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Network speeds, and why megabits are not your problem

Megabits against megabytes, why gaming uses almost no bandwidth, what latency and jitter actually do to your game, how the Wi-Fi standards compare, and which Ethernet cable to buy.

The short version

Gaming needs almost no bandwidth and cares enormously about latency. Run a cable if you can, and stop paying for a faster internet plan to fix lag.

Almost everyone shopping for a better online experience buys the wrong thing, because the thing being sold is bandwidth and the thing they need is latency. Those are different properties and a bigger number in one does not improve the other.

An online game sends tiny packets very frequently. What matters is how quickly each one arrives and how consistently. A gigabit connection with unstable latency plays worse than a modest connection that is steady.

How to pick

Answer these, in this order.

Each question narrows the field. By the last one there is usually only one sensible answer left, and it is often cheaper than where you started.

  1. Can you run a cable?

    Then run one, and stop reading. A wired connection removes the jitter and packet loss that cause most of what people describe as lag. Nothing else on this page is as effective for as little money.

  2. What is your ping to the servers you play on?

    This is your real network specification, and it is mostly set by physical distance to the server and by your provider's routing. No hardware you buy changes the speed of light.

  3. Does your connection get worse when someone else is streaming?

    That is bufferbloat, and it is fixed with a router that supports Smart Queue Management rather than with a faster plan. This is the single most common actual defect in a home network.

  4. How much bandwidth do you actually need?

    The game itself needs a few megabits at most. Bandwidth is for downloading the game and for everyone else in the house. Size the plan for the household, not for the game.

  5. If it has to be wireless, are both ends current?

    A Wi-Fi 7 router does nothing for a PC with a Wi-Fi 5 card. Both ends of the link have to support the standard, and the 6 GHz band that carries the fastest speeds does not pass through walls well.

The ladder

Network gear by tier, top to bottom.

Every tier here is a real answer for a real person. Lineup reviewed September 2026. Prices shown are launch MSRP, which is a fixed fact. Street prices move, so every product links to a live search.

Enthusiast

Wi-Fi 7, when a cable is genuinely impossible

The real advance is Multi-Link Operation, which holds two bands at once and smooths out the latency spikes wireless is prone to. That, not the headline throughput, is what improves your game.

Who it is for
High refresh at 1440p, or a serious run at 4K, with headroom to spare.
The tradeoff
Most of the halo experience for a meaningful discount, and the tier where power draw and cooling start to drive the rest of the build.

Various

Wi-Fi 7 router (BE series)

Enthusiast

The genuine advance in Wi-Fi 7 is not the headline throughput, it is Multi-Link Operation, which lets a device hold two bands at once and cuts the latency spikes that ruin online play on wireless.

Best for
A room you cannot run a cable to, where wireless has to be good rather than adequate.
Watch out
Your PC needs a Wi-Fi 7 adapter to get any of this, and the 6 GHz band barely passes through walls. A cheap router with a good cable run beats an expensive router across the house.
Standard
802.11be, Wi-Fi 7
The feature that matters
Multi-Link Operation, for latency
Bands
2.4, 5, and 6 GHz
Needs
A Wi-Fi 7 client adapter to benefit
Value

A Wi-Fi 7 card, if the desktop has no radio

A PCIe card with external antennas beats a USB dongle by a wide margin. Check whether your motherboard already has wireless before buying one.

Who it is for
Solid 1080p at high refresh, 1440p if you are willing to move a slider.
The tradeoff
Buys most of the playable experience for a fraction of the top. Usually the first tier where memory capacity starts to limit longevity.

Various

Wi-Fi 7 PCIe adapter

Value

Adds current wireless and Bluetooth to a desktop whose motherboard shipped without it. The external antenna on a PCIe card consistently beats a USB dongle, and it is not close.

Best for
A desktop that has to be on wireless and a motherboard with no built-in radio.
Watch out
Many motherboards already include Wi-Fi. Check the model before buying one, and check that the antenna can physically reach past the metal case panel.
Interface
PCIe x1
Standard
Wi-Fi 7, plus Bluetooth
Better than
A USB wireless dongle, clearly
Worse than
A cable
Budget

A cable. The best value in this entire catalog.

