



Sure, PCIe WiFi cards might not even need heatsinks, but it’s better than staring at a plain green PCB. This lets you attach the antennas anywhere on your case for the best possible connection to your router.Īs a bonus, the red heatsink looks pretty fetching too. As a bonus, the antenna base is magnetized. TP-Link includes two high-gain antennas with the TX3000E, which should offer solid reception.

Combined, these technologies give WiFi 6 cards like the TX3000E up to 2402 Mbps throughput on 5 GHz, with a still-impressive 574 Mbps on 2.4 GHz. OFDMA support should improve internet speeds and reduce latency when gaming, even if multiple devices are connected to the same router. It supports WiFi 6’s key MU-MIMO (multi-user, multiple input, multiple output) and orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) technologies. TP-Link’s Archer TX3000E is powered by a rock-solid Intel WiFi 6 chip. If you’ve bought a WiFi 6 router and want the best WiFi card for your online games, look no further. Furthermore, the price difference between the WiFi-equipped and non-WiFi versions of a motherboard is sometimes smaller than the price of a decent PCIe WiFi card. This may limit your expansion options down the line. If you’re building a new rig, consider a motherboard with built-in WiFi instead.Īs we discussed in our guide to choosing a motherboard, a PCIe WiFi card will take up a PCIe slot and lane. Our Picks for Best WiFi Cardīefore we begin, note that this list is targeted at users looking to add WiFi to their current motherboards or upgrade from a USB WiFi adapter. Whether you’re upgrading your current motherboard’s WiFi capabilities or bringing an old one into the modern-day, we’ve got just the list for you. While ethernet is still the simplest and cheapest way to go, WiFi is now a compelling option for most users. On top of that, the latest WiFi 6 protocol (802.11ax) even has enough throughput to challenge traditional wired connections. But as routers and WiFi technology improves, the notion that a wireless connection is inherently worse is quickly becoming outdated.įor years now, WiFi 5 (802.11ac) has proved reliable enough for even hardcore online gaming. Even the best WiFi card would be hobbled by poor connection quality, frequent dropouts, and slow speeds compared to a wired ethernet connection. A wireless connection used to be a no-go for serious PC gamers.
