I'm in the process of upgrading my PC with a 7800x3d and need to choose an AM5 motherboard. I already have a decent PCIe x1 WiFi card that's comparable to the onboard WiFi on many motherboards. I'm weighing the pros and cons of getting a motherboard that includes onboard WiFi versus one that doesn't, since the prices are relatively similar. My concern is that onboard WiFi could become outdated over time, and I'd prefer to keep my options open for upgrading my WiFi card later on. Here are the motherboards I'm considering:
- Asrock B650 PG Lightning (no WiFi) $150
- Asrock B650 Pro RS (no WiFi) $150
- Gigabyte B650 Eagle AX (no WiFi) $160
- Gigabyte B650 Gaming X AX WiFi $160
- MSI B650 Gaming Plus WiFi $160
- Gigabyte B850 Gaming X WiFi6E $160
5 Answers
I vote for getting the WiFi on the motherboard. It not only frees up space for airflow but also helps in avoiding any PCIe lane issues with your existing WiFi card.
So I've been looking into this too. The speed difference between the motherboard's WiFi and a PCIe card usually isn’t huge. Whether the extra $10 is worth it depends on what card you already have. If it’s high-end, your current card might still be better.
I would recommend going for the B850 Gaming X WiFi6E. It’s just $10 more than the B650 options and offers future-proofing with PCIe 5.0. It's a small price to pay considering it could save you significant performance loss down the line if you upgrade your GPU.
Totally agree, especially since that $10 is much cheaper than the potential $100 loss in GPU performance for a small increase.
Does your PCIe card support WiFi 7? If it does, it’s worth keeping that over the onboard option if it’s older. This way, you save the PCIe slot for future upgrades.
Honestly, for just $10 more, I'd say get the motherboard with WiFi. It eliminates the need for a card that could block airflow, plus if the onboard WiFi fails, you have a backup without hassle. No brainer, really!
True, but having both options is great for troubleshooting or backup, just like having integrated graphics alongside your dedicated GPU.