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Hi,
Just agreed on a price to build a computer for a family member but forgot a wifi card. Can anyone recommend a super-cheap card? I'm gonna pay for this out of my own pocket so I want a cheap card, but I dont want any long-term headaches cos I've skimped on it.
Depends on how's the reception from the router to where the PC right now (or will be).
Any cheap card would do, I would say. Most people don't see any difference between 150Mbps and 450Mbps unless you are moving files from and/or to a NAS.
A PCI or PCIe get usually better connection but I've seen some USB adapters excelling also due to being used in the front USB ports.
Go for a single stream 802.11n card and go with the slot which is still free on the motherboard. PCI or PCIe both work fine. But so do USB adapters.
EDIT: 300Mbps cards are around £10-12 from Scan but from experience I can tell you that my trusted EW-7722UTn USB adapter keeps up with or exceeds most cards. Choose depending on the situation. If you could wait, eBay would do as well, I would say.
EDIT: think the cheapest possible would be a miniPCIe to PCIe adapter card and the cheapest miniPCIe WiFi card (£5-6 tops for both I would say). Make sure your adapter card will have antennas when buying.
Just checked:
PCIe adapter card: £3.25
miniPCIe WiFi: starts from £0.99