st3ve
Senior Member
Hi all
I use pcpitstop.com to test my machine. As regards internet performance I'm always told that I'm lagging way behind with my 512kb dsl connection. They have offered the following advice, do you think it is applicable considering 'the SA situation'? I know it's a bit long, so I've italicised the applicable advice.
"Ping Latency
The round-trip ping time, or latency, of your connection is 423 ms. This is higher than the 180 ms latency we expect for your type of connection under ideal conditions. High latency can cause your upload speed to be lower than your download speed, and can interfere with Internet gaming. If you find that your latency is consistently high, you may want to discuss the matter with your ISP. There are no software fixes or settings that can improve latency.
The latency we measure depends on the Internet conditions between your computer and PC Pitstop's servers at the time of the test, and can vary significantly from test to test. In addition, high latency can be caused by long distances: users in Australia, for instance, can expect much higher round-trip time measured to our server in Dallas, Texas, than users in the US. Our Ping test measures the latency between your machine and 7 different sites, and may help to give you an idea of the location of any bottlenecks.
Receive Buffer Size
Windows uses a system buffer to temporarily store packets it receives from the Internet. Its size can be configured via a registry setting. Different Windows versions use different default sizes for this parameter. The faster your connection and the higher your connection's latency, the bigger the receive buffer needs to be. Dial-up modem users do not generally benefit from adjusting this buffer size because their connection is so slow.
Your receive buffer size is currently 32000 bytes, which is adequate for any connection speed with low latency.
Solutions
Warning! Incorrectly editing the registry may severely damage your system. At the very least, you should back up any valued data on the computer before making changes to the registry.
If your OS is Windows XP you should set a system restore point. To set a restore point:
Select Start | Help and Support | Undo changes to your computer with System Restore.
In the System Restore window select Create a restore point and click Next.
Type in a restore name that is meaningful and click Create.
This manual adjustment is a simple change to your TCP Receive Window size for broadband customers running Windows XP or Windows 2000. We recommend only making this change if you have a broadband connection. The TCP Receiving Window is the amount of data that can be received before the sender receives confirmation that the data has arrived. To adjust more settings or if you are running Windows 98 or Windows ME we suggest using a software application like PC Pitstop Optimize to make sure all settings are adjusted properly. To change your TCP Receive Window size:
Launch window registry editor by clicking on Start | Run .
Click in the Open dropdown box and type in regedit.exe then click OK .
Back up your registry by selecting File | Export type in a meaningful file name, in the export range section select All and save to your hard drive. To restore your old registry you simply import this file.
Next you need to create a new registry key. On the left side you need to go to the directory HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters
Select Edit | New | DWORD Value .
Rename the new registry key to TcpWindowSize.
Modify the registry setting for TcpWindowSize by double clicking on the key.
Change the Base Setting to Decimal.
Use the below table to determined what value to enter into the Value data field and click OK.
Option Receive Buffer Size Description
Typical Latency 64240 This is the most common case for cable modems, DSL, or satellite connections. Use this setting if your ping times are often greater than 100ms. It will set the receive buffer size to 64240.
Low Latency 32120 Use this setting if ping times to your most commonly used sites are usually less than 100ms, or if your connection experiences high ping losses. It will set the receive buffer size to 32120. Some cable modem or DSL users may find this setting provides better performance.
For these settings to take effect you need to close all your open applications and reboot your system."
I use pcpitstop.com to test my machine. As regards internet performance I'm always told that I'm lagging way behind with my 512kb dsl connection. They have offered the following advice, do you think it is applicable considering 'the SA situation'? I know it's a bit long, so I've italicised the applicable advice.
"Ping Latency
The round-trip ping time, or latency, of your connection is 423 ms. This is higher than the 180 ms latency we expect for your type of connection under ideal conditions. High latency can cause your upload speed to be lower than your download speed, and can interfere with Internet gaming. If you find that your latency is consistently high, you may want to discuss the matter with your ISP. There are no software fixes or settings that can improve latency.
The latency we measure depends on the Internet conditions between your computer and PC Pitstop's servers at the time of the test, and can vary significantly from test to test. In addition, high latency can be caused by long distances: users in Australia, for instance, can expect much higher round-trip time measured to our server in Dallas, Texas, than users in the US. Our Ping test measures the latency between your machine and 7 different sites, and may help to give you an idea of the location of any bottlenecks.
Receive Buffer Size
Windows uses a system buffer to temporarily store packets it receives from the Internet. Its size can be configured via a registry setting. Different Windows versions use different default sizes for this parameter. The faster your connection and the higher your connection's latency, the bigger the receive buffer needs to be. Dial-up modem users do not generally benefit from adjusting this buffer size because their connection is so slow.
Your receive buffer size is currently 32000 bytes, which is adequate for any connection speed with low latency.
Solutions
Warning! Incorrectly editing the registry may severely damage your system. At the very least, you should back up any valued data on the computer before making changes to the registry.
If your OS is Windows XP you should set a system restore point. To set a restore point:
Select Start | Help and Support | Undo changes to your computer with System Restore.
In the System Restore window select Create a restore point and click Next.
Type in a restore name that is meaningful and click Create.
This manual adjustment is a simple change to your TCP Receive Window size for broadband customers running Windows XP or Windows 2000. We recommend only making this change if you have a broadband connection. The TCP Receiving Window is the amount of data that can be received before the sender receives confirmation that the data has arrived. To adjust more settings or if you are running Windows 98 or Windows ME we suggest using a software application like PC Pitstop Optimize to make sure all settings are adjusted properly. To change your TCP Receive Window size:
Launch window registry editor by clicking on Start | Run .
Click in the Open dropdown box and type in regedit.exe then click OK .
Back up your registry by selecting File | Export type in a meaningful file name, in the export range section select All and save to your hard drive. To restore your old registry you simply import this file.
Next you need to create a new registry key. On the left side you need to go to the directory HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters
Select Edit | New | DWORD Value .
Rename the new registry key to TcpWindowSize.
Modify the registry setting for TcpWindowSize by double clicking on the key.
Change the Base Setting to Decimal.
Use the below table to determined what value to enter into the Value data field and click OK.
Option Receive Buffer Size Description
Typical Latency 64240 This is the most common case for cable modems, DSL, or satellite connections. Use this setting if your ping times are often greater than 100ms. It will set the receive buffer size to 64240.
Low Latency 32120 Use this setting if ping times to your most commonly used sites are usually less than 100ms, or if your connection experiences high ping losses. It will set the receive buffer size to 32120. Some cable modem or DSL users may find this setting provides better performance.
For these settings to take effect you need to close all your open applications and reboot your system."