Best PCIe Wireless Cards for Gaming

The ASUS PCE-AC56 is fast and feature-rich. Before that though, this is one fancy devil, rocking the same glossy red diamond-plate texture that the company's more expensive electronics are usually sporting. Of course, as much as we can appreciate this device being more attractive than its competition, you insert these wireless cards into motherboards and hide them from plain sight anyway, so appearance matters the least here.

It is a good thing, then, that appearance is not the only thing this device is bringing to the table, not even close. No, that would be the ASUS AiRadar tech. Using the beamforming approach, high power amplification, and the company's patented RF fine-tuning, this technology strengthens the signal, ensuring extended coverage, dynamic data speed increases, as well as enhanced stability.

When you remove this intelligent technology from the equation, this model also introduces the Broadcom® TurboQAM™ tech. With this one, the card can super-charge the 2.4 GHz band, stretching its performance from 300 Mbps to 400 Mbps. Still, this technology would not be quite as effective without the external magnetized antenna base that this device adds to the 2 standard external antennas. Owing to this magnetized base, the 2 antennas can be adjusted pretty much however you please, meaning that you can always secure the best signal reception quality that's possible with your setup.

The TP-Link Archer TX50E is a force to be reckoned with. While we're referring to the card's performance first and foremost, we're also referring to its size, which is the device's biggest weakness. To be more accurate, the card is fine, but the antennas are huge, sometimes limiting access to the neighboring ports on the motherboard. Nevertheless, despite its heft, this device is an attractive beast. For starters, between the company's staple MU-MIMO tech and the new OFDMA (orthogonal frequency-division multiple access) method, the model reduces latency almost twofold. With this card, the input lag usually hovers around 8 milliseconds tops, enabling ultra-responsive online gaming or an immersive VR experience on the busiest networks.

Now that we've breached the VR subject, this device uses WiFi 6, the next WiFi generation, bringing to the table solutions like 1024-QAM and 160 MHz bandwidth. In layman's terms, while the 1024-quadrature modulation scheme boosts the connected devices' throughput capabilities, the 160 MHz-wide channel ensures the fastest WiFi yet, giving you a multi-gigabit low-latency connection. With this connection, you can work with 5G devices indoors where wave signals are usually spotty. Even simplified, these technologies sound a little complicated, but the gist here is this - owing to these technologies, even the most bandwidth-intensive applications like VR that demand the highest speeds will be covered.

The TP-Link Archer T4E is 50% less expensive than its step-up relative that we've discussed above, so the card is not quite as impressive, which is understandable considering the price difference. Plus, while WiFi 6 and an integrated Bluetooth module are great, most people already have the means to establish a Bluetooth connection with the PC and will not benefit from WiFi 6 quite yet.

Of course, the card has its advantages as well, but also its disadvantages. Even though the plate is pretty slim and so are the contractors, the heatsink is relatively bulky, so this device will occupy a little more space than you would initially expect. Still, because the antennas are short and thin, you won't be blocking neighboring ports, so the model's somewhat increased size will not inconvenience you. What's more, these antennas are detachable, meaning that you can always remove them when the connection range is not an issue, freeing up space inside the case.

Also, the heatsink's enlarged footprint is not wasted here. No, made from heavy-gauge aluminum alloy, the 'sink is great at dissipating thermal energy, improving the card's stability. Moreover, working with a lowered average temperature, its lifespan is also increased.

What's not increased is the model's installation requirements. Plug the device into the computer's existing PCI-E port, and follow the drop-dead simple software installation on the provided CD. That said, since more and more computers come without CD/DVD-ROMs, you can always download the software online.

When wireless networking is at stake, people usually stick with tried and tested brands like TP-Link or recognizable names like ASUS. They seldom trust names like Ubit. Truth be told, they're usually right. This time, however, we'll try to convince these people otherwise though. As skeptical as we were initially, the Ubit AX200 proved an excellent device that can trade blows with more expensive cards without suffering critical injuries. To be a little more precise, this model offers pretty much the same specs that flagship PCIe wireless cards are offering except that this one seats at the mid-price table.

First things first, this device supports WiFi 6. As always, supporting WiFi 6 means also supporting the OFDMA channel access method, the 1024-QAM modulation scheme, and the 160 MHz bandwidth. With these, the card minimizes input latency, so you can put everything at stake online without worrying that the connection will fail you when you need it most. The 160 MHz-wide channel will even enable VR gaming on busy networks. Plus, the same channel will support 5G devices indoors, including dense spaces.

Apart from the solutions that come with WiFi 6, this card also employs MU-MIMO, communicating with multiple devices at the same time and decreasing the time each device awaits the signal. Using this technology, the card can dramatically speed up the network when the connected devices require it. The more electronics are connected to the network (and an average household nowadays usually has around seven-eight devices battling for the bandwidth simultaneously), the more noticeable the improvement will be.

The OKN AX200 is the most compact card within this lineup. Not unlike the previous model, it is also coming from an unknown brand, so while the risks are elevated, so is the reward. Paying just 30 bucks, you receive a card that offers WiFi 6, which is huge. Supporting the latest 802.11ax protocol, the card employs every WiFi 6 trick in the book, including OFDMA, 1024-QAM, and even TWT (target wake time). With the latter, you'll be able to reduce contention between multiple clients. Operating in non-overlapping times or frequencies, the same clients minimize interference, coordinating the frame exchange. This access method is especially great with battery-powered gadgets that communicate on an infrequent basis.

Of course, supporting WiFi 6, the card also covers the 160 MHz bandwidth, giving you 4 times the bandwidth capacity in dense or congested areas. Using this bandwidth, you can transfer the largest files, stream 8K movies, and manage smart home solutions without worrying that the connection might drop. That being said, while the wireless standard is practically flawless, the card is not. From time to time, it suffers from occasional signal drops. They're not even semi-frequent but, when that happens, the drops are frustrating nonetheless.