Intel 3945 a/b/g or Thinkpad a/b/g card?

So, after lots of research I've decided to get the T60 and was noticed there are two seemingly identical wireless options for the T60, 1. Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG and 2. ThinkPad 11a/b/g Wireless LAN.

They are both the exact same price and I am not sure which to get. On other forums some people report problems with the Intel card when used with Linksys (which I currently use). On the other hand, I haven't found anything good/bad about the Thinkpad card.

I am guessing that I would get better battery life with the Intel card (is this true?). But, I don't know anything else about either one.

Anyone have personal experience or advice? Thanks!

 

also interested in this answer. I though the 'other' card was an atheros chipset. If so that would be my preference (better range in my unscientific measurements).

 

Waiting for this one, too.

 

The Thinkpad card is an Atheros card. In the past I had lots of problems with Intel cards. Up until the 3945 I had inconsistent connections and poor thru-put on the PEAP network at work. I have the 3945 in my T60 and unlike the previous Intel cards the 3945 works surprisingly well.

I had a Z series that had the Thinkpad card. For whatever reason I had very inconsistent performance with the Thinkpad card. I also noticed that with the Thinkpad card turned on my CPU usage would rise from 0-2 percent to 10-30 percent. This was one of the reasons why I returned my Z.

So based on my experience I've had much better luck with the Intel solution.

 

I'd go with the Intel card. In fact it doesn't really matter which one you choose unless you plan on using Linux and the availability of drivers might be a concern. I have been using Thinkpads with Intel/Cisco/IBM branded wireless cards and found no major differences between them. Connection drop-out problems were mostly related to the old Intel 11Mbps wireless card released with T40.

You can get more battery life with both cards by adjusting their transmit power/idle power setting. The Centrino badge is purely a branding exercise

 

Thanks everyone...very helpful.

duffyanneal, did you experience better reception when you had the atheros card in the z (despite increased cpu usage) in comparison to the intel in the t?

 

I deeply regret getting the intel card. One of my professors got this notebook to and gets a superbly better signal. I've had signals dropped when the router is next door. Plus intels connection software doesn't compare to IBM/Lenovo's suites.

 

I bought a T43 with an Intel 2915 a/b/g Card. Every now and then my connection dropped, even though I had a very strong signal. In addition the connection speed slowed down to 11Mbps, eventually recovering to 54Mbps.
I switched to the Thinkpad a/b/g/ card and now I have not seen a dropped connection or slow speed since I upgraded to the Atheros card.

 

akordz, the reception seemed about the same. I receive the same access points on the Intel vs. the Atheros.

I believe some people are confusing the previous generation Intel cards with the current generation. As I stated earlier the older Intel cards and software are POS. The current cards work very well.

FYI Icelox18, by default the Intel card uses Access connections which is the same software suite as the Thinkpad card.