Intel 8260 vs killer 1535

I want to order a new lappy but am confused to choose the Intel 8260 or the Killer 1535

I had very bad experience with my previous Killer card in my Alienware 18 due to their horrible drivers. The Intel 7260 on my previous Alienware 18 served me better.

Now Killer is marketing these WLAN cards as having the lowest latency I don't know if that matters or is just a marketing gimmick?
What shall I choose?

@Mr. Fox

 

I am using an Intel 8260 in my current laptop and it's behaving at its best except for one thing. It does not see the 2.4ghz network from my local TPLINK WDR3600. I can use other 2.4ghz networks, just not this one.

If there is any specific info I can help you with regarding the 8260, just let me know.

 

Since you are using it, I ordered a Sager lappy with the Intel AC 8260

Thanks. I don't trust Killer's drivers as they left a very sour taste in me since last time.

 

Ever since Clevo started offering either killer or intel cards, I went with the intel cards and they have not failed me. I rarely (to none at all) have ran into the issues most people are describing with intel cards.

 

ME too I never had a single problem with my Intel AC 7260. I had the revised edition though not the original one

 

I don't see any difference when downloading from the Internet between a Killer N1525 and an Intel AC-7265 in an MSI GS60 but speed transferring files between notebook and other devices on the home network(NAS,USB attached storage) the Killer wins by a large margin.

No experience yet with the Killer N1535 or Intel AC-8260 but I have both cards coming soon.

Some Killer driver versions had installation issues and some Intel driver versions were plain awful.

Killer installation goes a lot better with anti virus turned off.

With Killer I recommend disabling the Network Manager in the Windows Task Manager.

With Inel performance will vary greatly depending on driver version

Bluetooth pairing leases a lot to be desired on both Intel and Killer

 

this just confuses me even more now

 

It's really getting hard to get hold of the Intel 8260. I've had one on preorder from the end of September, and the expected stock date kept getting pushed. It started at 10 October and now it is at 3 November

 

Intel AC-8260 downloads
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/product/86068

Use the drop down menu to see the correct versions for the OS you're using.

 

So which one did you get and how is it working?

 

The trusty Intel AC8260, not one disconnection, very short ping rate, here you go:

 

You mean short ping, right? Facing the same question now - Killer has already been painful on the AW15, so I guess Intel it is

 

good choice, you will have nothing to worry about and instead of sitting and trying drivers left and right to find one that doesn't give you BSODs or disconnections, the Intel is as stable as a rock!

 

Just wanted to say the Killer-1535 on my P870DM is fine so far. I remember the 1103 on my M18xR2 was hit and miss.

 

No wireless disconnection issues during heavy downloads?

 

None that I have observed thus far.

 

I have both now......

At home

Intel AC8260 Speed test.net:

97 MBPS Down / 20.1 MBPS Up

Ping = 4ms

Killer 1535 Speed test.net:

107 MBPS Down / 20.MBPS Up

Ping = 6ms

Never had a single disconnection ever with the Intel AC8260 but the with the Killer 1535 I had one disconnection only at home and when I go to the cafe at night that I usually visit, it keeps disconnection from their TP-Link router. They seem to have a crappy router but with my Intel AC8260 it never disconnected even there

I don't know what to make of this really, a few people kept telling me how great the Killer AC1535 is and that the Intel AC8260 has lags or spikes in games which I don't know what that means, yet, the Intel is more stable and has a lower ping rate on speedtest.net

I am confused which one to use.

PS: Yes I did the latest drivers from Clevo and the latest drivers from Killer, also tried installing drivers only and the entire suite.

 

As I will get a laptop soon, this is of high interest to me too. Because I cannot make out if to get intel or killer module for wifi.

My past Qualcomm wifi card was enough of a pain to impose itself on my using my smartphone (HTC 820) as usb wifi teethering. Drivers have been made for win10 after 6 months, and now it works, but If I need good download speeds at 15-25 meter range, I still use my smartphone as wifi usb teethering.

I would love for this to not be needed anymore, as it wears the battery of my smartphone down, and it runs pretty hot while doing this.

 

Well, everyone here kept telling me the Intel AC 8260 has spikes or lags, whatever that means, I never had a single issue or disconnection with it. They also said that the Killer Drivers have matured. while I can definitely say they are night and day better than my previous Killer 1202 which I had in my Alienware 18, I did get 2 disconnections so far. Not at home, but in cafes outside. But even in that cafe, the Intel had 0 problems so I don't know if it was an issue with the cafe or what.

