(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best internal computer networking cards

I'm not going to try and convince you to use Linux. Ultimately that's your choice and the only advice I can give is to try it. Dual boot at first until you get the hang of it, and if you think it's worth doing, try and live in Linux for a month without dual booting. Either you'll find you just can't make it work, or you'll figure out how to make it work. Only you can be the judge of whether it's worth making the switch.

But what I will do is try to convince you that you don't need to buy an Apple desktop computer.

A base model iMac Pro is ~$5k.

This system will let you install MacOS Mojave without having to do a bunch of hacky shit to get it to work, perform equal or better in all but the most heavily multithreaded tasks where it will only fall behind by a very small margin, for ~$2k less.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel - Core i7-8086K 4GHz 6-Core Processor | $439.89 @ B&H
CPU Cooler | Thermaltake - Water 3.0 Extreme S 99.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler | $79.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard | Gigabyte - Z370 AORUS Gaming 7 (rev. 1.0) ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $218.50 @ OutletPC
Memory | Corsair - Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | $279.99 @ Amazon
Storage | Samsung - 860 Evo 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $55.99 @ Amazon
Storage | Samsung - 970 Pro 1.0TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive | $397.79 @ Amazon
Storage | Hitachi - Ultrastar 7K4000 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $99.88 @ Amazon
Video Card | MSI - Radeon RX VEGA 56 8GB Air Boost 8G OC Video Card | $449.99 @ Amazon
Case | Phanteks - Enthoo Pro M Tempered Glass (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case | $99.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply | EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $59.77 @ B&H
Other | Broadcom Bcm94360cs2 Bcm94360cs2ax Bcm4360 Bluetooth Bt Wireless Wifi Card Module for Apple Laptop A1465 A1466 653-0023 802.11ac | $34.49 @ Amazon
Other | Apple - Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad - Space Gray | $141.99 @ Amazon
Other | BenQ EW3270U 31.5 inch 4K HDR Monitor,FreeSync, True 10-Bit, 95% DCI-P3, 100% Rec.709, Eye-Care, USB Type-C, Built-in Speakers | $586.68 @ Newegg
Other | Magic Mouse 2 - Space Gray | $92.50 @ Adorama
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $3057.44
| Mail-in rebates | -$20.00
| Total | $3037.44
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-15 06:47 EDT-0400 |

The differences:

6 cores/12 threads instead of 8 cores/16 threads
4ghz clock speed with 5ghz boost instead of 3.2ghz clock speed with 4.2ghz boost
Doesn't use ECC RAM, which is unimportant for the vast majority of people.
You'll need an expansion card for Thunderbolt 3. ($60) It must go in the bottom PCI-E 16x slot and you won't be able to use the bottom M.2 slot as a result. It also can be a little tricky to set up according to the forums.
4k monitor instead of 5k display. You could buy the LG 5k display (same panel as iMac Pro) from Apple's store if it's really that important to you, although it's about $1300, lacks HDR support and is 5 inches smaller. Although if the display is really that important to you, you should probably just buy the iMac Pro.
ATX Mid Tower with proper cooling instead of wedging all this crap behind the monitor where it's choked for air and thermal throttles constantly.

I based the parts off of this build while trying to match the specs of the iMac Pro as closely as possible. You could start cutting costs and easily bring this price down by quite a bit.

If you don't care about having Mac peripherals, you can cut the keyboard and mouse and replace them with something cheaper and save about $150-200. If you don't need an RX Vega 56, you could go with an RX 470 and save about $250. If you don't need a 4ghz processor or all those cores, you could go with something a bit cheaper and save some money there. If you don't care about watercooling or a little fan noise, you could go for cheaper air cooling and save 30 or 40 bucks. None of those changes would introduce problems with installing MacOS.

And with the included 250gb SSD, you can install a Linux distro of your choice to that drive and use the Boot Menu to dual boot. Or install Windows if you like. Or install Linux and then run MacOS Mojave as a VM with KVM/QEMU. Whatever tickles your fancy.

Apple makes some great stuff, but given their price premium, their hostility to right-of-repair and how bloody easy it is to install MacOS on off the shelf components I don't see why anyone would spend more for Apple hardware.

Found this sub while looking for a new laptop to replace my surface pro 3. I'm a Psychiatry Fellow and spend most of my day typing notes while people speak, so a T series keyboard sounded like a good priority. I also do photography and graphic design on the side, utilizing several Adobe CC products, so 8th Gen processor, upgradeable drive/ram, and color accurate screen were essential. Almost went with X1C6, but ultimately, longevity and value (still just a fellow) were more important than portability and brightness. So in the end, the T480 seemed like the best fit (though I really miss having a touch screen).

Below is my custom config ordered during the Black Friday in July sale, followed by my mods:

Ordered specs:

• 14.0" WQHD (2560 x 1440) 300 nits, IPS anti-glare (non-touch)
  
• Intel Core i5-8350U Processor (vPro)
  
• 4 GB DDR4 2400MHz ram
  
• NVIDIA GeForce MX150 2GB GDDR5
  
• IR & 720p HD Camera with microphone (mandatory with WQHD screen)
  
• Backlit Keyboard - US English (accidentally ordered without, but realized it and adjusted thanks to you guys!)
  
• Fingerprint Reader
  
• 128 GB 2.5" SATA3 Solid State Drive
  
• Smart Card Reader (for literally zero reason, my only regret)
  
• 3 cell Li-Ion 24Wh external battery
  
• Intel Dual Band 8265 Wireless AC (2 x 2) & Bluetooth 4.1 with vPro
  
• Fibocom L850-GL 4G LTE-A cat 9 WWAN
  
  Upgrades on arrival:
  
• RAM: HyperX Kingston Technology Impact 32GB Kit (2x16GB) 2400MHz DDR4 SODIMM HX424S14IBK2/32
  
• SSD: addlink S70 2TB NVMe PCIe Gen3x4 M.2 2280 SSD R/W 3500/3000MB/s
  
• Lenovo internal m.2 Drive Enclosure (ordered as add-on through Lenovo; necessary to install m.2 SSD)
  
• Copper NVMe heatsink with thermal pads (ultimately, unnecessary because enclosure came with an attached thermal pad, but doubled up anyway and yes it was a tight fit)
  
• Extra battery: 6 Cell 72Wh Battery 61++
  
• Wi-Fi/Bluetooth 5.0 card: Intel Wireless-AC 9260, 2230, 2x2 AC+BT, Gigabit, vPro
  
• [Wallpaper] (https://www.wallpaperup.com/118293/psychedelic_humor_monster_creature_cartoon_dark_fantasy.html)
  
  The screen is beautiful and I'm digging the anti-glare matte, though my SP3 glossy screen made colors pop more. I installed the calibrated color profile from the notebookcheck.com review of the T480s with what I assume was the same WQHD screen. Here are the instructions I used from notebookcheck.
  
  Replacing the internal components was a breeze, though unfortunately, I watched the Lenovo disassembly video that showed front clips being disengaged with spudger, so now I have a front gap. Also broke a battery compartment clip but whatever.
  
  I installed windows fresh using a recovery flash drive made before swapping in the NVMe drive. I'm fully updated through both vantage and windows update, which took a few hours.
  
  Ultimately, I'm ridiculously happy with this build. The keyboard is a DREAM except for the annoying fn button placement (who thought this was a good idea?). I threw in a Logitech MX Master 2S for desk work, but honestly, this trackpoint is a game changer when I'm working on my lap.
  
  Any other mod suggestions??? Questions??? Comments???

PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD - Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor | $269.99 @ Newegg Canada
Motherboard | ASRock - B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard | $84.25 @ Vuugo
Memory | G.Skill - Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory | $79.99 @ Newegg Canada
Storage | ADATA - Ultimate SU800 512 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $75.99 @ Amazon Canada
Storage | Western Digital - Blue 1 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive | $144.99 @ Newegg Canada
Video Card | MSI - GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB GAMING Z Video Card | $537.99 @ Newegg Canada
Case | Cooler Master - MasterBox NR400 (w/ODD) MicroATX Mid Tower Case | $77.99 @ Newegg Canada
Power Supply | EVGA - BQ 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply | $79.99 @ Newegg Canada
Optical Drive | LG - WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer | $74.99 @ Newegg Canada
Operating System | Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit | $129.25 @ Newegg Canada
Case Fan | Noctua - NF-P14s redux-1500 PWM 78.69 CFM 140 mm Fan | $18.95 @ Amazon Canada
Case Fan | Noctua - NF-P14s redux-1500 PWM 78.69 CFM 140 mm Fan | $18.95 @ Amazon Canada
Monitor | LG - 32GK650F-B 32.0" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor | $499.99 @ Newegg Canada
Headphones | Kingston - HyperX Cloud II 7.1 Channel Headset | $109.98 @ Amazon Canada
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $2228.29
| Mail-in rebates | -$25.00
| Total | $2203.29
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-08 11:35 EDT-0400 |
Wait a few days for the 2060 Super, this was just a place-holder.

You don't need a capture card. Capture cards are for consoles that don't have built-in recording functions. For PC you just need software. I recommend LoiLo Game Recorder, it's free and simple to use.

I don't know about editing software, ask google I guess.

For microphone, I recommend Blue Yeti. I don't have one, but they sound good, and aren't too expensive.

I didn't include keyboard and mouse because I don't know how you like your's. I suggest looking on Amazon and Googling it to find what you like best.

When you install Windows, do it on the M.2 SSD, it's faster. When you put in the M.2 SSD, make sure you put it in the right M.2, this motherboard has two, and one is faster.

For internet, I'd definitely get a Ethernet cable, they are like $15 on Amazon. If you don't want a Ethernet cable (if your computer too far away from Router, or you just don't want to deal with having a cable going through your house) than this seems like the best option https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B079QJQF4Y, this can go in your second M.2 slot.

