Wireless
Participate in insightful discussions regarding issues related to Intel® Wireless Adapters and technologies
7368 Discussions

AC 7260 NGW to AC 8265 NGF

CSpen5
Beginner
8,243 Views

Hello,

I am thinking of replacing my AC 7260 NGW to AC 8265 NGF. The primary reason is to get Bluetooth 4.2.

My PC is OptiPlex 9030 All In One.

Will it work? Is it worth? Thanks.

0 Kudos
1 Solution
idata
Employee
5,827 Views

Hello cespencer,

 

 

We understand that you would like to upgrade your current wireless adapter to the Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265.

 

 

Since both adapters come in the same form factor and carry similar features, there should be no hardware compatibility issues.

 

 

However, we must warn that it's important to check with your computer manufacturer before performing the upgrade. Some systems are locked so that only certain pre-approved adapters may be used (other systems are completely unlocked). If this is the case then you will need to purchase a pre-approved wireless adapter from your OEM to avoid issues. For more information on this, please refer to the following article:

 

 

- https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking/000005846.html Why Doesn't My Laptop Recognize My New Intel® Wireless Adapter?

 

 

While we only provide support to OEM installed adapters, not upgrades, we will always do our best to help if you run into any issues.

 

 

We hope this information helps. Please let us know if you have any additional questions.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.

View solution in original post

17 Replies
idata
Employee
5,828 Views

Hello cespencer,

 

 

We understand that you would like to upgrade your current wireless adapter to the Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265.

 

 

Since both adapters come in the same form factor and carry similar features, there should be no hardware compatibility issues.

 

 

However, we must warn that it's important to check with your computer manufacturer before performing the upgrade. Some systems are locked so that only certain pre-approved adapters may be used (other systems are completely unlocked). If this is the case then you will need to purchase a pre-approved wireless adapter from your OEM to avoid issues. For more information on this, please refer to the following article:

 

 

- https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking/000005846.html Why Doesn't My Laptop Recognize My New Intel® Wireless Adapter?

 

 

While we only provide support to OEM installed adapters, not upgrades, we will always do our best to help if you run into any issues.

 

 

We hope this information helps. Please let us know if you have any additional questions.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
CSpen5
Beginner
5,827 Views

Thank you for the quick reply and advice. Much appreciated.

0 Kudos
idata
Employee
5,828 Views

Hello cespencer,

 

 

You're welcome. If there's anything else we can help you with, just let us know.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
0 Kudos
CSpen5
Beginner
5,828 Views

I have decided to buy AC 8165 since it is compatible with 7260. Waiting for it to arrive.

On the same topic, I have a HP Envy with AC 3165. Intel has a newer AC 3168. However, I'm unable to find real differences between the two. Is it worth upgrading or wait for one with Multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO)?

MU-MIMO is truly good for laptops. But replacing 3165 with 8165 (which requires two antennas) will be a problem I suppose?

0 Kudos
idata
Employee
5,828 Views

Hello cespencer,

Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165 and 3168 are very similar adapters. Since both are 1x1 models, they will perform equally.

The differences between these two models are really only important to computer manufacturers and builders who will need to certify their systems for export.

1x1 adapters do use two antennas, but they're usually lower gain and may not perform as well if used with a faster 2x2 model. Wireless antennas are not provided by us, they're chosen by the computer manufacturer. Because of this, upgrading the adapter on this laptop will be potentially more problematic than the upgrade on your All-In-One computer.

As an unofficial suggestion from my part. Since your laptop's wireless adapter is an also M.2 model, you could test the 7260 from your All-In-One on it once the 8265 arrives. If it works, you didn't waste any money and hardly any time. The biggest risk being that laptops are more likely to come factory locked to only work with certain pre-approved WLAN adapters than desktops and All-In-Ones.

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
0 Kudos
CSpen5
Beginner
5,828 Views

Hi Carlos A.,

Thanks once again for your reply and suggestion. Much appreciated.

0 Kudos
idata
Employee
5,828 Views

Hello cespencer,

 

 

You're very welcome. We look forward to finding out how things go once you receive the new adapter.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
0 Kudos
CSpen5
Beginner
5,828 Views

Dear Carlos A.,

I am attaching screenshots of my two computers' download speed: AC7260 from Dell AIO (i7 4970S); and AC3165 from HP Envy (i7 6700HQ).