If you wanna play safe, and since you are an international customer, and if I was in your place, I would get the Intel AC8260 and not play the russian roulette with the Killer. If you are a risk taker like me, get the Killer. I have both so there is no risk, if I get more problems, I will simply reinstall the Intel one back.

It's only $50 USD so maybe get both and keep the Intel aside as the backup

@Georgel

just had a disconnection while at home for the first time with this Killer AC 1535. Going back to my trusty Intel 8260

 

Thanks a lot @Phoenix !

Then, I guess that Intel it shall be.

I had read many threads on Alienware laptops using killer 1535 that they had had a few problems too.

I wanted to ask, if you do a test, and download a big file, from the same place, is there any difference in performance?

 

Not really, but the Intel has 2 to 3 ms lower ping rate and never disconnects. So much for a gaming Killer WLAN card that should have blown the Intel out of the water when it comes to ping rates. Never buying any Killer crap anymore.

 

I wonder if it is because of drivers which might be bad on killer's side?

Also, are you using their killer software? I heard that they have a very good software for managing what channel to use, and other bells and whistles.

 

Tried everything, the official Clevo / Killer drivers, latest ones from Killer Networks, with and without the Killer suite, they are just buggy

 

Ok, thanks a lot for letting me know!

Then I will order the Intel module, to be safe!

 

just to confirm, today I went to that same cafe where I was disconnecting like no tomorrow in it with the Killer AC1535. They are using some TP-Link router and I had 0 disconnections with the Intel AC-8260

 

Again, thanks a lot!

I had my fears that I should be going for Intel, because they would offer stable drivers for windows 10, while killer though having great software might have bits of problems.

 

Hello @ Georgel,

We had identified an issue with our Wireless drivers that was effecting Windows 10 + Skylake platforms which were causing these wireless issues. We corrected and updated the drivers nearly 2 months ago to correct this. If your still using a Killer 1535, we recommend updating to the latest driver on our website (killernetworking.com). As long as your using Wifi driver version 12.0.0.210 or above you should not be seeing these drops.

Edit: More clarification

Regards,
Thomas
Killer Networking

 

This is the driver I was using when I had the disconnections:

Killer Wireless-AC1535 WLAN Driver v12.0.0.210

then I tried installing the entire suite and configuring QoS by telling it my connection speed: Killer Suite v1.1.57.1686

Mind you, I only had 1 disconnection with my ASUS RT-AC5300 router which uses Smart Connect to switch automatically between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Firstly, with the Killer 1535, using Smart Connect, the max speed shown is only 173 MBPS whereas with the Intel AC8260 it's always a stable 866 MBPS (5 GHz)

Secondly the disconnections at the cafe. I know they are using some crappy TP-Link router, but the thing is, with the Intel AC8260 there was never any disconnections even with that crappy router. I wish it had worked right as I would benefit from the MU-MIMO technology in my router

 

@Phoenix,

We would need more information from you to properly determine the cause of your low link negotiation that would be best not posted on a public forum. If your willing, please contact us directly via email through our support website linked below.

http://www.killernetworking.com/about/contact

Regards,
Thomas
Killer Networking

 

Actually, I am pretty curious, @Phoenix if you can sort it out, because if you can, I might be 30$ better with the killer wifi.

I have a 10$ cheap and bad router on both home and work. I know it can output 5MB/s - 15MB/S real download rates. Now, I am using my laptop through 2 thick walls, and at a distance of 25 meters.

I am curious if Intel or Killer fares better in this particular situation. MY router cannot be moved, because it is put inside a wall, and cables run through walls, and I cannot use my laptop closer. I do a lot of data streaming for work purposes, and the wifi module that works better shall be my choice.

A bit of a side story:

I love HTC820 smartphone

It is a cheap, plastic smartphone, with a great display, great CPU, good RAM, great software, great sound quality.

When I bought my last laptop, windows 10 was barely coming out. Drivers were not compatible, and I had no wifi for the first 2 months. I was able to get wifi by using my smartphone as a wifi receiver, with usb teethering. With wifi I had 200KB/S (qualcomm atheros QCA61x4) with lots of drops after every 5 minutes (so no multi player, no data sharing for my projects with people who help me). With my smartphone I get a stable 6MB/S download rate and no drops. So I know that an incredibly small wifi antenna inside my smartphone can pull this off.

Now, I know for a reason that killer is connected to either Athers or qualcomm. Or both. I would want to avoid having to use the phone like that because it gets a bit hot, and it is not great for battery life.

 

The Killer C 1535 gives me 5 bars in the living room (router is in the bedroom) vs 2 bars on the Intel AC8260 so yes the Killer with its few quirks has better range

 

I've had less lag with the Killer than the Intel. Everyone about the P640RE is top notch.