(Edit: Everything be so expensive in Canada :I)
(Edit 2: Better parts list)

I'm surprised that you haven't gotten much response in the last day. I suppose the FAQ is there, but you've looked through it and it doesn't provide you with the answers you're looking for so you're asking the community. So... what to do next? I'm gonna assume you're asking about what to do next hardware wise. Something that is low cost and won't lock you into something you can't change later.
40-50TB is nothing to scoff at, I'm surprised you've managed to get by with hooking them up direct this long, but hey if it works, it works (it's not dumb if it works).
A baby step could be increasing your density.
Grabbing a MediaSonic Pro Box https://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-ProBox-HF2-SU3S2-SATA-Enclosure/dp/B003X26VV4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1540336320&sr=8-3 and shucking your externals into a 4up bay would free up some ports.
Then a cheap next step would be to upgrade from USB3 to some ESATA ports. I use this ESATA card https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-Port-Express-eSATA-Controller/dp/B003GSGMPU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1540336457&sr=8-2 to hook up to the MediaSonic box and it works great. I still run this setup on one of the computers in my garage for "offline" backups. I just WOL the machine and backup some critical data then power it down.
If you want to start offloading the workload to another computer all this stuff would transfer well into another computer.

Other than that the FAQ does have a ton of good recommendations for what software to run under each different platform WINDOWS/MAC/Linux. In this day in age I don't think there is a "wrong" choice. Work in what you're most comfortable in. I'm partial to Windows and then Linux (mainly Ubuntu). If you have any other questions feel free to reach out.

I literally use or recommend many of those parts. I have that Noctua cooler in my rig. I also recommend the 1TB or 2TB versions of the 660p because it is so cheap. $94 for 1TB last I checked. I have a similar power supply, but I think we can find you a 650W (which is plenty for your build) that is 80+ Gold and fully modular for closer to $100. There is just no reason to pay $140 for Windows 10. I can't tell you how or where because of rules, but a legit Windows 10 Pro key can be had for under $20. Ditto with your wifi adapter. I recently bought a new PCIe wifi card with Wifi 6 and bluetooth 5, for $30 plus Prime shipping. Here is a good one. Unless that card also has dual 10Gbps AQANTO networking cards built in, there is no way it is worth $100.
What you described might actually take advantage of 8 cores and 16 threads. Usually gaming has an 'all you need is 6' mentally which is why the Ryzen 5 3600 is so often recommended. I will also say that just about anyone would recommend the RX 5700XT over the 2060 Super. It is the better card by a country mile and the Gigabyte Gaming OC (my personal favorite) is $420. I hope that helps and you can at least see some places to save money and increase performance.

1. If you're talking about the wifi chip itself: you can buy an Intel module, they're much better and not expensive: (https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Wireless-Ac-9260-2230-Gigabit/dp/B079QJQF4Y/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=intel+9260&qid=1565244718&s=electronics&sr=1-4), and replacing it is quite easy, although you need to do it carefully: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4DUIlJYBRc
   
2. I have the same mobo and had the same problem. Ryzen 3000 has a very high thermal density (the amount of heat generated isn't higher than the previous gen/Intel chips, it's actually lower but it's generated in a smaller area, making it harder to cool) so it's simply gonna be hotter, even with the best cooler, even though it uses less power than Intel. That's simply the result of the 7nm process, you'll see the same when Intel has 10nm figured out. My solution (I have a Noctua NH-u12s): for the CPU I used the Noctua silent mode PWM cable, or whatever it's called, capping the CPU cooler to 80%. You should have one included with your A9x14 fan. For the case fans I got a Noctua fan controller. I was considering it any way as I like my case fans at a constant speed, and this motherboard doesn't seem to allow for that (except if you set them at 100%...). It's the samllest fan controller I know of, but you might have problems in your case. The controller connects to SATA for power, and optionally connects to another PWM header. Then you have the contoller itself, and it has one output PWM header, and the controller comes with a 3 way splitter. All this adds considerable bulk. I have a large SFF case (InWin A1 Plus) so it wasn't a problem, but your case is smaller, so look if you can fit the controller somewhere. based on the pictures I think it won't be a problem.
   
3. yes, your temps are normal, about the same as my 3700X (I'm at 40 idle, 75 gaming, 90 intel burn test, but I have a bigger case and cooler than you). If you want lower temps, you could lower the power target PPT. Someone at /r/amd or /r/sffpc (don't remember which sub) did some testing and found out you can scale power consumption down favorably (something like -30% power = -10% performance in cinebench). By default your CPU will be at 88W. You could try 75W and see what that does to your temps and performance.
   
4. dunno, I know nothing about the case/brand

Used to have the same problem here.

Solution was to replace the wifi card with the Intel Ax200. The Ax200 is the successor to the 9260, which is also a great card. The Ax200 has Bluetooth 5.0 and all the new wifi standards (802.11ax/Wifi 6).

Here's the link to the amazon page of where I got it from: https://www.amazon.com/WiFi-AX200-PCs-802-11AX-Bluetooth-NGW/dp/B07TLBNSZQ

There's plenty of tutorials online that will guide you through replacing the card, but I have a few tips if you do:

• Be careful not to strip the screws (especially when removing the back plate), and don't screw it in too much after it feels locked in.
  
• Make sure to put the black and white cables in the right positions. The positions are flipped when going to the Intel cards (most videos will explain this).
  
• Make sure you push the wifi card all the way in before you screw it in, and make sure the black and white wire pins are secured onto the card.
  
• Make sure the long gray piece with the single screw (that holds down part of the card) is in the right position when you put it back. Basically, remember how everything looks (except the wire placement).
  
  Good luck!

My original setup went like this:

I have an IBM m1015 I picked up off of eBay and flashed to IT mode so that the drives are passed straight through and no RAID functionality of the card is used.

One of the two ports from it was connected via an SFF-8087 SAS cable to a double SFF-8087 to SFF-8088 adapter, but you can go single as well.

Then an SFF-8088 SAS Cable ran from the adapter to an external case with an HP SAS Expander in it. There are many, many, other models of expanders but this is what I went with because it has the external SAS SFF-8088 port on it (it's not the only one that has this feature, but it's what I went with, and it makes it so every enclosure doesn't need its own motherboard).

All the ports off the expander then went to the backplanes in the external case and connected the drives to the IBM m1015 through the expander.

Since the 4224 did not have a motherboard at the time I used this thing that's usually used for crypto currency mining to provide power to the expander because that's all it needs from its PCIe interface (many of those other models of expander have a Molex connector in it for power and no PCIe interface at all).

As for daisy chaining SAS enclosures, it can be done, but I haven't gotten that far in my storage adventures yet. I do know that there are enclosures that support it and if I were to expand from where I'm at now it's probably the route I would go. Rolling my own was fun and all but sometimes you just want to plug and play.

I'll concur with A_watcher that eSATA enclosures are crap. Or at least the one I've used was as well.

I think that address the questions that were in the OP as well as posed to others that responded.

I'm ridiculously far from an expert, and my setup has changed a lot since the first way it was set up, but I think it was pretty close and answered those questions.

*Many the guys over at /r/datahoarder are much more knowledgeable in this arena than I am and are another source of information when it comes to storage.

Ok so first I recommend downloading Verizon's speed optimization tool Download

Second is more or less bad news. I don't believe that model of Verizon's gateway is 5ghz supported or Dualband. not only that but I believe they limit the ability of what you can accomplish with the gateway.

Do you know what wireless card you have in your laptop?

I would probably recommend this https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-600Mbps-USBNOVEL-Wireless-10-4-10-12-2/dp/B06XRG9QDV/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1503454338&sr=1-5&keywords=wireless+card if you don't have a dualband card in your laptop.

Then turn off the wifi on your modem and get this

https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-N600-Wi-Fi-Router-WNDR3400/dp/B0041LYY6K/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1503454414&sr=1-1&keywords=netgear+dual+band

Two most affordable solutions.

Also hopefully someone can enlighten if this will work in place of the dongel

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-7260-HMWG-R-Wireless-AC-Bluetooth-Mounting/dp/B00MV3N7UO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1503454504&sr=8-3&keywords=intel+dual+band+wireless-ac+7260

Wow, thank you for the quick response!

> the motherboard i added doesnt have on board wifi (like most boards)

Ok, thank you for clearing that up. I searched for "PCI-E wifi card" on Amazon and this: https://www.amazon.com/Feb-Smart-Adapters-PCIe-FS-N600-Basic/dp/B071NZ6DL9/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1543137313&sr=8-7&keywords=PCI-E+wifi+card was the first one in the search that looked affordable, will it work?

> they wont be able to use a mic

If they'd like a microphone and the headphones they have right now don't have one, that's something they can buy with their own money. I am giving them this second computer for Christmas, but they're expected to buy most smaller stuff themselves, especially now that they're only a year off of being able to get a real job where we live.

> chipsets

After some cursory research, this is essentially the smaller processor in the motherboard that makes the motherboard itself work? And those four that you listed are the ones that will work with the processor that you chose?

> You can also download a "trial" version of windows

I don't really see that as an option. I try to teach the boys to pay for what they use and enjoy using, and while I understand it's easy to dismiss that philosophy for Windows because it's such a large corporation, they still deserve to get paid for what they have put effort into. Sooner or later I would end up having to explain to them what the watermark means (unless it's small enough that it won't be noticed during regular usage of the computer), and that would pretty much require direct hypocrisy. So, again, is there anything at all that could be done to bring the budget in line while including a Windows license?

Realtek doesn't make the actual adapters just the chips that run them. Broadcom is another,theres Atheros which Qualcomm owns. Anyway they aren't bad chips. For instance this Asus Is using a broadcom chipset.

Anyway pretty much any PCIE adapter with antennae will probably do. Generally speaking ignore the "gaming" ones as it's the same thing just with some QOS and more software and extra money.

