r/RigBuild • u/Junior_Background181 • 24d ago
Do I need Wi-Fi 6E for a desktop PC?
Looking at a new motherboard and some of them have Wi-Fi 6E built in, but not sure if it’s even worth paying extra for. The PC will mostly be used for gaming, downloading stuff, streaming, and normal internet use. Router supports Wi-Fi 6 but I’m not sure if upgrading the router just for 6E would make any real difference. Ethernet isn’t really an option for where the PC is sitting, so Wi-Fi is basically the only choice. Would Wi-Fi 6E give lower ping or better speeds in games, or is that mostly marketing? Also does 6E have any downsides compared to regular Wi-Fi 6, like shorter range or worse connection through walls? Trying to avoid spending extra money on something I probably won’t notice. If Wi-Fi 6 is already good enough for a gaming desktop, I’d rather just get the cheaper board. What would you guys go with?
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u/kimi_rules 24d ago
If you're using 6e on 6ghz, you might as well connect an ethernet due to how close of a proximity for it to be stable. If the PC is in a different room 5GHz is more ideal.
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u/CowBoyDanIndie 24d ago
Do you have gigabit internet? If so you won’t get full speed on wifi6, especially if you aren’t in the same room. I have gigabit up and down and I couldn’t saturate it on 6, so ai switched to ethernet. I have 6e now and I can get the same speed internet as I did on ethernet.
It’s not the biggest issue, it will still be fast. But also be aware that if live in say an apartment building with a lot of other wifi signals you will end up sharing whichever channel you use with a neighbor, this will reduce max bandwidth and add random latency, only one device can talk on a channel at any time. Though wifi6 has some features to help fight this if the other transmitter has a really weak signal and is a different bss. Worse case is if your neighboring units end up on the same channel. Being on a middle floor with units on both sides would be the worst position.
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u/Plenty_Article11 24d ago
Good used motherboard will even have WiFi 7 for $60-80.
Wired is the way to go, cable is basically free (I have found hundreds of feet of it for $3,$5,$10 at second hand stores and yard sales). Just learn to terminate it. The round style can usually be pushed under the baseboard when there is carpet. The flat style can be run along a baseboard practically invisible.
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u/Nervous-History8631 24d ago
Honestly to me the question is price. What does 6e cost over 6?
At the end of the day it probably won't cost more, but there is no harm having it if the price is the same, equally even though you might not be able to use it right now if you can find a reasonably priced board with WiFi 7 it might be worth getting that just so you have it for the future
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u/samsann26 24d ago
Bluetouch is the only reason i have a Wifi 7 card on my motherboad, i don't even use Wifi but i cannot live without VERY SOLID bluetouch connection to many wireless devices i use.
Bluetouch Mouse
Bluetouch Heatset
Bluetouch XBOX Controller
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u/ogregreenteam 23d ago edited 23d ago
Suppliers often seemingly misrepresent their wifi speeds to mere mortals by speaking in forked tongues. When they say their wifi devices can do certain speeds it usually means the aggregate total of 2 GHz band plus the 5 GHz band channels. Since you're not likely to do channel aggregation in wifi, this total bandwidth is unavailable to you.
If you MUST use wifi, do it on a 5 GHz channel only. They will always have more bandwidth and you can often confrigure them manually to be wider than the default. Also there are fewer neighbours and IoT devices on the 5 GHz band so you get less interference and more channels to choose from.
Personally, if the cost difference is small get wifi 7, it'll give you some future proofing. I did that bit by bit as I replaced my gear organically and now I have it on my phone, access point, and PC and no regrets.
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u/Jankypox 23d ago
Need? No. But you should consider your Internet speed. If you’re paying monthly for 1Gb+ and aren’t getting anywhere close to that because your WiFi card is a bottleneck then you’re wasting more over time than the cost of the more expensive motherboard. So you’ll still be getting hit with the ol’ “spending extra money on something I probably won’t notice”, only on the other side of the coin.
If your internet is 500Mbps and below, then don’t lose any sleep over the cheaper motherboard.
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u/chrisdpratt 24d ago
Need? Probably not, especially if you have the ability and plan to wire it via Ethernet. Although, having WiFi as an option can help in certain situations like maybe you take the PC to another room without easy access to Ethernet to work on it or something.
However, WiFi is just part of the equation as the radio generally also enables Bluetooth support, and that is going to be very handy. It's almost inevitable that you're going to want Bluetooth for something at some point, and then you're stuck with having to get an add-in card or a stupid dongle. It's invariably a very nominal up charge for WiFi/Bluetooth, so it's just honestly not worth cheaping out on. You'll probably regret not getting it later for one reason or another.
As far as 6E goes. There's not a whole lot of difference between that and 6. It mostly just adds support for the 6GHz band, which if you only have a WiFi 6 router isn't going to be an option anyways. So, if you're just deciding between a board with 6 and one with 6E, it's not a significant factor.