Am I correct to suggest the following:

1) the 7260 is capable of more speed than my internet can supply; and

2) the 3165 is limited by the speed of the wifi card.

If I am correct to the above, then it would be worth trying the 7260 on my HP when my 8265 arrives for the Dell.

Advice appreciated. Thank you.

0 Kudos
idata
Employee
5,828 Views

Hello cespencer,

You're correct. It's definitely worth a shot. Worse case scenario, it may not work, or it may not perfom as well as it did on it's original system. But in the end, you're not spending any extra money, so if it doesn't work you can simply reinstall the original adapter back on.

Download speeds measure how fast a file gets up or downloaded. They don't account for packet overhead such as encryption, routing info, etc. It's better to look at your current transmit rates, this way we won't be misled by factors outside beside your adapter - router/AP (such as https://www.howtogeek.com/75660/the-beginners-guide-to-qos-on-your-router/ QoS settings, or your https://www.howtogeek.com/165481/how-to-test-if-your-isp-is-throttling-your-internet-connection/ ISP). To find this information you can start a command prompt session (Right click your start menu, or type CMD in the search) and issue the following command: netsh wlan show interfaces

Example:

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
0 Kudos
CSpen5
Beginner
5,828 Views

Dear Carlos A.,

That's really helpful.

7260 result:

Channel : 149

Receive rate (Mbps) : 780

Transmit rate (Mbps) : 780

Signal : 99%

3165 result:

Channel : 149

Receive rate (Mbps) : 433.3

Transmit rate (Mbps) : 433.3

Signal : 99%

I will return when my 8265 arrives and installed.

Thank you once again.

0 Kudos
idata
Employee
5,828 Views

Sounds good! Looking forward to finding out how it all works out in the end.

Best regards.

0 Kudos
CSpen5
Beginner
5,828 Views

Reporting back.

I am happy to note that my AC8265 has arrived and installed onto my AIO. This replaces the AC7260 which has Bluetooth 4.0. Overall I have no problem with drivers. They were detected automactically and up and running immediately. It certainly feels smoother, although it may be my imagination or that the hardware is new. My primary reason for replacing the 7260 is because of the Bluetooth 4.2 found in 8265. Connects to my BT headphone fast.

Certainly worth the $20+ upgrade. Highly recommended. Next, I will try it on my laptop replacing its 3165.

0 Kudos
idata
Employee
5,828 Views

Hello cespencer,

 

 

One down, one to go. I don't expect any real problems, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed till we hear back from you.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
0 Kudos
CSpen5
Beginner
5,828 Views

Dear Carlos A,

Thank you for the reply.

May I ask a silly question that I don't understand. My 8265, 7260 and 3165 are on the same network. How does the 8265 download faster than the others? The 7260 used to download faster than 3165, but marginally. However, the 8265 is trully blazing. It downloads faster even when watching neflix at the same time. And the movie carried on smoothly. That I can't understand.

0 Kudos
idata
Employee
5,828 Views

Hello cespencer,

 

 

This is actually a very good question.

 

 

Both the 7260 and the 8265 are capable of the same theoretical 867 Mbps maximum connection rate. However the 8265 has the advantage of being a whole three years newer, and wireless technologies move very quickly. The simplest way to put this would be to say that your new adapter handles wireless packets more efficiently.

 

 

The Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 implements several '802.11ac Wave 2' features such as downlink MU-MIMO (multiple input, multiple output), which increases both bandwidth and performance. These features were not around when the 7260 was engineered.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
0 Kudos
CSpen5
Beginner
5,828 Views

Dear Carlos A.,

Reporting back.

AC 8265 is installed in my HP Envy 17 laptop. No issues whatsoever. As they did with my Dell AIO, WiFi and Bluetooth drivers were automatically detected and installed. The speed is blazing. My experiences with these adapters have been very positive. The feeling is like as if I have upgraded from 4gb to 16gb memory. That fast! So, $20+ investment on an adapter is worth as much as $100+ investment in memory. I have never thought of upgrading network adapters in the past. Now I will.

Thank you once again for your assistance and advice.

0 Kudos
idata
Employee
5,828 Views

Hello cespencer,

 

 

Thank you for reporting back. We're glad to hear that everything is working even better than expected.

 

 

If there's anything else we can help you with, feel free to contact us again.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.

 

0 Kudos
Reply