Guide Lowering latency for Broadband gaming.

[LT.Homer Simpson]

This tweak requires changing your MTU. Even though you have heard that having 1500 mtu is the best setting for speed, it may not be the best setting for games. Let me explain, larger packet sizes give faster downloads speeds and faster web browsing, but not nessarlily better latency. As you know latency is very important for gaming. I don't want go in detail, about how this works too much, but it does. But basically it takes a little longer to send large packets than it does smaller packets of data. When downloading a file, the data is constant and uniform, so larger packets work better. Games however use small data packets and are never constant or uniform.

When using a broadband connection the mtu's are defaulted to size 1500 mtu(for general uses and speed, which this is the best setting for ).
But for gaming the best setting is 576 mtu, (which is also the best all round setting for dial-up).

If you go to one of those tweaking sites for broadband, they are going to say 1500 is the best setting for your comp. They are correct, but they are setting you up for the fastest download speed possible, not neccassrily the best game setting for your connection.
If you want to try altering your tcp/ip and mtu settings to try this, first you need a program that changes this settings easily.
I use a program called DRTCP--Download Here.

Here is a pic of the general default settings for broadband on the DRTCP:

But if you want to set it up for gaming, change the settings like this:
1.TCP Recieve Window--leave the same.
2. Window Scaling--disable or off
3. Time Stamping--disable or off
4. Selective Acks--Default
5. Path MTU Discovery--disable or off
6. Black Hole Detection--disable or off
7. Max Duplicate Acks--disable or off
8. TTL--128
9.MTU--576

Remember this is a gaming setting for ping(latency)--it will slow down your download speeds and browsing--but its easy to change back and forth using this program. Just remember your best download or default settings and your gaming settings. Then just change as needed. Remember for the changes to take effect you must reboot.

In counter strike using one of my favorite servers, I tested this mtu change. At the default settings i got roughly 87-100 ping.
With the smaller mtu setting I got roughly 72-85 ping=).

Try it and and see--since this can't hurt your comp.

 

[Wargasm]

for people who are afraid of this or find the above to techie
try http://www.cablenut.com even for sat connections .

but the best is todo it yerself
so fiddle around with homer's proggie

 

[The Helper]

This is still one of the most visited articles on the site with information relevant to 2002 LOL! The number of views on this article means I need to update it!

 

[The Helper]

The best way to do this is get the best Internet connection you can get. Test your connection speed with Speed Test

Speedtest by Ookla - The Global Broadband Speed Test

Use Speedtest on all your devices with our free desktop and mobile apps.

www.speedtest.net

If you are on a direct connection try to not be using too many cable connections you want a straight connection to your router. You want the latest cable to connect to your router and make sure you are getting that speed from the test above.

MTU settings are not going to help you here. You need fast internet and good connections. If you are using old software like windows 95 and 98 without updates and old computers though, that is a different story....