Most adapters that aren't "basic" are probably going to be more than what you need by a large amount. They're are, however, some "nice to haves" things like multiple antennae for both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz for "Beam forming" which works both ways to improve the signal. Or an ASIC for processing the data.

Anyway I spent some time looking and found the Rosewill n900 With an Atheros AR9380 It's bigger brothers have similar Atheros chipsets if you want to bump up to wireless AC, assuming your router supports it. Anyway Atheros are good chips, found pretty much everywhere but sometimes the implementation isn't so good. (Mostly labtops and not add-on cards) On the hardware side anyway. Make sure you have good drivers and any updates that come along should be checked.

Intel's little niche for wifi is little standalone chips that go into laptops for the most part. They do have adapters that you can use to place them into desktop computers but then your looking at the chipset plus adapter and you kind of have to know what your going for. I did find quite a few PCIE cards but most had older chipsets. And one good premade Has one less antennae but also has bluetooth and supports AC. Needs an empty USB slot on the motherboard to use bluetooth.

> "My current router/modem is the Motorola Surfboard SBG6580."

Normally I'd recommend getting rid of this and getting separate devices (a standalone modem and a standalone Wi-Fi Router,.. something in the $150+ range like an ASUS or Apple Airport Extreme. The "combo" devices that ISP's hand out are usually "crap in a box".

However.. a lot is going to depend on the construction/architecture of your apartment. Normally I'd say a good quality Router can broadcast over 2000 ft with no problems at all (I live in an old "meat locker/refridgeration" building... and my Apple Airport Extreme signal reaches outside and almost to the Intersection about 500ft away)

BUT... if your apartment has metal in the walls or other things that might block the signal... then even the best Router isn't gonna penetrate that very consistently.

You also want to understand that different devices are gonna show different signal strength depending on a wide range of factors:

• The internal antenna design (IE = a laptop with antenna that go up/around the screen is gonna show higher signal strength than a smartphone/tablet that has smaller internal antennas)
  
  
• Devices with larger batteries are gonna show better signal strength because they can push more power to the antenna
  
  
• Devices with external antennas (like this: http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Centrino-Advanced-Brackets-62205ANHMWDTX1/dp/B007ZWL4A6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1404677036&sr=8-2&keywords=centrino+6205 ) are going to provide much better signal than USB-WiFi or other small/shitty WiFi adapters
  
  So yeah... there's lots to consider.

There haven't been any major issues once the bios updates have gone through. The MSI Max line doesn't even need a bios update and has done well. $130 for an x570 is a pretty good deal though. Since you've already got the board, you can pick up a WiFi/BT card like UBit's combo card: https://www.amazon.com/Ubit-1730Mbps-Bluetooth-Dual-Band-WIN10%EF%BC%88WIE9260%EF%BC%89/dp/B07PMGJ9XY/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=bluetooth+and+wifi+card&qid=1571977010&sr=8-5

The 5700xt performs around the same as the 2070S. On some things the 5700XT does better, on other games the 2070S does better. It depends on the game, the card drivers and how each are optimized. The two cards perform very similarly overall. The 2070S does have better energy consumption and lower heat generation as well as slightly better drivers overall. If they were priced within $20 of each other, I'd go with the 2070S, but for $100, I could live with the 1-2% win or loose difference of the 5700xt.

The 1080 Ti has an older architecture that leaves it lagging a bit behind the 5700XT in performance. It's a faster card but the 5700xt puts out better FPS due to design improvements. The 1080 TI does have 11GB of GDDR5 VRAM versus the 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM in the 5700XT. So while you have less VRAM it's much faster VRAM.

I'm a fan of the IBM M1015 which is commonly recommended for FreeNAS builds; it's a rebadged LSI card and can be easily reflashed to run in HBA mode.

They're pretty cheap for RAID cards, and I've had good luck finding free ones in decommissioned servers at work. I also have heard they're relatively easy to find cheaply on ebay.

+1 for PCI

I game and have never had problems connecting unless it was ISP side (boo comcast). I also stream Netflix and Amazon without any signal issues.

I use [this PCI-E adapter] (http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WN881ND-Wireless-Express-Low-profile/dp/B0079XWMEI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1405104552&sr=8-2&keywords=tp-link+pci+wifi) with good results. They also make regular [PCI] (http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WN751ND-Wireless-Adapter-Low-profile/dp/B005FUGPP4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1405104552&sr=8-4&keywords=tp-link+pci+wifi) depending on what you have available. I'm sure the Rosewill one is quite good too.

I also picked up something similar to [this] (http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-ANT2405C-Desktop-Omni-directional-Antenna/dp/B001VEAI74/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1405104686&sr=8-11&keywords=tp-link+antenna) to help with my signal, since my room is quite far from my router. It will give you some flexibility on your antenna placement, and gave me a huge boost in signal.

For your purposes either would probably work but I prefer having the cleaner look of a PCI card and I'm under the assumption that there is better power/bandwith going through PCI. If you do go with USB, I suggest something like [this] (http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WN722N-Wireless-Adapter-External/dp/B002SZEOLG/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1405104921&sr=8-14&keywords=usb+wifi) where you can add on an optional antenna if you have signal issues.

Taking your advice I decided to do the following:

Order this card and use software raid 5 for redundancy. This will require me to purchase another 8TB drive but I think the benefits out weigh the cost. Thus giving me 3x8TB in raid 5.

Thank you for all the help and information pertaining this issue. Reddit to the rescue yet again!

I got WiFi and Bluetooth working on my Hack (an AMD hack no less) using this adapter:

https://www.amazon.com/Sourcingbay-NGFF-Wireless-Card-Adapter/dp/B013U4401W/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=m.2+wifi+to+pcie&qid=1557423552&s=gateway&sr=8-4

And this card:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Broadcom-BCM94352Z-M-2-NGFF-802-11AC-867Mbps-BT-4-0-DW1560-f-Mac-Hackintosh/252319175707?epid=1761109656&hash=item3abf65141b:g:q2wAAOSw1DtXGd2c

​

It is definitely a bit pricey, but well worth it IMO. Bluetooth and WiFi from it. And the WiFi is SUPER fast... 200Mbps up and down easily, sometimes more.

​

These are the kexts needed:

​

AirportBrcmFixup.kext

BrcmFirmwareData.kext

BrcmPatchRAM2.kext

FakePCIID.kext

FakePCIID_Broadcom_WiFi.kext

How far are you from your router?

For an extra $10, I'd get this http://amzn.to/1oOIYDP , (three antennae for better signal from a more stable power source) and it's a newer model). I'd say $30 is the point where you best best value. Anywhere up from that is a rip off.

The Seagate Barracuda ( https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seagate-BarraCuda-Internal-Drive-Cache/dp/B07H2RR55Q) and the WD Blue HDDs are pretty decent, whichever is the cheapest of the two in your region is what I would go for. Just make sure its 7200rpm and sata 6Gb/s (most are).


As for WiFi cards, anything that is ac wifi (wifi 5 I believe) and is from a trusted brand should work just fine. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gigabyte-WB1733D-I-1733Mbps-Express-Adapter/dp/B07FBSV1XZ for example, or https://www.amazon.co.uk/T6E-Archer-Wireless-Interface-Low-Profile/dp/B013HCNTZU?th=1 .

exactly, you are good to go! If it should come that it is not in stock anywhere, get the msi b450m PRO-VDH max from the comment below. Both are fine, but the mortar is slightly better :) Have fun!

Oh, it doesn't have wifi. There is also no other micro atx board with wifi that would work, so you might want to get a 20$ PCIe wifi card. I hope that is no too big loss for you ;)

I wasn't necessarily trying to imply that it was a bad component, but looking at Newegg and Amazon reviews it's sitting at 3 Stars. So seems like it gets the jobs done, but isn't necessarily a strong performer.

​

Personally I haven't messed with PCI wifi cards for a few years now, my method to find one is to filter on Amazon or Newegg with the price range I want, say $20 - $30 and then find the highest rated ones with the most ratings. Brand recognition plays a role so a Rosewill for $16.99 priced down from 24.99 with 4 stars caught my eye.

​

Looking at the Rosewill it's got another model for 40 that does double the speed around 800Mbps + 400 (interesting) instead of just 433. There's a model in between for $32.

https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Adapter-Wireless-Network-802-11AC/dp/B01JUCUMBK

​

I'm not suggesting you buy any of these, that's just how I would find one for myself if I needed one. I would probably spend some more time looking at the specs, reading some of the reviews, comparing to other websites. Newegg's great about having specifications compared to others. Comparing to other cards, etc.



​

​

I'm not saying wifi cards are bad, I'm sure there are wifi 6 cards with external antenna that would perform almost as well as an on-board chip. The issue is most external wifi cards have small antenna, especially the USB ones, and being so close to the case and other components makes for a high chance of interference. I just did a really quick search, so I'm not suggesting this specific product, but something like this is about equal to a current on-board card https://www.amazon.com/fenvi-802-11ax-Internet-Wireless-Next-Gen/dp/B07SPCL2FZ?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_1

The issue I see is $40 added to the cost of a cheaper mobo would usually get you a model with on-board wifi included. So your only going to save money by getting a lower quality card. Of course if your current networking setup doesn't support wifi 6 and you don't plan on upgrading it doesn't really matter. Your use-case scenario is quite important to decide before building a system to optimize your investment. If your not gaming thru wifi where latency matters it might not be something worth the investment. My wifi completely replaced my wired network so it was worth the investment in a $250 router and $300 mobo with on-board wifi to get the full speed of my cable internet everywhere in my home.

I would suggest a powerline adapter instead. Something like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tenda-PH3-1000Mbps-Powerline-expansion/dp/B0746H97SX

It will be faster and more reliable than wireless. I have one that I use on my NAS to stream video to various devices throughout the home. Works perfectly.

