What Causes Latency?
Latency is not a single value; it is the sum of delays across your local hardware, network connection, and remote servers.
Hardware Latency
Hardware latency occurs inside your immediate setup before data even hits the network.
Input Lag
Input lag is the time it takes for a controller or mouse button press to register on your PC or console. High polling rates (e.g., 1000Hz+) minimize input lag significantly.
Display Latency
Display latency is the time your monitor takes to draw a processed frame. Low display latency relies heavily on fast panel response times and high refresh rates.
Panel Response Time
Response time (measured in ms GtG) is how fast a pixel switches from one color to another. Slow response times cause motion blur and ghosting.
Refresh Rate Overhead
Higher refresh rates (such as 144Hz or 240Hz) reduce the frame delivery gap, dropping display delay from ~16.6ms at 60Hz down to ~4.1ms at 240Hz.
Network Latency
Network latency is the time it takes for packet data to travel between your device and the game server.
Propagation Delay
The physical limit of signal transmission over copper or fiber optic cables. Physical distance to the server plays the primary role here.
Network Jitter
Jitter is the variance in latency over time. Consistent 50ms ping feels playable, but ping spiking wildly between 30ms and 150ms creates rubberbanding.
Bufferbloat
Bufferbloat happens when your router queues up too many data packets, causing massive ping spikes whenever someone on the network downloads a large file.
Packet Loss
When data packets fail to reach their destination, the server must wait or request retransmission, causing micro-stuttering or total action drops.