 

Intel will have lower ping but Killer usually barely outshines 8260 in sustained output at greater distances, then you have to factor in if you have a MU-MIMO capable router or not...if you do 1535 hands down but for more vanilla experience 8260 is better route. Intel nics usually are more stable than qualcomms and its why I went with 8260 over 1535 with my lappy.

 

Everyone has their own individual preferences.. I've found Killer to be more stable then Intel although the Bluetooth drivers on Killer are bad... I don't use bluetooth much or at all so I will go with Killer again in the future!

 

First time poster - signed up just wanted to share my experience with the Killer 1535.
Dell XPS 15 9550
Killer 1535
Windows 10
Junos Pulse VPN
TP Link AC 1750 Router

I've had the strangest issue. To use corporate email (outlook), I need to VPN into my corporate network. VPN'ing hasn't been an issue since I uninstalled all the Killer Management software and installed the standalone drivers. It does however become an issue the second I authenticate in outlook after connecting via VPN. It is the weirdest thing! If I'm connected to my corporate network without authenticating in outlook, everything works fine. The second I authenticate, my entire router fails. All connections are dropped including hardwired connections.

At my office, I've had constant issues with connecting to our corporate wifi. I have a co-worker with the same laptop but a Broadcomm wireless adapter. No issues whatsoever on VPN, Outlook or the internal wifi connection.

I'm no looking to order the 8260 to alleviate the issues.

 

I have both those WLAN cards but the Intel AC8260 gives me 2 bars vs 5 bars on the Killer 1535 in the same place in my living room (router is in the bedroom) so I cannot get more than a 73MBPS speed with the Intel 8260 that's why I am using the Killer 1535

 

Weirdly enough with my AC68U And AC66U, my friends Killer 1535, caps out pretty fast even at full bars. Intel with 4 bars, maxes out the connection every single time. I'm running Merlin s on both the routers.

 

I hope I can get this: Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC8265

 

I have ran both cards and hands down prefered the Killer but I switched to the Intel so I could use WIDI. Then the last update of Win 10 disabled the WIDI permanatly saying Intel no longer supports it. I will switch back to the killer one day. The Intel card has been working flawlessly though. If it ever gives me an ounce of grief I will be reinstalling the killer. Those tiny antenna connectors are so delicate I dont want to damage one messing around. The old saying if it aint broke dont fix it.

 

I just noticed that when I am doing heavy downloads, my card disables itself for a few seconds then re-enables itself.

Going back to the Intel AC8260 FTW

Just like in this post:
Killer Wireless 1535 disables under heavy load

 

I just checked to see which network card im having installed in my laptop, its the same one................ I will see if I have issues with it.

hopefully theres a fix for the issue

 

For me, Intel all the way! My lappy came originally with an Atheros card, and *especially* on Win10 I had massive DPC latency with every driver version, resulting horrible audio glitches. Fortunately I didn't have to deal with whitelist, so I just grabbed a 8260 and voila, everything went back to normal. For anyone considering buying this card, you should rather buy the 8265. It's almost the same as the 8260, but with MU-MIMO support. Pretty easy to get it on ebay

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

I ordered 2 of em from China: http://www.ebay.com/itm/191953046897

 

Dont think they have changed too much between the 8260 and 8265 , have they ?

 

MU-MIMO bro the 8265 has MU-MIMO

 

Ah gotcha. But isnt that needed on the routers end as well ?

 

well I have an ASUS AC5300 so it does support MI-MIMO although it's a gimmick in my experience. What I am hoping for is better range than the 8260 as the Killer AC1535 is not stable and flaky, but it has much better range so this should be the best of both worlds

 

Windows 10 has made 1535 SO unstable totally agree... Tried both since I didnt want buyers regret for not spending the extra 10 dollars but decided to stick with 8260.

Sent from my ZTE A2017U

 

Gotcha.
But to be honest in order to increase the range, the antennas play a bigger role.

 

I was not having any issues with Killer 1525 on Alienware 15 for over 6 months. Before I had a connection drop (especialy on havy traffic), but after installing one of updated drivers from Killer site problem gone. Now without warning I have drops again. I tried drivers from Killer page from 28 sep, then newest from 1st Nov, but still connection is droping. I think one of Windows 10 update did that. Anyone got issue right now with droping connection? Now I am on drivers from windows (uninstalled Killer Suite at all) and checking situation. I am closer and closer to call Dell for replacement with Intel... It is not acceptable to have drops in connection when you need it most...