If you really do want a wireless adapter though, this one would be perfectly fine: https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-LINK-T6E-Archer-Wireless-Antennas/dp/B013HCNTZU

I've looked a little into HBAs, since you mentioned them, and I'm definitely intrigued! Probably a dumb question, but I had trouble finding an answer: Would I be able to use an HBA in addition to the onboard SATA ports or does it replace them? If I were to follow your setup, I'd need to do the following:

• Pick-up a IBM 1015M off Amazon, eBay, or get a one pre-flashed to it mode.
  
• Pick-up two SFF-8087 mini-SAS to SATA cable (Amazon)
  
• Flash the IBM 1015M using the steps outlined on Serve The Home to convert the firmware from LSI9240 to LSI9211-IT mode.
  
  Does that seem correct or did you follow a different set of steps?
  
  Once again, thanks for taking the time to help me out with this! If I can get an HBA working, it seems like it would be a major improvement, allowing me to get the most out of my setup! :D

It's actually very hard to make a modern system that can't play SC2 well, to be honest, so pretty much anything will be fine.

The only red flag I see that's SC2 related is the wireless adapter. If you're going to be playing SC2 over WiFi, I'd get an Intel card with an external antenna. They're the gold standard. Either get the 6205 for abgn or spend a bit more for the new one with AC for the sake of future compatibility. If for some reason you don't want an intel card, just make sure you get one with a positionable antenna. By positionable antenna I mean something more than the small attached antennas sticking out the back of the card.

Here are my other suggestions though:

CPU: I'd get a 4590. It's the Haswell refresh part. If you want something slightly faster, I'd recommend a 4690K with an overclocking motherboard.

Motherboard: No point in getting a H87 board at this point. Get the AsRock H97 Pro4 instead. It's actually 10 bucks cheaper. Or a Z97 board if you pair it with an overclocking processor. Many H97 boards can do overclocking anyway, the Asrock H97 is one of them.

RAM: Get 1.5 Volt RAM. There's no point to 1.35V RAM, it can cause issues sometimes, and you can probably save a few bucks anyway.

Hard Drive: That works. If you can manage it though, I'd get an SSD and pair it with a 5400 RPM drive. I'd recommend the Samsung EVO series specifically. The 250GB size is the best value spot for them.

Video Card: The 280x is kind of overkill unless you have a 1440p monitor. This is the best point for shaving money off the build. A 270x will suit you just fine. It may be worth waiting for the next round of cards coming out because they're just around the corner, especially if you have your heart set on the performance of a 280x.

PSU: PSU should be ok though you might be cutting it close wattage-wise at 500 vs 550+ with a 280x. I'm personally not the biggest fan of non-Seasonic OEM Corsair PSUs and I like PSUs with 5 year warranties as it's the only part of the computer that can kill other components or start a fire, but it's fine.

The one change I would definitely make is to not get that Rosewill WiFi adapter. If ethernet is not an option, at the very least get a WiFi adapter with an external antenna. I recommend this Intel model. Unless portability is a concern with this build, which I doubt given the case is a healthy midtower, external antenna is the way to go. It will give you better range and bandwidth, plus Intel has better customer support than Rosewill.

Completely anecdotal but I used This for a friend's build and it works great with 8.1. So because of that, I would suggest one of TP-Link's nicer PCIe ones (like this), because it seems they are on top of their drivers.

Not the same guy you replied to, but there are a couple of add in wifi 6 cards out already if you're interested in that. So far I've seen:

1. Gigabyte, (linked by a Reddittor in another thread)
   
2. Fenvi
   
   I can only vouch for the Fenvi one (haven't used the gigabyte one) and it works pretty nicely. Only gripe is that I had to connect to Ethernet first to download drivers. As for wifi 6 capabilities, I don't have a wifi 6 router at home so I can't say anything much about that. I also don't have an old wifi card to compare wifi speeds.

Seriously!?!? Y tho!?

Appreciate your assistance but this just baffles me... I mean it seems like most modern laptops you can buy have thunderbolt support, but not custom pcs? Gaaah! This obstacle alone might have me rethink if I should build a pc or just buy something with friggin thunderbolt support...

Does the mobo necessarily have to support thunderbolt 3 right off the bat? Couldn't you just buy something like this to make it compatible?:

https://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-Alpine-Thunderbolt-Components-GC-Alpine/dp/B0722SV69N#customerReviews

I'm from the UK but you can find the same for wherever you are.

ASUS PCE-AC56 Carte PCIe Wi-Fi double bande AC1300 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00JNA337K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_RArXCbTSS5QY0

Gigabyte GC-WB1733D-I Wireless-AC PCI-E Network Interface Card + Bluetooth v5.0-1733Mbps https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07FBSV1XZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_5BrXCbRWMABE3

TP-LINK T6E AC1300 Archer Dual Band Wireless PCI Express Adapter with Two Antennas https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B013HCNTZU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6DrXCb6GTM261


I believe the gigabyte one also has bluetooth 5.0 ( not too sure you can look it up) but I would say these are popular ones and worth money. Personally the asus or gigabyte one will do great!

You can do audio over HDMI (including surround) with the GPU or there's headphone and mic jacks on the motherboard. If you have analog surround you'll need a soundcard or a higher end motherboard. If you have nice headphones an external DAC/Amp is better than a soundcard. You will need to add a wifi card like this (more expensive = better range). A powerline adapter will give you better latency than wifi if you don't have a strong wifi signal where the PC is going.

I highly recommend just ditching your built in WiFi card and swapping it out an Intel card like this (make sure it's the right size first). They have excellent driver support and work out of the box. It'll be an upgrade to whatever bargain bin card you have, usually takes less than 5 minutes to install and only costs about $25.

Are there any good recommendations for a Wi-Fi Adapter, and is it better to use a USB one or a PCI-E one? My mobo is an ASRock H97M Anniversary (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-h97manniversary). Is something like this (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009VKON0S/?tag=pcpapi-20), or are there better recommendations? I just found that browsing around.

Also, if I have other thermal paste, should I replace the one from the stock cooler or just use what's already there? I'm not overclocking (I'm getting an i5-4590).

[PCPartPicker Part List](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/RBhJf9)

​

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/QKJtt6/amd-ryzen-7-3700x-36-ghz-8-core-processor-100-100000071box) | $326.99 @ SuperBiiz

**CPU Cooler** | [Scythe Mugen 5 Rev. B 51.17 CFM CPU Cooler](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/8GBrxr/scythe-mugen-5-rev-b-512-cfm-cpu-cooler-scmg-5100) | $44.49 @ Amazon

**Motherboard** | [Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS ATX AM4 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/whMTwP/asus-tuf-gaming-x570-plus-atx-am4-motherboard-tuf-gaming-x570-plus) | $164.99 @ B&H

**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/zcH8TW/gskill-ripjaws-v-32-gb-2-x-16-gb-ddr4-3600-memory-f4-3600c16d-32gvkc) | $159.66 @ Amazon

**Storage** | [ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/zR3H99/adata-sx8200-1-tb-m2-2280-solid-state-drive-asx8200pnp-1tt-c) | $147.99 @ Amazon

**Storage** | [Seagate Barracuda 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/CbL7YJ/seagate-barracuda-2tb-35-7200rpm-internal-hard-drive-st2000dm006) | $64.99 @ Newegg

**Video Card** | [Zotac GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB Video Card](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/mLm323/zotac-geforce-rtx-2070-8-gb-video-card-zt-t20700e-10p) | $399.99 @ Amazon

**Case** | [Phanteks P300 ATX Mid Tower Case](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/FCs8TW/phanteks-eclipse-p300-tempered-glass-atx-mid-tower-case-ph-ec300ptgbk) | $59.99 @ Amazon

**Power Supply** | [Thermaltake SMART 750 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/b3Lypg/thermaltake-power-supply-sp750pcbus) | $69.98 @ Amazon

**Wireless Network Adapter** | [Asus PCE-AC56 PCIe x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/bQ8Zxr/asus-wireless-network-card-pceac56) | $57.99 @ Amazon


Also, you'll need to get an intel ax200 wifi card linked below.


https://www.amazon.com/WiFi-AX200-PCs-802-11AX-Bluetooth-NGW/dp/B07TLBNSZQ/ref=pd_sbs_229_t_0/143-1280428-1639340?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07TLBNSZQ&pd_rd_r=7642a0e2-cf80-4b63-b051-5f00894bee6f&pd_rd_w=77gsd&pd_rd_wg=JJoiB&pf_rd_p=5cfcfe89-300f-47d2-b1ad-a4e27203a02a&pf_rd_r=6RMSCJDJW5VHTB7G3T9K&psc=1&refRID=6RMSCJDJW5VHTB7G3T9K

​

​

| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |

| **Total** | **$1497.06**

| Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2019-11-21 02:50 EST-0500 |

Here's a good PCI Wireless Card I found meeting your requirements, but keep in mind you could also use a USB Wireless adapter like this one, which has amazing speeds for a USB adapter.

Yeah, I want to just run a cable like out my window and across the back of my house into the living room, but it would be a hassle. So I should just use the regular PCI lanes for my Wifi card, and leave the Express lanes for the graphics card? I'm getting the Asrock Z77 Extreme4, and the EVGA Geforce GTX 670 is my Graphics card. So would something like this (http://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-TL-WN951N-300Mbps-Wireless-Adapter/dp/B0034CL2ZI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1343145648&sr=1-1&keywords=wireless+pci+card)

or this (http://www.amazon.com/300Mbps-802-11-Wireless-Wifi-Network/dp/B003OZG5NE/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1343145648&sr=1-2&keywords=wireless+pci+card) be good?

Also, when it says 300Mbps thats the data transfer rate correct? It has a max 300 MBps?