Costs a few dollars, removes wireless jitter and packet loss entirely, and fixes more real complaints than any router upgrade. If the PC can reach the router with a cable, that is the answer.

Who it is for
Esports titles, older libraries, a first build, or a machine that shares duty with schoolwork.
The tradeoff
Real limits at high settings in new releases. The honest version of this tier says which games it will not run well, and this one does.

Various

Cat 6 Ethernet cable

Budget

The cheapest upgrade in this entire catalog and the one that fixes the most complaints. A wired connection removes the jitter and packet loss that make a game feel unresponsive, and Cat 6 handles gigabit over any run inside a house.

Best for
Every desktop that sits within cable reach of a router. Which is most of them.
Watch out
Do not pay for Cat 8. For a run inside a house at gigabit or 2.5 gigabit, Cat 6 is already past the point of diminishing returns. Cat 6a if the run is long or noisy.
Speed supported
1 Gbps easily, 10 Gbps on short runs
What it fixes
Jitter and packet loss, which is what you feel
What it does not fix
Distance to the game server
Cost
A rounding error on any build

Affiliate disclosure. As an Amazon Associate, Lake Effect Rigs earns from qualifying purchases. These links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

Megabits against megabytes, the source of half the confusion

Internet plans are sold in megabits per second, written Mbps. File sizes and download speeds are in megabytes, written MB. There are eight bits in a byte, so a 100 Mbps connection downloads at about 12.5 MB/s at best.

This is why a 1 Gbps plan downloads a 100 GB game in about fifteen minutes rather than instantly, and it is why the number in the advertisement always looks eight times better than the number in your download window.

Plan speedReal download rate100 GB game download
100 MbpsAbout 12.5 MB/sRoughly 2 hours
300 MbpsAbout 37.5 MB/sRoughly 45 minutes
1 GbpsAbout 125 MB/sRoughly 13 minutes
2.5 GbpsAbout 312 MB/sRoughly 5 minutes
None of these numbers change your ping. Every one of them changes how long you wait to install.

Latency, jitter, and packet loss: the three that matter

Latency, which you see as ping, is how long a packet takes to reach the server and come back. It is set mostly by distance and routing. Under 30 ms is excellent, 30 to 60 ms is good, above 100 ms is where a competitive game starts feeling unfair.

Jitter is how much that latency varies from packet to packet. A steady 60 ms is far more playable than something bouncing between 20 and 90 ms, because the game cannot predict what is coming. Wireless is where jitter usually comes from.

Packet loss is packets that never arrive. Even one or two percent produces the rubber-banding and hit registration problems people blame on the game. All three of these get worse on wireless and better on a cable.

The Wi-Fi standards, in order

Each generation adds throughput, but for gaming the useful improvements have been in how the radio handles many devices and how consistently it delivers small packets. Both ends of the connection have to support a standard for it to apply.

NameStandardBandsWhat it improves for gaming
Wi-Fi 5802.11ac5 GHzBaseline. Workable, shows jitter under load
Wi-Fi 6802.11ax2.4 and 5 GHzMuch better in a busy house
Wi-Fi 6E802.11axAdds 6 GHzA clean band with far less interference
Wi-Fi 7802.11be2.4, 5 and 6 GHzMulti-Link Operation, which cuts latency spikes
The 6 GHz band is the fastest and the worst at passing through walls. It is excellent in the same room and often useless two rooms away.

Which Ethernet cable, and which ones are a waste of money

For a run inside a house, Cat 6 handles gigabit comfortably and 10 gigabit over shorter distances. Cat 6a extends 10 gigabit to a full 100 metre run and is worth it for a long or noisy route.

Cat 7 and Cat 8 are sold hard to gamers and do nothing for a home network. They are designed for data centre runs, they are stiffer and harder to route, and your equipment cannot use what they offer. Buy Cat 6 or Cat 6a and spend the difference on literally anything else.

CategorySpeed at 100 mBuy it?
Cat 5e1 GbpsFine if already installed in the walls
Cat 61 Gbps, 10 Gbps to about 55 mYes. The default
Cat 6a10 GbpsYes, for long runs or a 10 Gbps network
Cat 7 and Cat 810 Gbps and aboveNo. Not useful in a house

Next step

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