Ok I am new to wireless ethernet and probably wouldnt even try it but it is going to cost me a bundle to get my room wired and I am plannning on moving out of the dump in the near future.. Ok enuf on the back ground, on to the questions...
If I am used to being wired directly to my modem will I see a difference going wireless and if so how much? I am really into online gaming and as we all know connection speed is everthing.
If I do decide to go wireless what is the best router/card setup that will not break my bank?
Alright my current roomates have a netgear router but I was looking at a lynksys card, are these compatable? If so, are there any drawbacks to mixing and matching like this?
I am sorry for the question blasting but I am really eager to get my new system up and going (purchases oblivion yesterday)
Thanks for your help guys!

Also let me toss in this question... If I dont go wireless what is a good pci card I could purchase for gaming? Or are they all pretty much the same?

Number 1, DUMP wireless, it sucks, irrisponsible, need 16 more ms of latency (encrypthing)

i would love to have a cable up my routers 4$$, but im stealing off somone so i dont own it,

im not here to make u hate wireless, the router is an 4$$

the only time u need wireless if u are going to move around on a laptop,

wirelss cost omfg much, a cheap 4 port cheat hub cost 8 buck ahah

Wireless works great, if you are aware of the pitfalls. As you noted, wiring a new room can be costly if you don't do it yourself, and somtimes they aren't your walls to mess up. But it will all cost you up to $200 for the wireless gear. It's the trade off to avoid wires.

The main thing is, get a b/g wireless Linksys router. This plugs in to the wired Ethernet port on the ISP's modem, and then it's wireless to your PC. The Linksys is very easy to secure, which is very important. Then get a Linksys "G" PCI card. A 802.11g will get you 54Mbps max (i.e. in a lab setup). And because of overhead, all wireless only runs at about 70% of it's rated speed. So a "g" card will still be faster than your Internet connection even after discounting distance and the overhead.

Depending on the distance between the router/modem you may need an anntena upgrade. In my sons bedroom case, where the router is downstairs, he also has an extender so his 7db antenna can be put on his upper shelf for better transmission. The upgraded antenna and extender probably added an additional cost of $60. BTW, you can mix and match brands of cards. It's just that sometimes they play better together if they are the same brand. But I frequently use Linksys, Netgear, and D-Link gear together.

The next thing, especially if you have nearby neighbors (condo's, townhomes, etc.), is that it uses the 2.8Mhz range which is the same as most cordless phones (and microwave ovens), possibly yours. So you may lose your connection as people make and answer calls. You can switch to the 5.8 phones though.

Also, a 100 foot Ethernet cable is pretty cheap, so if your modem and PC are in postions that you can run a wire around corners and up stairs, etc. without tripping on it all the time, you might try that first. If you snake it under area rugs or something, over time you will need to replace the cable as heavy objects running across it (furniture moves) will degrade the signal and increase errors on the line (overhead of extra packet transmissions).

Yeah I prefer not to go wireless for the most part. I'm sure its all fine any dandy...but yeah and could get expensive, its less secure...And if I see a physical wire going from my pc to my router, I KNOW its connected and don't have to guess if there's an antenna problem or something. I snaked a 50 ft ethernet cable thru my carpet at my old apartment.

would u spend 200 dollers for one wire thats is gone?