Yeah, definitely. Or if you've got the space for it, something like:

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-1000Mbps-Gigabit-Low-profile-TG-3269/dp/B0034CSUZ8

The nice thing about the USB of course is that you can move it easily if needed.

May I recommend the (often) more stable Intel 9560 Wifi Card? Just to save you $20 and get Prime shipping :)

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: http://smile.amazon.com/Intel-Centrino-Advanced-Brackets-62205ANHMWDTX1/dp/B007ZWL4A6/ref=sr_1_1


|Country|Link|Charity Links|
|:-----------|:------------|:------------|
|USA|smile.amazon.com|EFF|
|UK|www.amazon.co.uk|Macmillan|
|Spain|www.amazon.es||
|France|www.amazon.fr||
|Germany|www.amazon.de||
|Japan|www.amazon.co.jp||
|Canada|www.amazon.ca||
|Italy|www.amazon.it||




To help add charity links, please have a look at this thread.

This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009VKON0S/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1396276420&sr=8-1

I put this rosewill card in my old PC when I replaced it with my new one and it has been working perfectly. It's pretty cheap and easy to install.

I found my self in the same predicament. So I invested in a well known wireless adapter.. This one in particular :http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00RL4A314/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?qid=1462083465&sr=8-10&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=tplink+wireless+adapter&th=1&psc=1

My download speeds only went up about 30 Mbps so I upgraded my router and now I get similar speeds as Ethernet (about 90mbps). I'd recommend testing your router's capabilities first before investing in an adapter. Just my two cents. Good luck! Let me know what you decide.

please include more details in ur post next time but...

if u have a PCI lane open, for 19.99$ should do the job.

if u dont and want a usb adapter, this usb plug and play for 20.99 is worth the .99 cents.

​

the pci wifi adapter will perform significantly better tho and then also becomes a part of your system rather than an attachment which takes a usb drive away.

Honestly, USB wifi sucks. If you're okay with opening up your laptop, it's fairly trivial to upgrade the internal card.

You can get the latest and greatest from Intel pretty cheap: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G42J6KQ

If my google tablet is getting 41Mbps when held behind my PC tower, my PC should be getting 41Mbps with a proper wireless adapter, right? I'm getting 15Mbps right now and I'm almost positive it's my adapter, which I bought on the cheap years ago (previous internet service was 12Mbps so I didn't even think about the adapter.)


I should see a solid increase with a better adapter, right? Is this TP-LINK Archer T8E AC1750 overkill?

Some mother boards, like my Gigabyte GA-Z170-Ultra Gaming supports an addon card like https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0722SV69N/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&psc=1 which is an Alpine Ridge TB3 chipset which is what Apple uses. Asus also has an Alpine Ridge addon card. This was the easiest way for me to get TB3 into my hack.

>If you aren't network scanning, the intel is more stable.

...Wait a minute, how does this work? If you're network scanning, doesn't that mean the chipset is actively doing something at all times, but then how are Intel's cipsets more stable when not doing that, isn't that a little backwards?

>https://www.amazon.com/WiFi-AX200-PCs-802-11AX-Bluetooth-NGW/dp/B07TLBNSZQ

...I don't use Amazon, but thanks for pointing out that that chipset exists.

Current: (6-1) x 4 TB = 20 TB

New:
(3-1) x 6 TB = 12 TB
(3-1) x 4 TB = 8 TB
20 TB total

You don't gain any space by doing this, though you do prepare for the future.

Are you able to add more drives to your system, perhaps externally? I've personally used these Mediasonic 4-bay enclosures along with an eSATA controller (though the enclosures also support USB3). Get some black electrical tape though, because the blue lights on the enclosure are brighter than the sun. The only downside with port-splitter enclosures is that if one drive fails and knocks out the SATA bus, the other 3 drives will drop offline too. The infamous 3 TB Seagates did that, but I had other drives (both 3 TB WD and 2 TB Seagates) fail without interfering with the other drives. Nothing was permanently damaged; just had to remove the failed drive before the other 3 started working again. Also, the enclosure is not hot-swap; you have to power down to replace drives. But hey, it's $99 for 4 drive bays.

6 TB Red drives are $200 right now ($33/TB); 8 TB are $250 ($31/TB), and 10 TB are $279 ($28/TB).

Instead of spending $600 (three 6 TB drives) and getting nothing, spend $672 ($558 for two 10 TB drives, $100 for enclosure, $30 for controller, $4 for black electrical tape) and get +10 TB by adding a pair of 10 TB drives in a mirror in an enclosure, and have another 2 bays free for future expansion.

(6-1) x 4 TB = 20 TB
(2-1) x 10 TB = 10 TB
30 TB total, $668 for +10 TB

Later buy another two 10 TB drives and put them in the two empty slots:

(6-1) x 4 TB = 20 TB
(2-1) x 10 TB = 10 TB
(2-1) x 10 TB = 10 TB
40 TB total, $558 for +10 TB

Then in the future you only have to upgrade two drives at a time, and you can replace your smallest drives with the now-replaced drives.

You can repeat this with a second enclosure, of course. :)

Don't forget that some of your drives will fail outside of warranty, which can speed your replacement plans. If a 4 TB drive fails, go ahead and replace it with a 10 TB drive. You won't see any immediate effect, but you'll turn that 20 TB RAIDz1 into 50 TB that much quicker.

Oh, and make sure you've set your recordsize to save some space! For datasets where you're mainly storing large video files, set your recordsize to 1 MB: "zfs set recordsize=1M poolname/datasetname". This only takes effect on new writes, so you'd have to re-write your existing files to see any difference. You can rewrite files with "cp -a filename tmpfile; mv tmpfile filename" for all files, or a much easier way is just create a new dataset with the proper recordsize, move all files over, then delete the old dataset and rename the new dataset.

See this spreadsheet. With 6 disks in RAIDz1 and the default 128K record size (16 sectors on the chart) you're losing 20% to parity. With 1M record size (256 sectors on the chart) you're losing only 17% to parity. 3% for free!

https://www.reddit.com/r/zfs/comments/9pawl7/zfs_space_efficiency_and_performance_comparison/
https://www.reddit.com/r/zfs/comments/b931o0/zfs_recordsize_faq/

If performance is a concern I would definitely NOT choose Synology or UnRAID. Synology will have a slow CPU and limited RAM. UnRAID will be limited to the performance of just 1 disk for reads and writes because it doesn't stripe. (as you said, they don't span the file system across multiple drives).

I would buy a 24 bay 4U chassis, put in whatever motherboard that's in your price range made by Super Micro that has expansion slots, 16/32/64GB of ECC RAM, a low-grade Xeon CPU (or 4th gen i3), 1-3 IBM m1015 sas/sata controllers in IT mode to support software raid (or use sas expanders with just 1 m1015), and start building your ZFS pools in 8x10TB RAIDZ2 bunches. This way you can eventually get to 180TB usable with 3x 8x10TB RAIDZ2 in that box.

Use either CentOS 7 with ZFS support or Ubuntu Server. For production data, ZFS or gtfo imo.

How cheap is cheap? This is probably one of the better ones.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007ZWL4A6/?tag=pcpapi-20

If you don't mind giving up dual-band and a better antenna, you can save money.
http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WDN4800-Wireless-Express-Low-profile/dp/B007GMPZ0A/ref=sr_1_12?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1393806630&sr=1-12&keywords=tp-link

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01JUCUMBK/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1521490698&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=rosewill+wireless+adapter&dpPl=1&dpID=41vwf%2BfhUnL&ref=plSrch

It's pretty good and is fairly cheap...my setup is on the second floor and even with thick walls I still manage to get around 10mb/s download speed when downloading games from steam :)

Thanks. Sounds like a good plan. Note that "replacement... card" won't help you if it's the same model number. It's not a fault in a bad HBA card, but a limitation on it, so every single SI-PEX40064 card is going to be a bottleneck on the drives connected to it.

Here is a FreeNAS Forum post about choosing an HBA/RAID card. This is generally considered the best card for FreeNAS when it's in IT mode, which comes from that forum post.

Obviously it's much more expensive than your current one, but you get what you pay for, unfortunately, when it comes to RAID/HBA cards and bandwidth/features.

One important note: That "8GB is the minimum" comment is only relevant for when you are using ZFS on FreeNAS. UFS does not need more than 4GB in most cases, but 8GB is the recommended minimum for ZFS.

If you wanted to go for something cheap, TP-Link makes good PCI-E cards. However, when I first got mine, I wasn't getting the performance I wanted or anything that was close to what was advertised. I managed to find an antenna, similar to this one, and I never get lag spikes and have none of the issues I used to have with the included antenna.

Although your mileage may vary. I don't have that specific antenna, so I can't guarantee a certain performance; however it definitely will be better than the default antenna.

This amount of storage is begging for ZFS on Freenas. A 15-drive RAID-Z3 would yield 48TB of storage with triple-redundancy. For any kind of data storage, ZFS provides much higher levels of data integrity than other file systems, but with this much data, it's practically essential along with proper server hardware and ECC memory.

A Freenas build would substitute:

• http://www.supermicro.nl/products/motherboard/Xeon/C220/X10SL7-F.cfm
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Chip-Processor-3-3-BX80646E31230V3/dp/B00D697PEG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1381905598&sr=8-2&keywords=e3-1230
  
• http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=6DD6A77EA5CA7304 x2
  
• http://www.amazon.com/IBM-Serveraid-M1015-Controller-46M0831/dp/B0034DMSO6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381905555&sr=8-1&keywords=ibm+m1015
  
• http://www.amazon.com/3WARE-Cable-Multi-lane-Internal-SFF-8087/dp/B000FBYS2U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381907723&sr=8-1&keywords=sff-8087 x2
  
  The SSDs could be used as dedicated L2ARC and ZIL devices to intelligently accelerate reads and writes.
  
