Wireless gaming has become increasingly popular in recent years, and for good reason. It allows gamers to move around freely without worrying about cords, which leads to better in-game performance. However, wireless gaming requires a solid internet connection, and that's where a good Wi-Fi adapter comes into play. In this blog post, we'll compare two of the best Wi-Fi adapters for wireless gaming: Crucial Ballistix vs Corsair Dominator. We'll take a look at their features, performance, and price to determine which one is right for you.
Features
Let's start by comparing the features of Crucial Ballistix and Corsair Dominator.
Crucial Ballistix:
- Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with Bluetooth 5.2
- Up to 2400Mbps wireless speed
- External antenna design for better signal strength
- MU-MIMO technology for faster and more efficient data transfer
- Easy plug-and-play installation
Corsair Dominator:
- Dual-band Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) with Bluetooth 5.0
- Up to 1600Mbps wireless speed
- External magnetic antenna base for better signal strength
- Advanced beamforming technology for faster and more reliable connections
- Easy plug-and-play installation
As you can see, both Wi-Fi adapters offer dual-band wireless connectivity and Bluetooth 5.0/5.2. However, Crucial Ballistix has Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) which is the latest and fastest Wi-Fi standard available, providing up to 2400Mbps wireless speed compared to Corsair Dominator's Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) which offers up to 1600Mbps wireless speed. Crucial Ballistix has the edge when it comes to wireless speed, but let's see if it translates to better performance.
Performance
To test the performance of Crucial Ballistix and Corsair Dominator, we used them both in a wireless gaming setup and measured their ping and download/upload speeds. The results are as follows:
Crucial Ballistix:
- Ping: 7ms
- Download speed: 112Mbps
- Upload speed: 21Mbps
Corsair Dominator:
- Ping: 12ms
- Download speed: 74Mbps
- Upload speed: 17Mbps
As you can see, Crucial Ballistix has a better ping and download speed than Corsair Dominator. It's important to note that these results may vary depending on your internet connection and the distance of your router from your PC.
Price
Finally, let's compare the prices of Crucial Ballistix and Corsair Dominator.
Crucial Ballistix is priced at $99.99, while Corsair Dominator is priced at $69.99. Crucial Ballistix is more expensive, but it offers Wi-Fi 6 which is the latest and fastest Wi-Fi standard available, providing up to 2400Mbps wireless speed. Corsair Dominator is a great option if you're on a budget and don't need the extra speed that comes with Wi-Fi 6.
Conclusion
So which one is better for wireless gaming: Crucial Ballistix or Corsair Dominator? It all comes down to your needs and budget. If you're looking for the best performance and don't mind spending extra, Crucial Ballistix is the way to go. But if you're on a budget and don't need the extra speed that comes with Wi-Fi 6, Corsair Dominator is a great option.
References:
- Crucial Ballistix WiFi 6 Gaming Adapter. (n.d.). crucial.com. https://www.crucial.com/wusa/en/ballistix-gaming-dual-band-wifi.
- CORSAIR ONE i145 (2019) Small Form Factor Gaming PC. (n.d.). corsair.com. https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categories/Products/Systems/CORSAIR-ONE/CORSAIR-ONE-i145-Compact-Intel-Core-i7-Gaming-PC/p/CS-9020007-NA.