because the ones I've seen that support standard xp DO NOT SUPPORT XP 64-BIT. I apologize if that seemed cross, but it didn't seem like my information was clear.

[midnightfire]

i was able to get a card, it's a trendnet wireless n, so i'm good now. thanks for the replies, gents.