  This seems to give a value of ~250W for the power requirements; I gather one PSU should be sufficient.
  
  EDIT - Freenas is designed to be booted from a USB-flash drive; this can be connected directly to a header on the motherboard. The M1015 acts as dumb SATA ports, and not as a RAID controller. When rebuilding a degraded array, unlike a conventional RAID volume, a ZFS RAID-Zn volume only writes data to the new disk in proportion to how full the volume is. And the array described above would easily saturate both gigabit ethernet adapters on the motherboard.

My first PC build has been an absolute nightmare, but finally at the end of the journey, the icing on the cake is that the new wireless card isn't working or even showing up as even plugged in on the BIOS motherboard display screen

Here is the card: Intel wireless AC 9260 2230 card

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B079QJQF4Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here is my motherboard: MSI Z390-A PRO

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-Z390-Socket-1151-S-ATA/dp/B07HSCY9R3/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=msi+motherboard+z390&qid=1565633995&s=computers&sr=1-2

This motherboard has a wireless dedicated M.2 slot on it that supports CNVI IEEE 802.11 AC WAVE2. This is where the card has been put in, with the antennas attached.

I'm running windows 10 if that is relevant, but I'm not sure if it is because even the BIOS can't pick up the card.

I have this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007ZWL4A6/

300mbps 802.11n, comes w/ external antenna. Great performing card, even if it isn't the newest tech, bought it because the rosewill and tp-link cards didn't give me a very good signal, but have since moved to a new location where I can use a wired connection :)

$20 shipped?

Note: I may only have the full height, not the half-height bracket.

Basically, I can't reach an Ethernet cable from my modem to my pc (don't ask why) but I still want the best performance.
Is this a good Network adapter for it's price?
https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-PCI-Express-Archer-T8E/dp/B00RL4A314/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486678354&sr=8-1&keywords=TP-Link+Archer+T8E

That's two different things. A switch is used to connect multiple computers to a network with a wired connection.

My understanding is that you have a wireless router. So you need a wireless adapter for your PC. Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Detachable-Computers-FS-N600-Basic/dp/B071NZ6DL9/ref=sr_1_sc_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1519723102&sr=1-2-spell&keywords=pci+wife+adapter+card

Try that and see how it works for you. If your wireless router supports 5Ghz connect to that.

if you want to, get something like this to put your antenna on your desk instead of behind your PC. This is mainly to give you a true line of sight between your PC and the wireless router. You probably don't need it but they don't cost much either.

https://www.amazon.com/H50328-Wireless-802-11ac-Omnidirectional-connector/dp/B01M2BTFDW/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1519722784&sr=8-8&keywords=external+wifi+antenna

I don't use the external antenna and I'm using 2.4 GHz which does not penetrate walls as well as 5Ghz and I have no problem reaching 50Mbps. I go through a lath and plaster wall which is more solid than Drywall.

I have not used either of those two products I'm just giving them as examples.

Okay. This is a bit embarrasing to ask, but if I buy one of those usb-looking wireless adapters like this one, would I not have to purchase a whole wireless card like this one?

I ordered the operating system with the computer, and it hasn't arrived yet, all the physical components did, so I built it.

Also, that was a good catch. I have windows 7, so it wasn't a problem for me.

http://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-802-11a-Express-Wireless-RNWD-N9003PCe/dp/B009VKON0S/ref=pd_cp_pc_0

I only looked for a couple minutes, but this is the only adapter I found that supports windows 8. I'm sure you could find others too, just look around a bit

Thanks, any particular ones you'd recommend?

You mean something like this, right? https://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-ProBox-HF2-SU3S2-SATA-Enclosure/dp/B003X26VV4

and then this for the card? https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-PEXESAT32-Express-eSATA-Controller/dp/B003GSGMPU/

• CPU: http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B00K5J2252/
  
  
• Mainboard: http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B00LF9Y0ZG/
  
  
• RAM: http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B00GJ3XNW4/
  
  
• Storage: http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B009CPDI62/
  
  
• Case: http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B009GXZ8MM/
  
  
• PSU: http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B00ALK1TPE/
  
  Comes out to 600€ currently. The motherboard is high-end, if you take one that costs less you might be able to fit the SSD. The speed improvement from an SSD is incredible.
  
  EDIT: Forgot the WIFI. Here is some options:
  
  
• http://www.amazon.fr/Tp-Link-TL-WN881ND-Adaptateur-Express-sans/dp/B006BSPTAQ/
  
• http://www.amazon.fr/TP-LINK-TL-WN951N-Adaptateur-sans-antenne/dp/B0034CL2ZI/
  
• http://www.amazon.fr/TP-Link-TL-WDN4800-Adaptateur-Express-double/dp/B007GMPZ0A/
  
  Might be better to go for three antennas since you said you're upstairs.

Just to clarify, I am talking about PCIe cards. I am not too sure about USB networking cards.

​

Basically of all the different manufacturers of PCIe network cards, (ASUS, Gigabyte, TP-link, Rosewill, etc...) They are all just using the same OEM chips from Intel (and maybe qualcomm???) Basically what you need to do is find the correct OEM chip you want, then try to find the cheapest integrator. Here is the kicker, you pretty much always have to ask the merchant which chip you would be getting. A lot of time they update the chip on the networking cards without ever actually changing the branding or name of the networking card.

​

A sure fire easier way to get what you want would be to integrate the chip yourself. Just get a PCIe m.2 adapter (try to find one with an antenna):

​

https://www.newegg.com/p/0XM-00JK-00010?Description=m.2%20wifi%20antenna&cm_re=m.2_wifi_antenna-_-9SIADXZ5VY4791-_-Product

​

Then pick out the chip that you want. I believe this one is the latest:

​

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Wireless-AC-9560-2230-Gigabit/dp/B07G42J6KQ

fenvi PCIe Wifi Card Next-Gen Wi-Fi 6 MU-MIMO OFDMA AX200 802.11ax PCI Adapter wifi 6 for PC Network Wireless PCI-e Card 2x2 2.4/5GHz BT 5.0 2.4Gbps 11AX Miracast vPro AX200NGW With Advanced Heat Sink https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SPCL2FZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_8j1qDbKCXK3AS

I would get something along those lines personally, should last you for a good while, I bought my wifi card in 2016 and it is still going strong

If you're on a budget that's probably the best you can get. Otherwise a PCIe card + this wireless M.2 card would be better.

I got you fam.

Grab a PCIe wifi card.

They are cheap, and provide the best signal possible. Way better than the wifi usb dongles for the same price.

Thanks for posting these, they're really interesting!

Regarding the Aorus z270 guide, I've been wanting to build an ITX Hackintosh (I want a small computer) but I'm not sure about WiFi. I'm a little confused, but it seems like a lot of people use a PCI-e card that supports both WiFi and Bluetooth, like this one. But that motherboard has only one PCI-e slot, which I want to put a GPU in, so would I be stuck on Ethernet? Is there any other way to get WiFi and Bluetooth working (don't care about handoff)?

I got the TP-Link Archer AC1750 from amazon open box. Works great, way better than the usb options I've tried. PCI attachment IMO is the only way to go.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RL4A314?psc=1

Would like to try the new LGA 1151 onboard wifi options available now to see if they are are comparable or better, but haven't had the chance.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RL4A314?psc=1

Tampering with packets, outside the box, would probably cost ... let's see... $9, with free two-day-shipping for anyone who has a desktop with a free PCI port. Most of the kinds of people who've got the knowledge to do it won't even need to spend the $9 though, as they'll already have the parts laying around.

Wireshark, as well as WireEdit are quite free. Not that I think their costing money would stop the sort of people who're gonna use them to cheat at a video game from obtaining them for free...

None of that bricks consoles.

I don't know any mac compatible usb dongles, but there is a cheaper version of the product I listed. If you're really in need of a cheap usb dongle, you may want to try heading over to the tonymacx86 forums. Find someone who has had success with the device you want, or a similar one, and go from there.

Something like this or this?

You can search for mini PCIe form factor network card, I think those are what you're looking for. The price range seemes pretty cheap on Amazon.

Yeah, it's going to be a bit of a project :)

From my reading it seems like freenas is fine virtualized as long as you use a supported HBA (I'm going to use one of these https://www.amazon.com/IBM-Serveraid-M1015-Controller-46M0831/dp/B0034DMSO6) and have pci passthrough.

PFsense is definitely also going to be work to set up, but lots of people seem to have done it so I'm excited for the challenge.

Nah, Wi-fi cards won’t effect anything.

How much are you looking to spend? If you don’t mind a black body I’d recommend replacing key caps.

I’ll research keyboards in a little bit cuz I also love white, also r/mechanicalkeyboardsuk

You can get this Wi-fi card

Something kind of cool, you can get a thunderbolt 3 PCIe card, and use your interface with what you have now, or any commodity board you buy in the future. https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-Alpine-Thunderbolt-Components-GC-Alpine/dp/B0722SV69N/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=thunderbolt+3+card&qid=1569991204&s=electronics&sr=1-3

As long as you're booting off of some kind of SSD now, I'd say go ahead with the GPU upgrade - the 5700XT is a good 2x bump from a 1060. (if not, budget $50 USD for a 500GB basic SSD of some reputable brand to tide you over - the difference is tremendous compared to a hard drive). The 4760k might hold the 5700XT back a BIT compared to newer CPUs in newer games which can utilize more than 4 threads, but you will still certainly notice a huge difference.

PCI Wifi adapters - which to buy? Lookin at 3 - Wifi is important cause It's what I'll be using atm. If there's no difference I'll save a few bucks though.

