High ping/packet loss, lag

Yeah, I've got the dreaded lag. Having played other online games before I'm going to attribute it as lag between me and the server, not client-side lag.

I'm getting 120fps, but only 30kbps in bandwidth, along with a ping of 250 (both sim and user) or so. When I move (which takes maybe 1.5 seconds to register with the server), it goes up to around 800 sim and 1000 user, which is way too high.

And every now and then, though not too often, I get packet loss, which is always bad.

Now, I just need help diagnosing what it is that's causing the problem, and how I can fix it.

I have a 512kbps 'broadband' connection, in Australia (yeah, anything above dial-up is broadband, even if it sucks in comparison to the US), and a brand spanking new computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 at 1.8GHz. My graphics card is a GeForce 7900GS. The only thing wrong with the system (to Second Life at least) is that it's running Vista, which is currently unsupported apparently.

So, I'm guessing that it's my internet that's causing the problem. Does anyone have any tips for me? I've read the sticky but I couldn't figure out what it was saying, and how to change it.

Thanks.

PS: I'm not in busy areas, and I updated my graphics card drivers recently (because the Microsoft default ones are a piece of crap

Edit: I've gone into Windows Firewall and let Second Life through, and ow I'm getting a much higher bandwidth (300kbps), but still got the high ping. Still looking for help

Bump?

Check out this thread I posted a while ago.. /111/1f/106305/2.html#post1373895

See if that helps you any..

Also try this article,
www.secondlifeinsider.com/2006/12/26/under-the-grid-other-causes-of-lag/

and try setting the Download Speed slider to about 40. (i'm guessing at that...the trick is to set it as high as possible but still keep the little packet loss thermometer from turning from yellow to red. (The thermometer is in the upper right corner of your viewer window)).
I have a 1Meg connection, and typically set my speed limiter to 90.

Hope that helps.

It might be that your routing from Oz to CA is just too painful..

The Help->About window will tell you the dns name of the server that you're connected to. Maybe try a tracert (or even just ping) to the server to see what your base latency looks like - what it costs to get there without even running SL..

Just ask any Linden. Packet loss regarding their servers doesn't exist.

It's all a figment of your imagination.



Or so that's nearly how I'm treated when I voice similar concerns.

The bandwidth slider in the network tab should be set to 2/3rds of your actual connection speed. For the most part the client will throttle the actual speed within those parameters. Setting it to high or low will not help your system.


What is also very important, is HD space for the cache, and that has to be defragmented on a regular basis, setting the cache as high as you can afford space, will be an advantage to places you frequent regularily.

System Ram and GC ram are also another important thing to get as high/large as you can.