I've got a HP ProBook with a rather meh Qualcomm QCA9565 wireless N card (1x1), and I'm considering getting an Intel Wireless AC card to replace it.
I have two choices: the Intel 3160AC which is a 1x1 card, or the 7260AC which is a 2x2 card.
Would there be any use installing a 2x2 card, especially when my laptop shipped with only 1 antenna embedded in the display? Would I be able to connect on the 5GHz band? Thanks!
Don't bother installing a 2x2 card if you aren't going to connect it to a well-designed, well-placed second antenna.
I've seen 2x2 cards/drivers choke when one of their antennas is disconnected. It seemed as if the card wasted time trying to do 2x2 that would never work, instead of just sticking to 1x1 operation.
Besides, a 1x1 AC card can reach PHY rates up to 433Mbps, whereas a 2x2 N card (such as the 7260AN you're looking at) would max out at 300Mbps even if both radio chains were hooked up to good antennas. If only giving one radio chain an antenna, that card will max out at 150Mbps. So go with the 433Mbps card instead of the 150Mbps card.
Nope, you actually can't do it, aside from the supposed advantage of a 2x2 card on a system with one antenna, there is one peculiar problem with most of the HP notebooks, the hardware is BIOS locked, so you are limited to choices offered by your BIOS(unless you want to modify/flash it, at your own risk). Second, upgrades in HP notebooks require you to have HP part number on it, a hard burned serial number sort of thing. So you have to double check if that is the case with your notebook too. Now, as for 5GHz and 2.4GHz dual bands, nah, there is not that much difference,bottleneck always will be the physical I/O of disk/network, not router(in 99% of the cases). And the only advantage you get with dual band routers/host devices, practically is that you can separate the data streams, much like giving two lanes for data on same highway.