1. Febsmart FS-N600 (budget option) https://www.amazon.com/FebSmart-Adapters-PCIe-Cards-PCIe-FS-N600-Basic/dp/B071NZ6DL9#customerReviews
   
2. Gigabyte GC-WB867D-1 Rev (Seems popular, what I was leaning towards) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HF8K0O6/ref=ox_sc_mini_detail?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A9RRFZDGAXG22
   
3. ASUS A1200 (Nicer than gigabyte?) https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-PCE-AC55BT-B1-Wireless-Bluetooth/dp/B0713RRZMB/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=wifi+adapter+pci+asus&qid=1565925562&s=electronics&sr=1-7

I just checked, the firmware is up to date. I don't have the problem when running an ethernet cable from that same router to the computer, so is it possible that the problem is my own computer's wireless card? I have a TP-Link TL-WN951N 300Mbps Wireless N PCI Adapter.

Either way, I'm open to trying a custom firmware, but as a last resort.

I have the DHCP server disabled now, and I didn't see "NIC" anywhere in the wireless settings, but there is an option for "static IP" in this dropdown menu. Is that what you're talking about?

Thank you for your help.

Talking about wifi card, i've been looking into it.
Some have ugly antennas in the back, Some don't
I currently have a nano wifi key that works perfectly fine.
Any reason i shouldn't pick the antenna-less one ?

Feel free to argue this, but this plugs into a desktop, right? I can see the purpose on a laptop, but there are plenty of ways to achieve HDMI and USB over the USB C/thunderbolt connector. What makes this special?

It would almost certainly work if it works for the oculus... just failing to see how this is anything new.

Just so you get what I mean, this is an item that could be used to achieve this if one wanted it. Sure, the add in card is $60, and the adapters would add a bit more cost, but this would allow you to run both HDMI (in this case via the displayport) and USB 3 over the physical C/Thunderbolt interface without requiring a brand new Nvidia GPU to do so.

Edit: Found some previous discussion on this. This makes me excited to cut the current cable setup down to USB C form factor cables, honestly.

This is just an adapter:

https://www.amazon.com/Fenvi-Express-pcie-Wireless-Adapter/dp/B07H5JJZ88/ref=zg_bs_13983711_78?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=6JJNHWCDJ5DDQBG161HV

Add an intel wireless chip like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G42J6KQ/ref=psdc_13983711_t2_B07H5JJZ88

Or

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Wireless-AC-Network-Bluetooth-7260-HMWWB-R/dp/B00N7474CS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1538696290&sr=8-3&keywords=intel+wireless+adapter

In my experience, Intel makes great drivers (note: they have had issues at times, I know, but they seem to finally fix things.)

Here's a qualcomm wireless card that will fit in that fenvi adapter:

https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-PCI-Express-Half-Size-Atheros-chipset/dp/B012JQVUX8/ref=pd_sbs_147_7?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B012JQVUX8&pd_rd_r=90f116ac-c82e-11e8-954f-1d474762b736&pd_rd_w=8tmkQ&pd_rd_wg=SxWuR&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=7d5d9c3c-5e01-44ac-97fd-261afd40b865&pf_rd_r=QFDR9X7JDT3K8J8136CZ&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=QFDR9X7JDT3K8J8136CZ

A shit ton of adapters:

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=intel+wireless+adapter

Note: be careful with the interface of the actual wireless card, make sure, if you're going to get one of these, that it fits into the fenvi adapter

NVME ssd for the same price.

[Thunderbolt 3 is included, but if you would like to add more]
(https://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-Thunderbolt-Components-GC-ALPINE-RIDGE/dp/B0722SV69N/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1527355155&sr=1-3&keywords=Thunderbolt+3+card)

10Gb Nic

ECC is only included because of the processor Apple uses. It will literally give you no benefit unless you want to use your IMac Pro as a server (God forbid).

5k display was included at the bottom.

I'm still $900+ cheaper.

If you aren't network scanning, the intel is more stable.

Can't recommend a wifi module unless you tell us what it's going in. You have the best,

https://www.amazon.com/WiFi-AX200-PCs-802-11AX-Bluetooth-NGW/dp/B07TLBNSZQ

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005511/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking.html

And then everything else below that. Depends on antenna's available, slot available, form factor(m.2/pcie), etc.

you can buy new fenvi wifi 6 pcie adapter...on amazon/aliexpress

wifi 6 are next gen super fast and stable

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SPCL2FZ

Alright. Your build looks good in of itself.

If you still need to drop the price then the CPU could be a good place to start. (Although with the sale on the i7 with the current build in OP your total comes to around $1260 so I'd say you're fine)

Just want to stress how 802.11ac Dual Band is basically 2-3 times faster than the 802.11n standard (which was like 2013 standard). If your router doesn't support AC, then yeah you could go with that one, but if it does (as most modern routers do), then maybe this or this or the ones mentioned in my previous comment.

Sorry for the late comment, was like 1 AM where I live and well... sleeep

You can use a PCIe adapter like this or this

or you can use a USB wireless adapter like this or this

You would need either a USB internet adaptor, connect it via an ethernet cable, or something such as this: https://www.amazon.com/Fenvi-Desktop-Wireless-Hackintosh-Supporting/dp/B01IVIHPBY
^ not sure if that will work with a regular desktop but yeah, that’s what i recommend.

oh right, woops!

what types of things should i be looking for when shopping for the best internal WiFi-card?
i'm looking at :

1. http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Network-7260-HMWG-Wireless-AC-Bluetooth/dp/B00DMCVKMU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408124250&sr=8-1&keywords=intel+7260
   
   
2. http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TG-3269-1000Mbps-Gigabit-Network/dp/B0034CSUZ8/ref=zg_bs_13983711_4
   
   
3. http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Gigabit-Network-Adapter-EXPI9301CTBLK/dp/B001CY0P7G/ref=zg_bs_13983711_5
   
   

Thanks, that would be good to know. I got the Intel AC9260.

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-1000Mbps-Gigabit-Low-profile-TG-3269/dp/B0034CSUZ8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481507916&sr=8-1&keywords=gigabit+PCI

Do you think that one will work? It has better reviews. Sorry for all the questions, I literally know nothing about these legacy cards or anything lol

I've been using a wireless network card in my PC's for years now.

They works great, and ive never had any problems.

This one to be exact.


On-board Mobo adapters can be a bit iffy in my experience.

I greatly appreciate your time. I ended up ordering a Fenvi PCI card from Amazon. It worked straight out of the box and was $18 shipped to Colorado,USA.

https://www.amazon.com/Fenvi-Desktop-Wireless-Hackintosh-Supporting/dp/B01IVIHPBY/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1506794477&sr=1-2&keywords=hackintosh

A more expensive approach, you could get an Intel 8260 m.2 card and a PCI-E adapter card like this one. The adapters seem kind of sketchy and the whole thing is more expansive than buying a packed in solution. Intel also offers PCI-E cards like such from older generations. Not sure on how great the out of box experience will be, but Intel does provide firmware to work with Linux which may be necessary to install.

Yeah, you'll be fine. I have this PCI-e network card adapter in a PCI-e 16x slot, and it works. You can plug any PCI-e 1x, 4x, 8x (up to 16x) in a 16x slot, and it will work just like plugging it into a normal 1x, 4x, 8x slot.

Rosewill Wireless N Dual Band Adapter IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n PCI Express Up to 450Mbps Data

http://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-Wireless-Adapter-802-11a-RNWD-N9003PCe/dp/B009VKON0S

I bought this for my temp apartment that has a Comcast Wireless N router (I'm too far away from it to lay down a wired connection,) and I'm very happy with the throughput. Streaming Hulu or Netflix isn't a problem.

https://www.reddit.com/r/hardwareswap/comments/dyv1b2/usacah_alienware_aw3418dw_dell_s2716dg_intel_core/

​

https://www.amazon.com/Ubit-1730Mbps-Bluetooth-Dual-Band-WIN10%EF%BC%88WIE9260%EF%BC%89/dp/B07PMGJ9XY/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Ubit&qid=1574891674&s=electronics&sr=1-1

​

This guy has a great, cheap wifi card.

It looks like the small pci-e slot that the network card would occupy, would be blocked by your graphics card (as the graphics card is 2 slots high).

And checking the specification for the motherboard on Asus' site, it looks like the bottom slot is PCI and not PCI-e, so you wouldn't be able to plug it into that.

You could look around for a PCI network card and you should be able to utilise that bottom slot instead of the smaller one, something like this would presumably work.

I was thinking of looking at something with bluetooth 5.0 as well, would this one be good? https://www.amazon.com/Ubit-1730Mbps-Bluetooth-Dual-Band-WIN10%EF%BC%88WIE9260%EF%BC%89/dp/B07PMGJ9XY/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=bluetooth+5.0+pc&qid=1573060164&sr=8-4&tag=tvshowreminders-20

spring for this.

My french is a bit rusty but was enough to parse the italian. For future reference may be better to post links to english pages? just an imo.

You will need a pci or usb wifi adaptor, like these :
USB: http://www.amazon.com/USB-N10-wireless-N-Transmit-Interface-software/dp/B003E6493G Or
PCI: http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WN951N-Wireless-Advanced-Low-profile/dp/B0034CL2ZI.
Yes you just need OS, mouse, keyboard and your screen, the tower is fully functional. Invest in a power surge protector if you have budget for it.

I'm using The Rosewill N9003PCe N Speed card on 10.8.3 and it works perfectly.

Easy solution. Get a bluetooth chip that either plug right into your mobo or a usb plug.

mobo chip

usb plug

Most wifi cards use intel chipsets, and will show up as an intel card in the OS. The differences come down to (a) which intel chipset the card is using, (b) price, and (c) how nice the external antenna is -- for example does it use a lead, or is it a stick that screws directly on to the card.

I'm partial to the AX200 cards on amazon, because they support wifi 6 and are only a couple dollars more than 802.11ac (Wifi 5) cards. Here's an example

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SPCL2FZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_2woADbJKG4H2X this is what I got and is really fast. Probably the best you could buy right now.

