Anyone with the Lenovo X200 got the Intel 5100 wireless card ?

There are currently two options for wireless, the Intel 5100 and Intel 5300.

The 5300 has better reception and transmission (due to more antena).

I wonder if anyone here who got the X200 with the Intel 5100 can comment on wifi quality. I went through all of the X200 reviews posted at the internet, and everybody were sent the Intel 5300 wifi card, no exception.

 

The reason being is... with the cost of upgrading to 5300... there's really no reason to not pick the 5300. You can probably even call Lenovo to bargain your final cost of the laptop, thus making cost even more negligible.

Sorry I didn't answer your question but I just felt like i would recommend the 5300 over the 5100 if you were ordering a x200 =). It's just bang for the buck sort of thing.

 

I got the 5100. It works just fine. I get good range, connections are stable, and I have no complaints. I am not sure why anyone would waste money on the 5300. The gain in theoretical N speed (450vs300 Mbps), is just that theoretical. No N router on the market has achieved much better than 100 Mbps, and I doubt there will be a new one that is that much better than the current products.

 

If you are not ordering directly from Lenovo, it's not easy to get the 5300 card, because most models are pre-configured with the 5100 card (for some strange reason).

 

ya... i been noticing that... and i noticed that in Asus laptops too... most i have seen are also 5100 cards

 

Some of us don't live in the US (or whatever countries they offer configurable models to), and thus can't do anything but buy a preconfigured model.

You're right though, the cost is certainly negligible. It seems silly they decided to put the 5100 in any preconfigured model.

 

I agree that mamximal speed is not the issue here, but if the 5100 has less antena, it could have much worse range. Range is an issue...

 

The thing is we don't know for sure that the 5300 gets any better range than the 5100 under normal conditions.

Yes the 5300 has more antennas. It does not necessarily follow that it will actually achieve better range under the conditions of use of a regular consumer. Until there is a head-to-head test between the 5100 and 5300, that $20 price difference may be better spent on lunch.

Remember that most previous Intel wireless cards are very similar to the 5100. If you didn't experience range issues with your 2100, 2915, 2200, or 3945 wireless cards, I don't believe you will experience range problems with a 5100 either.

 

I sure hope you're right...

 

I definitely have to agree with Jackboot and noam23. I get very good range with my 5100. Until someone performs some head to head tests and PROVES that the 5300 has better range and/or speed than the 5100 under real world conditions I maintain that the 5100 is a better value.