Use a PCI slot designed for network cards, typically a PCIe slot with sufficient bandwidth for Wi-Fi connectivity.
Use a PCI slot designed for network cards, typically a PCIe slot with sufficient bandwidth for Wi-Fi connectivity.
You can also use the small black slot beneath your video card, but I recommend opting for the smaller black one under or the lower red one. These won’t sit directly against a hot video card. EDIT: I’m assuming you’re using a standard desktop PCIe card, not an M.2 E/mini PCIe card like @Tundral suggests?
If you have a PCI-E X1 card, insert it into any standard PCI-E X1 port or the bottom PCI-E X16 port—it doesn’t matter which you choose. It’s best to place it on top or move it away from the video card to keep its fans unobstructed. For a PCI-E X4 slot, connect it to the bottom PCI-E X16 slot. Refer to your motherboard manual (available online) to identify unused slots in SLI mode. In SLI configuration, adding a card to the second PCI-E X16 slot reduces its speed to PCI-E X8, slightly affecting performance.
WiFi cards usually fit only PCIe x1 slots, typically not the one above the graphics card. In practice, it’s better to avoid the higher-end x16 slots. Edit: A user mentioned they have a budget model and can use an x1 slot instead. No advantage is gained from using longer x16 slots.
Usually I put the Wi-Fi card in a PCIe x1 slot, using the lower black one. Also, keep your cables away from the case—they’re not strong enough and metal can cause interference. It looks like you’re thinking about boosting connectivity, but you already have an Ethernet cable. A wired link would be more reliable. Is that realistic for your setup?