Alright, so this would fit into the orange/yellow slot?

That’s interesting... I got this: StarTech PEXESAT32 2 Port SATA 6 Gbps PCI Express eSATA Controller Card https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003GSGMPU Has been working great and haven’t noticed a slowdown.

Check this out. Exactly what you want. Works with Win 8.1.

Comment from a user -

>A few weeks later I ran in to a copy of Windows 8.1 and decided to give it whirl on my system. Windows recognized the card right off the bat and worked at full speed without installing any drivers.

I havn't tried this first hand but two people mention it working out of the box on linux. It connects the bluetooth over usb2 header. https://amazon.com/dp/B07PMGJ9XY/

It says only Win10 support for AP but I think you might be able to tinker with it.

20 dollars is too little for what you want I think.

I assume "intel convince" was from autocorrect, and you meant Intel CNVi. Basically this means part of what you would normally need in a wireless adapter is built directly into the chipset. You would still need something like an Intel 9560 to get actual wireless

Need A Wireless Adapter For College:

Should I go for the cheaper one or does the expensive one give better performance?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RL4A314/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=OYB3E6P9NCY4&coliid=I39EH733NBYARE&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HF8K0O6/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=OYB3E6P9NCY4&coliid=I3HK5Z1QS2O10R

>Let me know if you come across a good wifi card in the country. Not keen to go for banggood straight-away.

I am looking at those options because they use Intel controllers. I found one with Intel AX200NGW controller which was launched April this year. Off-brands are quicker than the mainstream. But apart from the PCIe card brand name seems irrelevant. Pricing looks awfully tempting but those M.2 modules itself are cheap even on retail.

Specs:

• https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/189347/intel-wi-fi-6-ax200.html
  
  Ali Express link:
  
  
• https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33038883661.html
  
  They are sold in Amazon US, too:
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/AX200NGW-MU-MIMO-Wireless-Bluetooth-Support/dp/B07SHPKKBR?th=1
  
• https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SPCL2FZ/
  
• https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-GC-Wbax200-802-11Ax-Bluetooth-Expansion/dp/B07VNBC5PS/

You have a couple of options: Internal wireless card, or USB wireless card.

there's tons of different brands and price-points, but they essentially do the same thing. If you want to find more, on Amazon or ebay or whatever search "PCI Wireless card' for the internal, and "USB Wireless card" for the USB one.

AC 9260 here as well. Totally worth the swap, and relatively cheap

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079QJQF4Y/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Is that significantly better than this?

https://www.amazon.com/1730Mbps-Bluetooth-Ubit-Dual-Band-WIN10%EF%BC%88WIE9260%EF%BC%89/dp/B07PMGJ9XY/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=wireless+bluetooth+pcie&qid=1564693433&s=gateway&sprefix=wireless+bluetooth+pc&sr=8-3

I've only ever seen this done on a pci card, never an external adapter/cable. For newer PCs I'd recommend using a TB3 card like https://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-Alpine-Thunderbolt-Components-GC-Alpine/dp/B0722SV69N (this is the one I use) but those HP boxes don't support it. The Dell might work but check that the TB3 header is actually present on your motherboard first. You'll also probably need a BIOS update.

For older motherboards that don't support TB3 addon cards, something like this one should work: https://www.amazon.com/Dual-USB-C-Express-Alternate-Mode-UPD2018/dp/B01MY4WRBU

Both cards work by looping the DP output of your video card back in using a short jumper cable.

That one is the model lower than the mPCI one I already posted, but I think that the regular PCI version (instead of mPCI) has a bit better connectivity.

> Fenvi FV T919

Which one did you purchase? I am looking on Amazon, and see multiple types under the same link. FYI, I am looking here:

https://www.amazon.com/Fenvi-Desktop-Wireless-Hackintosh-Supporting/dp/B01IVIHPBY

I'm a big fan of the Fenvi cards that are based off the intels, also include BT 5.0. Intel AX200 and Intel AC 9260. They're about 10 bucks more, but include bluetooth, and the one is wifi 6 if that's important to you.

I'd agree 100% not to cheap out on the PSU. But in a build that budget restricted I wouldn't spend an extra $40 on one. The one included seems to be fine based on reviews.

The Motherboard I linked does include bluetooth, the one you have currently doesn't. Although it does have the Mini PCI-E Slot and mounting bracket, so you could add something like this to give it that functionality. You'd also need the antennas probably.

With this motherboard: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157733&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Can I use this wireless card: https://www.amazon.com/Intel-7260-HMWG-R-Wireless-AC-Bluetooth-Mounting/dp/B00MV3N7UO/ ?

Or can someone recommend one?

will this adapter set up https://www.amazon.com/Sourcingbay-NGFF-Wireless-Card-Adapter/dp/B013U4401W?pldnSite=1
and https://www.amazon.com/Sourcingbay-NGFF-Wireless-Card-Adapter/dp/B013U4401W?pldnSite=1

work with my mobo: https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/ROG-STRIX-Z270G-GAMING/

and is it the best possible thing I could get? I'm having problems with the wifi adapter this mobo came with it keeps randomly dcing

Cool, so something like this will do what I want reliably?

Hey Militant. The only thing you might think of doing differently is getting a different wireless card depending on your network setup. Not sure how much you plan to use wireless, but the card you have is only rated for "N" bandwidth, which will be plenty for internet speeds, but if you'll be moving large files around a network, you might want to get a card that does "AC" which will get up to 866Mbps rather than N (my usual N speeds are ~140Mbps on a single channel). Networking mumbo jumbo is tricky. You won't actually get 900Mbps out of a N900 at one time. Your max is 450Mbps, but I haven't been able to get my N cards ever up that high. AC is basically having a wireless connection as fast as wired (~1000Mbps). The difference is ten pounds on your uk amazon from the same manufacturer (the AC1300 version). It's also backwards compatible with g,n, etc. Your router though will have to be AC to take advantage of it, but it would be future proofed.

I have 2 of the 3 antenna version of that one. Good cards and you can't beat the price.

PCI-X - http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TG-3269-1000Mbps-Gigabit-Network/dp/B0034CSUZ8

PCIe - http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TG-3468-1000Mbps-Gigabit-Express/dp/B003CFATNI/

You probably need PCIe. It will probably be better than wireless, especially if you have gigabit LAN to all your devices.

Just get one of these. They tend to work better.

Thanks, although I was referring to the card that he's pairing this with. Most likely in this sub the IBM ServeRaid m1015

Fenvi Desktop Wireless Card 2.4/5GHz draft 802.11n 300Mbps Desktop WLAN PCI-E Card Windows Mac OS X Hackintosh System Also Supporting Windows 7 Window https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IVIHPBY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apap_ICGI9R2jRy2mj

Wow, I didn't know they actually advertised Intel Wifi. I bought this same exact board from the exact link you posted and mine also came with a Realtek card, which is complete and utter shit. I cannot emphasize how awful that card was; low reception and like 3 mbps download speed on 100 mbps internet. If I knew about the listed wifi I would have definitely complained on amazon.

Too late now though, since I already purchased an Intel 9260 with Bluetooth to replace that godawful realtek card.

I use this and get over 100. Also has Bluetooth which is a nice perk. Uses a PCIE slot
Gigabit AC 1730Mbps Bluetooth 5.0 Wireless WiFi Card,Ubit 802.11 AC Dual-Band WLAN 1730Mbps Network Card with Bluetooth 5.0, Dual-Band 2.4GHz 300Mbps or 5GHz 1430Mbps Network Card for WIN10（WIE9260） https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PMGJ9XY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_44wvDbRJV817J

I use these spliters for more SATA power connectors and These hotswap cages for housing the drives. They are often on sale at newegg for $40-60, this card Flashed to IT mode will add another 8 sata connections via two sas connectors(sff-8087) via a breakout cable

Currently I am running 8x3tb drives in my pc with a gtx 970 and my 550watt PSU handles it just fine.

Assuming the wifi module is the same type, there's no difference in performance between on-board wifi and an add-on card. They use the same types of module (they look like this) whether integrated onto the board or a PCI-E card.

One downside of an add-on card is you take up an extra slot and it can result in a less clean looking build, one advantage is you can take the card to your next PC.

I have a TP-LINK Archer T8E AC1750 Dual... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RL4A314?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

PM me if interested.

What I would use if I were setting up WiFi for a desktop PC.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B013HCNTZU

And yes it dose work with Linux.

there is only the asrock x570m pro4, it has two slots for m.2 nvme drives and a m.2 slot for a wifi card. The Intel wifi 6 card costs $25 plus antennas. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TLBNSZQ/ref=twister_B07TYQ2P9K?_encoding=UTF8&th=1

If you don't need pcie 4.0 you could also get a b450 itx board, those also support 2 m.2 drives (possibly not 2 nvme) and wifi.
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/N4jJ7P,kbx2FT,ZGDJ7P/

Cool ended up with these 2.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N1Q2M6A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003GSGMPU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

What's the model of your card? I remember when I was shopping around for an internal wireless card, I had to steer clear of some of the less expensive models because they didn't support windows 10 (only up to Windows 7 or 8).

Edit: Is it this one? https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-802-11N-Express-Wireless-RNWD-N9003PCe/dp/B009VKON0S/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1484183166&sr=8-6&keywords=Rosewill+wireless+card

I did end up replacing the card with this one here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079QJQF4Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's disappointing that this was the solution, since it looks like a lot of the laptops are being shipped with faulty wi-fi cards.

I did notice that my wi-fi before the switch only dropped when I was on battery mode. It never dropped when I had the charger in so I don't know what that says about the problem. 100% of the time without fail, once I unplugged the charger within 15 minutes the wi-fi disconnected and I had to reconnect over and over again.

This new card has been working perfectly, on battery and plugged in, on public and private wi-fi of all speeds.