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We are all looking to get the highest FPS possible when gaming, so is using ethernet instead of a wireless alternative an easy win when it comes to improving your FPS?
Using ethernet instead of a wireless alternative will have no effect on graphical performance or FPS (frames per second). The components used and how graphically demanding the game is are the primary determining factors in how the FPS can be achieved.
Although it won’t affect FPS directly, there are still several reasons as to why you should be using ethernet when gaming to improve your overall experience.
How Using Ethernet Affects FPS
Unfortunately, using an ethernet cable to connect your gaming PC or console to your router or network switch won’t have an effect on the frames per second you are able to achieve in-game.
The components used and how graphically demanding the game is are ultimately what determines how many frames per second you are able to reach; the method in which you connect to your local area network has no effect whatsoever.
That being said, there are still several benefits that come with using ethernet that can improve your network connection in-game and make for a much more enjoyable experience overall.
Most people will resort to using Wi-Fi on their PC or console as it is simply the most convenient method of connecting to the router, and from there, the internet.
The main problem with this, however, is that the latency is considerably longer when you compare it with using ethernet instead.
Latency is the time it takes for the information to reach its destination, which in the case of gaming online, is the server out on the internet that the game is hosted on.
Lower latency means that the sending of information to the server and then receiving new information back is faster. Ultimately, the in-game reactions are faster which absolutely gives you an advantage.
Depending on the game you are playing, latency may not be too much of a worry for you. As an example, lower latency in a slow-paced RPG game like Age of Empires may not make that much of a noticeable difference, whereas it absolutely would in a fast-paced shooter like Call of Duty or Fortnite.
Personally, I wouldn’t let the type of game I am playing at that particular time determine whether I use ethernet or Wi-Fi; I would just use ethernet all of the time as lower latency is not the only benefit that comes with using it.
A second benefit to using ethernet over Wi-Fi comes down to the stability and reliability of the connection.
I have personally experienced times whilst gaming online on Wi-Fi when I would randomly experience a massive spike in lag, or even a complete drop out that forces me to leave the game due to having no internet access.
From what I know now, I put this 100% down to using Wi-Fi as since switching to ethernet, it has not occurred once and I am able to maintain a solid network connection without any downtime.
It is a well-known fact that wireless signals can fluctuate which can have a detrimental effect on the wireless connection.
Even some appliances and electrical devices that you may think have no effect whatsoever can impact the quality of the signal. Microwaves are notorious for this, so make sure your wireless router isn’t placed anywhere no one.
Ethernet is much more reliable in terms of maintaining a network connection as there aren’t any outside influences that can affect it, other than perhaps your internet service provider, but this is ultimately out of your control.
Even if you don’t have the fastest speeds possible, you at least want them to remain consistent when gaming online, and using an ethernet cable as your choice of connection method can absolutely help you achieve that.
The third benefit to using ethernet over Wi-Fi doesn’t necessarily help improve your gaming experience directly but is worth a mention nonetheless.
Many people, including myself, find that the download and upload speeds they are able to achieve are faster when using ethernet over a wireless alternative.
This may not provide any direct advantages in-game, but anything you do on the internet will appear to be faster and more responsive, even when others in your home are using the Wi-Fi network.
One thing I’m certain you will appreciate here is that the download of your games will be much faster. This is very much welcomed given how games these days are absolutely massive and can take literally hours to download and install before you can even begin to play them.
There is still a chance that the server you are downloading the games from may be experiencing some issues that cause the download to take longer than it should, but at least you know your connection to the internet is not at fault, and this is a pretty rare occurrence anyway.
So, although using ethernet doesn’t have a direct positive impact on the FPS you are able to achieve in-game, there are still many benefits that come with using it over a wireless alternative that help to improve your overall experience when not only gaming but accessing the internet and your home network in general.
Can a Faulty Ethernet Cable Cause FPS to Drop?
Ethernet is considered to be the best method of connecting your gaming PC to your router or network switch, so will a faulty ethernet cable have a negative effect on FPS, or will it make no difference whatsoever?
A faulty ethernet cable will not cause FPS to drop, but could result in a higher ping and latency issues; both of which can make it appear that the FPS has dropped due to it taking longer for your inputs to be reflected on-screen. A faulty cable should be replaced to provide a better experience.
Even though a faulty ethernet cable won’t directly affect your FPS, it is a good idea to get it replaced as soon as you can as there is a chance it can not only lead to latency issues which can make it appear that your PC hardware is causing the FPS to drop, whilst also having a negative impact on your overall experiencing when gaming online.
You could always resort to using a wireless method of connecting to your router which would still give you the access to the internet that you need, but I would always recommend using ethernet wherever possible as it will generally result in a lower ping, is more reliable, and offers lower latency and jitter.
Using ethernet may not affect your FPS, but it will more than likely provide you with a better network connection which can make it appear that your FPS is higher due to the time it takes for your inputs to be sent to the server you are gaming on and then the outcome of those inputs to be displayed on being less.
Not only that, but a better network connection through using ethernet provides a better overall experience due to the likelihood of lag or other latency issues occurring being significantly less when compared with using a wireless alternative.
Does Ping Affect FPS?
Ping is something that all gamers will want to keep as low as possible to provide the best possible network connection when gaming online, so will a higher ping have a negative effect on the FPS you can achieve?
A high ping does not affect FPS, nor does FPS have a negative effect on ping response times. A higher ping is exclusively a result of network-related issues. It may appear to cause FPS to drop, but in reality, it has no impact whatsoever.
Although a higher ping may make it appear that you are experiencing a drop in FPS, if you were to actually monitor your FPS, you would see that it wouldn’t drop as a direct result of the increase in ping response times.
Ping simply doesn’t directly impact FPS or vice versa; the two are very much independent of each other despite this sometimes not appearing to be the case.
At the end of the day, latency issues, which are caused by a higher ping, don’t prevent your graphics card’s ability to render the on-screen graphics. What you see on-screen and the FPS you are able to achieve are solely down to the hardware found inside of your PC and the game you are playing, not your network connection.
If you were to experience a drop in FPS alongside a high ping, this could indicate there is a fault with your PC hardware rather than the network connection itself, so it is probably worth taking a look at how the PC is connecting to the internet first.
It could be that there is an issue with the ethernet cable you are using, or perhaps there is a driver update available for the wireless card that allows you to connect to your Wi-Fi network.
