Intel 1000 vs Intel 6205

One good reason to get the 6205 is support for the 5 GHz "A" band, which can be very useful in business environments or to avoid interference in an upgraded home environment.

Another good reason to get the 6205 is antenna diversity, which tends to provide better connections and higher speeds. Although going to 3 antennas can be better yet, it's not as big an improvement as going from 1 to 2.

The only good reason to get the 6300 over the 6205 is if you have a wireless router than supports the higher speed.

There are no significant differences in power consumption. (Wi-Fi transmits over only one antenna at any given time.)

There is no significant difference between current Realtek (ThinkPad) and Intel Wi-Fi cards -- they all work very well. (The most sensitive chipsets are made by Atheros.)

Bottom Line: I usually advise my ThinkPad clients to go with the Intel 6205 (or 6250 if they need WiMAX). I advise you likewise.

 

Unless you're using Linux. In which case, avoid Realtek. Intel has a history of producing relatively high-quality drivers for their cards. Realtek has a history of producing... Well they have a history, but it ain't great.