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ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 PCIe Adapter Review

Final Thoughts & Pricing

Pricing

At the time of writing, the ASUS PCE-AC88 4×4 Wireless AC3100 PCIe Adapter can be yours for just $119.34 at NewEgg, £89.99 at Scan Computers, and €96.99 through Geizhals. A more than fair price for one of the most advanced WiFi cards available.

Conclusion

The ASUS PCE-AC88 4×4 Wireless AC3100 PCIe Adapter is a beautiful little add-in card that doesn’t just come with great specifications, but also adds some flair to the system. The large heatsink and red colours will match well with most gaming systems. That doesn’t mean that it won’t be great in a workstation too, but they’re for the most part closed systems and the design isn’t as vital here. A thing that is important to workstations is size, and the PCE-AC88 is small enough to fit into SFF styled chassis’ and comes with an SFF IO bracket included. The heatsink will also make sure that the card runs optimally in all situation, even when it has been wedged between hot graphics cards or otherwise tight setups.

ASUS made a great bundle with this card, starting with the external antenna base. It allows you to place the antennas in a better position than the rear of your system and as such get a better reception. The base is heavy enough to stay where you place it, features a magnetic button for placement on metallic surfaces, and a hole in the middle that makes it easy to wall mount too.

As I mentioned earlier in the article, I’m situated in a bad area when it comes to interference and as such, I’ve rarely seen wireless speeds go higher than 300Mbps. This 4×4 setup with the ASUS-PCE-AC88 reached over double of those numbers, proving that you can get a great throughput even in the most difficult areas – you just have to use the right equipment. Definitely one of the best choices you can make when you invest in your next wireless add-in card.

Pros