# PCI/PCI-E devices vs. USB devices



## Kantastic (Apr 29, 2010)

I've always wanted to ask, do USB wireless receivers come in short compared to PCI/PCI-E devices?


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## Polaris573 (Apr 29, 2010)

My personal experience is that you don't quite get the bandwidth out of a USB wireless device versus a dedicated card.  I think it's because the USB wireless interface devices I've used have been about the size of a flash drive.  I think they're more for convenience than anything else.

You're not going to saturate the USB bus with even a wireless N adapter so it all comes down to signal strength.  The strength of signal the wireless device can broadcast and the size of its antenna for reception.


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## hat (Apr 29, 2010)

As far as my knowledge goes, USB is slower than PCI... usb is 480Mb/s, or 60MB/s, and PCI is 133MB/s. Also, that 60MB/s isn't sustained, as USB works in bursts, so PCI has more bandwidth available to it, and is more stable as well. (Don't quote me on the stability of the USB bus, but I'm pretty sure that it is, in fact, 60MB/s, which is quite slower than PCI's 133MB/s)

Also, there's the thing that Polaris said about USB recievers are built for comfort, not speed. PCI plug-in cards usually have antennas on the back of them that give them a much better signal than some circuitry confined to a small USB device no bigger than a flash drive.


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## Kantastic (May 1, 2010)

Guys, which of the following adapters should I buy?

ASUS USB-N10 IEEE 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wireless Ada...

ASUS USB-N13 IEEE 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wireless Ada...

I know there's an obvious speed difference, but would the longer adapter have a greater signal due to it being larger? I'm pretty tempted to get the smaller one but only if it doesn't affect my signal too much. My cable speed is 10Mb/s, or that's what I'm paying for but it usually ranges from 15-30.

Or does anybody have another suggestion for an adapter in the sub $30 range?


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