The Best PCIE Wifi Card in 2022

WiFi might be an old technology already, but it continues to get upgrades every once in a while. Those upgrades result in faster browsing speeds and more stable connections as well. Most of the best PC builds nowadays come with one thing in common and that’s the fact that they’re all equipped with a custom PCI-E WiFi card that’s built for better connectivity.

A good PCI-E WiFi card can benefit you in many ways. It’s far from just giving your setup the best connection possible. If that’s what you’re on the lookout for right now, you’re in luck as here are the 6 best PCI-E WiFi cards that your money can buy right now.

When it comes to PC parts and gaming needs in general, there’s no doubt that ASUS is one of the brands that are synonymous with high quality, so you shouldn’t be surprised that the top spot on this list belongs to the brand. ASUS PCEAC56 occupies the top spot in PCI-E wireless gaming cards. It’s easy to see why as, from the base perspective, it’s plain to see that the AC56 is built to last, perform, and, most importantly, satisfy your connection needs. The AC56 not only offers excellent speed and general performance; it also has very high reliability. The ASUS PCEAC56 offers dual-band operation and supports transmission speeds up to 876 Mbit/s (5 GHz) or 400 Mbit/s (2.4 GHz). In addition to this, ASUS includes a variety of modulation technologies to help give you the most optimal performance for your PC. Those options include the latest technologies such as OFDM, DBPSK, 64 QAM, 16 QAM, and many more. All of these modulation technologies help improve performance while letting you prioritize your PC’s overall data transmission increase. ASUS has equipped it with two external antennas, finding the best location from your device or rig to your router is a child’s play. Combine this with the wide range of AC56 support to let you place your PC wherever you like in your home. Easy to install, AC56 is able to work with almost all versions of Windows, which is just what most users are looking for right now. Add all these elements, along with the powerful heatsink that comes with it, and you’ll have a great little PCI-E WiFi card for your next build. The ASUS PCE-AC56 PCI is undoubtedly a beast of a performer. Thanks to its features and overall build, it’s safe to say that ASUS has done it again and they’ve delivered quite a PCI-E card for gamers and other PC users to have.

Pros

• Superb data transfer speed
• Allows for longer connectivity
• Best performance overall

Cons

• Doesn't support Linux

Specification

• Price $62.00
• Item Dimensions LxWxH 4.76 x 0.85 x 3.9 inches
• Data Transfer Rate 1331.2 Megabits Per Second
• Item Weight 0.23 Pounds

What’s great about PCI-E WiFi cards is that they aren’t overly expensive. In fact, you don’t have to spend more than a hundred dollars for most of the items on this list. If you want the cheapest PCI-E WiFi card, however, consider getting the TP-Link AC1300. If you’re looking for one of the best area coverage, solid signal strength, and of course, affordability, you don’t have to look anymore. A balanced combination of all three, the TPLink AC1300 PCI-E WiFi card brings the reliability of the TPLink name. This particular adapter, along with the top performers in this guide, offers speeds of 867 Mbps in the 5 GHz band and 400 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band. This speed is more than what you need for most game scenarios. It also comes with excellent streaming and browsing results. The two external antennas are not at the top of the industry right now. However, the PCI-E WiFi card still offers sufficient coverage for the WLAN. This gives you more freedom to choose where to play. The AC1300 heatsink is one of the best in this guide and provides excellent heat dissipation during operation. This model is able to support most versions of Windows. That includes Windows 10 which is great for gaming and most advanced PC needs. Unfortunately, Linux is not supported. Overall, it’s still one of the best wireless cards on the market today and it’s cost-effective. If you want something that’s cheap, very functional, and fast as well, this might just be the best PCI-E WiFi card on the market right now. TPLink proves that they are one of the top brands when it comes to connectivity devices. This model is great for many reasons, but really, one of the main reasons why you should get it is its affordability.

Pros

• Good area coverage
• Affordable
• Excellent heatsink

Cons

• Subpar speed

Specification

• Price $34.99
• Item Dimensions LxWxH 4.76 x 4.74 x 0.85 inches
• Data Transfer Rate 1300 Megabits Per Second
• Item Weight 0.6 Pounds

PCI-E WiFi cards come with a slew of amazing features now. Aside from allowing your PC to connect to WiFi seamlessly, most of today’s devices also let you in on other connectivity features such as Bluetooth. This is one of the things that make the Ubit WiFi 6E 7th Generation PCIe WiFi Card more special. Ubit’s 7th Generation WiFi Cards offer a combination of fast transfer speeds and a lag-free experience, making them suitable for gamers and professional use. What you might not know is that this is the only card on this list that has a wired antenna system. When it comes to the range department, wired PCI-E WiFi cards are always at a slight disadvantage right now. The AX210 card comes built with two removable antennas that are connected to the WiFi card. They’re connected via a screw system on the back, so they’re nice and secure, and you don’t have to worry about it falling off. The Ubit WiFi card provides users with dual-band frequencies, providing approximately 2400 Mbps in the 5.0 GHz band and 574 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band. Both are sufficient to meet most gaming requirements. As we said a while back, this WiFi card comes equipped with a BlueTooth 5.2 connection. This is a good feature to have as it will allow you to easily connect to compatible devices should you need it. This model might lag behind when it comes to the speed department, but other than this, you have nothing else to worry about. It’s a great model overall thanks to its extra features and wired connections that make it a beast of a PCI-E card. Don’t be afraid of going back to wired PCI-E cards. These may seem archaic, but the benefits they offer to your PC are well worth it. If you want something with a wider area of coverage, then this is one of the best cards to get right now.

