Wifi card or wireless USB dongle?

Some elderly friends are moving and it will no longer be practical for their desktop PCs to be cable connected to their router. They've asked me to wireless them.

My instinct is to use plug-in wireless cards as I have a feeling that a USB wireless dongle uses CPU power to do its stuff whereas with a wireless card the processing load is handled on the card.

Anyone know if this is the case?

Even if it is does it make any significant difference?

Thanks

For a relatively modern PC where you aren't panicking about performance issues, then USB is simplest and being on the end of a lead it avoids the stuck under a desk issue that PCI type cards can suffer.

Presumably home plugs are another option to consider particularly if the Wifi signal is weak.

Post deleted by MHC

USB is simplest - however you have commented on CPU power. If the PC is newish then not a worry, a few years old, then it could be.

The biggest issue could be screening of the antenna - be it a USB or installed card. The way to overcome that is to find a card with a demountable antenna than can be replaced by one with a metre or two of co-ax and a base so it can be placed appropriately. That would be my preference in this case.

I have one of these. It works a treat and, since the connector is screw-in, it can't accidentally be pulled out (as can happen with USB plugs).

In reply to a post by micksharpe:

I have one of these. It works a treat and, since the connector is screw-in, it can't accidentally be pulled out (as can happen with USB plugs).

Exactly the type of thing I was suggesting.

The PCs: 1 is 2013, the other c.2012 or perhaps 2011. Both Windows 7. They're certainly not used for any performance demanding applications, Word, Excel, web browsing, Outlook, and the odd photo organising program (similar to Picasa).

The wifi signal would have to go across 15ft or so of open space and through a stud partition wall to the bedroom they'll be using as a study. Although the study would have lots of shelves with numerous books on, I doubt signal strength would be an issue. However at £16 or so the Edimax Ew-7711n seems reasonable, providing there's the spare slots for it

I'm over at their present house Friday so will check.

similarly, a usb device plugged into the back of a pc case will often be screened by the metal case, and a short usb extension cable is helpful.