Every year, many new, more expensive routers come out with "extreme gamer" marketing, but behind the ad, what does it all really mean? In this guide, we'll break down the real-world differences in performance, features, and design, and whether or not they're worth the price.
Summary"X-treme to the Max" How Much Bandwidth Does Gaming Need? It's All in the Features So Are Gaming Routers Worth the Extra Cost?
For example, if you try to participate in a Counter Strike match at the same time as your housemates are watching Netflix, downloading files and loading BitTorrent requests, your gaming session may suffer. Gaming routers have highly customizable QoS options that will put your gaming PC at the top of the pile, ensuring you always get the first choice of the right bandwidth.
Other important inclusions are newer technologies such as MU-MIMO or "Multiple-In, Multiple-Out" beamforming. MU-MIMO allows simultaneous rather than sequential data streaming. What does that mean?
Well, think of it like this. Traditional routers work much like a machine gun attached to a carousel, with devices placed at each corner. A ball hits a device (a packet of data), the carousel spins, and the next device receives its packet. The more devices connected to the network, the more the carousel must stop before completing a full rotation. (Of course, routers do this much faster with data.)
MU-MIMO routers have a machine gun for each device, which means a steady stream of uninterrupted bullets (packets) can be fired at each device simultaneously. What does all of this mean for gamers, though? Overall, it breaks down into latency and ping, which are significantly reduced when your device receives a simultaneous rather than sequential stream of data.
Not really.
Features like QoS and MU-MIMO already exist on dozens of non-gaming routers available, and often you can get the same router with as many features and as much power for hundreds less than the gaming version. gaming-centric routers, you don't pay much more than a unique design and some marketing nonsense on top of that; even that ASUS router in the basement comes with expanded QoS and MU-MIMO options for less than $70.
If you want a router that looks straight out of the future and matches the aesthetics of your gaming PC, skip the extra piece, but if you're just looking for something that works and gets the job done, you It's far better to settle for a router that has the features you need at an affordable price.
