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Network Tweaks: Ping, Latency and What Cannot Be Fixed
The Network page targets latency rather than raw speed. Understanding that difference saves a lot of disappointment.
Bandwidth is how much you can download. Latency is how long a single packet takes
Gaming cares about latency. A very fast connection with high latency feels worse than a modest one with low latency.
What the tweaks do
- Turn off delays Windows adds while it waits to bundle small packets together
- Stop Windows reserving part of your bandwidth
- Disable power saving on your network adapter, which can add delay
- Turn off automatic tuning that can work against a steady connection
- Tune adapter buffers to your specific hardware
What no tweak can change
The distance to the game server, the quality of your internet provider’s routing, and congestion outside your home. If your ping is high because the server is in another continent, nothing on your PC changes that.
Check these before tweaking
1
Use a cable rather than wireless if you can
This is usually the single biggest improvement available.
2
Check nobody else is saturating the connection
3
Pick a server close to you in the game
Bufferbloat
If your ping is fine when idle and terrible while something downloads, that is bufferbloat. There is a specific tweak for it, and it is the right one for that symptom.
If your connection breaks after tweaking
Revert the network tweaks from the same page. If you cannot get online to do anything else, that is the first thing to try.
Related: Lower ping, Network fixes.