- Joined
- Sep 27, 2016
- Messages
- 34
- Motherboard
- Clevo P150SM-A
- CPU
- i7-4810MQ
- Graphics
- Intel HD4600 & GTX 870M
- Mac
- Mobile Phone
In my endeavor to find the best possible replacement for my half mini PCIe Intel AC 7260HMW, I have read everything I could find. I will state my findings and then ask for personal experience and answers to questions I have. I will also post a link to an awesome compatibility chart for these cards. In the chart, and based on what I've read, the best possibly cards to use are:
First off: Here is the link to the compatibility chart
- Broadcom BCM94352 (and its variants: BCM94352Z, AzureWave AW-CE123H)
- Broadcom BCM94360 (and its variants: BCM94360HMB (half height mini PCIe), BCM94360CD , or Azurewave AW-CB160H)
* The difference between the HMB and CD suffixes: HMB = half height mini PCIe, CD = full height mini PCIe, and Z = NGFF M.2 form factor. As you may or may not know, the newer NGFF M.2 will not fit in a mini PCIe slot. There are, however, adapters, but the use of such adapter requires extra space that many laptops will not permit.
* Aside from form factor, there are other considerations when choosing one of these cards, and that is the antennas and/or the connectors that attach them to the WiFi card. The older standard seems to be U.FL connector, which is larger than the newer, smaller MHF4 connectors. Therefore, you would have to either replace the antennas, or fit an adapter (once again, space permitting) that will likely have a negative effect on performance.
Now for the differences between the two most viable options when it comes to replacing your half mini PCIe WiFi card:
- Broadcom BCM94352HMB (Azurewave AW-CE123H): This card has the U.FL connectors, which seems to be the direct fit, plug and play replacement for my Intel AC 7260HMW, which means I will not have to remove the motherboard to swap out the antennas. This card is also a little less expensive than the BCM94360HMB. However, this card doesn't seem to work out of the box with OS X in a hackintosh.
- Broadcom BCM94360HMB (Azurewave AW-CB160H): This is your other option, which is said to have native, out of the box working ability with OS X and MacOS Sierra. However, it has the smaller antenna connectors, which could mean some difficulties in the installation.
Now, my questions: In the compatibility chart, it actually shows the AW-CE123H as not requiring a "DeviceID fix" and I'm not sure what that means exactly. Does this mean that there are variants within the half mini PCIe of the same card? I thought that the AW-CE123H and BCM94352HMB were one in the same. However, the chart shows a third, similar, yet different Asus BCM94352.
What is the difference between these cards in how they work with a Hackintosh OS X?
First off: Here is the link to the compatibility chart
- Broadcom BCM94352 (and its variants: BCM94352Z, AzureWave AW-CE123H)
- Broadcom BCM94360 (and its variants: BCM94360HMB (half height mini PCIe), BCM94360CD , or Azurewave AW-CB160H)
* The difference between the HMB and CD suffixes: HMB = half height mini PCIe, CD = full height mini PCIe, and Z = NGFF M.2 form factor. As you may or may not know, the newer NGFF M.2 will not fit in a mini PCIe slot. There are, however, adapters, but the use of such adapter requires extra space that many laptops will not permit.
* Aside from form factor, there are other considerations when choosing one of these cards, and that is the antennas and/or the connectors that attach them to the WiFi card. The older standard seems to be U.FL connector, which is larger than the newer, smaller MHF4 connectors. Therefore, you would have to either replace the antennas, or fit an adapter (once again, space permitting) that will likely have a negative effect on performance.
Now for the differences between the two most viable options when it comes to replacing your half mini PCIe WiFi card:
- Broadcom BCM94352HMB (Azurewave AW-CE123H): This card has the U.FL connectors, which seems to be the direct fit, plug and play replacement for my Intel AC 7260HMW, which means I will not have to remove the motherboard to swap out the antennas. This card is also a little less expensive than the BCM94360HMB. However, this card doesn't seem to work out of the box with OS X in a hackintosh.
- Broadcom BCM94360HMB (Azurewave AW-CB160H): This is your other option, which is said to have native, out of the box working ability with OS X and MacOS Sierra. However, it has the smaller antenna connectors, which could mean some difficulties in the installation.
Now, my questions: In the compatibility chart, it actually shows the AW-CE123H as not requiring a "DeviceID fix" and I'm not sure what that means exactly. Does this mean that there are variants within the half mini PCIe of the same card? I thought that the AW-CE123H and BCM94352HMB were one in the same. However, the chart shows a third, similar, yet different Asus BCM94352.
What is the difference between these cards in how they work with a Hackintosh OS X?