Pros

• Powerful Bluetooth performance
• Great speed
• High-quality antenna

Cons

• Basic heatsink

Specification

• Price $36.98
• Item Dimensions LxWxH ‎7.68 x 4.76 x 1.73 inches
• Data Transfer Rate 2400 Megabits Per Second
• Item Weight 0.2 Kilograms

One of the things that you should look for when it comes to PCI-E cards should be its ease of installation. Not all products in this category are easy to install, nor are they compatible with most software and hardware. For the Rosewill RNX-AC1900PCE, this isn’t a problem. If you’re looking for a high-speed PCI-E WiFi card but don’t have the cash to get one of the premium products, don’t worry. Rosewill will support it. This is the RNXAC1900PCE, an excellent combination of unbeatable performance and affordability that’s very tough to find elsewhere. This provides the speed needed to run the game efficiently, which is another thing you should look for in PCI-E WiFi cards. In terms of speed, the AC1900 offers a whopping 1300 Mbps in the 5 GHz band and 600 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band. Both are very good at the price. The AC1900 comes built with three removable omnidirectional antennas. These are just some of the main contributors to its excellent performance and speed when it comes to connections. They make it very easy to find a clean, strong, and uninterrupted place for your PC/laptop. As for support, the AC1900 was surprisingly easy to install, which is not common in PCI-E cards. In most cases, it’s actually hard to install the device. In terms of compatibility, the good news is that this model is okay on most Windows-based systems. However, it is documented that this wireless card does not work on Windows 10 systems. However, these may be isolated cases as there are some users that don’t report this problem. The Rosewill RNX-AC1900PCE offers amazing performance and useability at an affordable price. It’s kind of hard to find this kind of quality in today’s PCI-E cards. If you’re on a tight budget, then this PCI-E card is definitely the best option for you right now.

Pros

• Affordable
• Easy to install
• Great transfer speeds

Cons

• Problems with software as per some users

Specification

• Price $50.35
• Item Dimensions LxWxH ‎8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Data Transfer Rate 1300 Megabits Per Second
• Item Weight 0.25 Pounds

This is the most compact standard AC card on the list, but all roads lead to Rome and include everything to enthusiastically serve you. It has a versatile WLAN channel that complies with the 802.11a standard and is backward compatible with the b/g/n standard. This dual-band WLAN offers transmission speeds of 867 Mbit/s in the 5 GHz band and up to 300 Mbit/s in the 2.4 GHz band. Therefore, you can run high-quality videos, play the latest online games, and transfer files easily. The device is able to reach highly stable download and upload speeds that match the advertised numbers. One of the great features is an antenna that’s very versatile and also allows for amazing reach. It features a removable antenna design with 2 transmitters and 2 receivers in each. You can attach these to the top or side of the case with a built-in magnetic antenna that comes out of the box. In addition, the controlled card is equipped with a standard bracket and it also comes with a low profile bracket. These installments allow the devices to fit into a small form factor computer. The device’s beautifully designed heatsink blends nicely with the PCB’s compact form factor to provide perfect heat dissipation to the card. It works out-of-the-box on Windows 10/8/7 using the available drivers on the included mini CD. However, the driver for Linux is out of date on the Startech website, so you’ll need to access other sources of the driver. In summary, it’s compact, fast, and has the right percentage of coverage. You will not regret spending money on this card. Indeed, this is one of the best thin PCIe wireless card options available on the market today.

Pros

• Compact frame
• Comes with two bracket profiles

Cons

• Small heatsink

Specification

• Price $65.24
• Item Dimensions LxWxH 7.91 x 6.06 x 2.25 inches
• Data Transfer Rate 867 Megabits Per Second
• Item Weight 370 Grams

While most PCI-E WiFi cards are cheap, there are also those that are expensive. What you get out of that price though is a quality PCI-E card that can last you a lifetime. One of those premium cards is the TP-Link T9E Archer. This amazing PCI-E’s biggest downside is its price only.

The network card market is pointing pretty strongly at TPLink. It is clear from the fact that there are multiple TPLink cards in our list. Like others on the list, this card supports 802.11 AC standards with previous standard backward compatibility. Archer T9E shows another magnificent large speed spectrum, up to 1900 Mbps at 5 GHz and 600 Mbps to 2.4 GHz. This is everything you need for HD video you need online games and LagFree online games.

The download speed was 1900 Mbps and the upload speed was 125 Mbps. Special technology is used for the three antennas called “Beamforming Technology” to receive the more directional input of WiFi signal and improve stability and coverage. This is supported by a series of heat sinks that evenly distribute heat throughout the card. In addition, it is compatible with Windows 8/7 / XP (32/64 bit). Unfortunately, the AR9485 chipset contains too few Linux drivers. A guide for troubleshooting WiFi drivers on Linux may help here.

Installation of this card requires a brief description here. First, install the map. Then download the Windows 10 driver from the TPLink website. This will provide the “setup application” with a zip file that will be unzipped. For this to work, you must first disable the existing network interface device. Once that’s done, it’s done and ready for full throttle.

Pros

• Great antenna technology for maximum coverage
• Great heatsink design

Cons

• Expensive

Specification

• Price $190.00
• Item Dimensions LxWxH 4.54 x 4.76 x 0.85 inches
• Data Transfer Rate 1900 Megabits Per Second
• Item Weight 11.2 Ounces