Tired of getting wrecked in online matches due to high ping & wondering whether it’s due to the CPU/GPU of your device? In the age of the internet, it’s easy to get lost in all the misinformation floating around us & not know the true reason behind an issue.
Don’t worry, we got you covered.
Let’s dive into this article as I have thoroughly discussed & fact-checked whether a CPU can affect ping in an online match.
What is Ping & Why Does It Matter?
In an online multiplayer game, ping means the roundtrip delay between a user’s input being sent & registering on a game server. If your ping is 60ms & you hit the shoot button, it’ll take 60 milliseconds for your input to be reached & registered on the game’s server. 
Since ping is the delay between a user’s inputs and the game server’s response time to those inputs, it matters a lot in online matches. A player with low ping will have a distinct advantage over players with high ping. The lower the ping is, the better. 
Suppose, you’re playing Fortnite or Valorant and you come face-to-face with an enemy. You both click mouse 1 to shoot at the same time. You and the enemy’s network latency is 50ms and 20ms respectively. What do you think will happen? Who dies?
Unfortunately, you’ll die because you have a higher ping. It’ll take a longer time for your inputs to reach the server than your enemy’s. As a result, the server will register your enemy’s shot and kill you. This is why a player can die even if they shoot first.
Can a CPU Affect In-game Ping?
No. A CPU/GPU doesn’t affect ping/network latency. Ping is determined by the real-time delay of a player’s input reaching & registering on the game server. It is entirely dependent on the ISP/player’s internet connection rather than on his computer’s CPU.
In terms of online gaming, there are usually two types of latency. The first is end-to-end system latency, better known as hardware latency. It is comprised of input processing, game engine, rendering, and display output. 
The system latency depends on the CPU, GPU, RAM, peripherals, etc. It can also depend on game/OS optimization. 
The second type is network latency AKA ping, which is the time it takes your PC to communicate with the game servers. It entirely depends on the network quality of your internet connection. What it doesn’t depend on is the hardware configuration of your PC. 
We also explore whether a CPU can cause packet loss in a separate article. Do check it out.
A network connection with 40ms ping will take the same amount of time to send your inputs to the server regardless of how fast your CPU is. For this, let’s take two laptops with different configurations; Asus TUF F15 with i5 10th gen and Dell Inspiron 14 with i3 3rd gen.
Now, let’s run CSGO on both laptops while they’re both connected to the same WiFi network & lobby. As we can see, the CPUs in both laptops are being fully utilized, and yet the ping is same on both devices.
The reason why some people get confused about whether CPU can affect ping or not is that people often refer to ping as latency. As a result, certain individuals can misinterpret this network latency as hardware latency.
Hardware lag can often get mixed up with network lag, which is completely wrong.
Hardware lag causes frame drops, higher frame time, and input lag. Network lag due to packet loss can produce rubber banding, hit detection & player positioning issues, etc.
What Causes High Ping?
So if CPU doesn’t affect ping, then what does? Gamers can experience high ping due to unstable internet connection, inadequate bandwidth, poor ISP(internet service provider) quality, distance from the router, improper configuration of Windows Firewall, and server region.
Additionally, if you have background running apps or downloads that are using internet bandwidth, then you’ll experience high ping and packet loss issues during an online match.
Here are the reasons for high ping in online matches:
- Slow and unstable internet connection.
- Packet loss.
- Internet service provider’s quality.
- Geographical location.
- Distance from WiFi router.
- Number of connected users under a network.
- Windows Firewall configuration.
- Background running apps consuming internet bandwidth.
Some games offer high ping compensation for a certain limit, but in general, having a higher ping than your opponent is bad. If you’re a CSGO player like me, you can try these methods to resolve high ping and packet loss issues in counter strike.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a better CPU lower ping?
No. In-game ping depends on your internet connection & server status rather than on the CPU.
What ping is good for gaming?
Below 50ms is considered to be an ideal ping range for responsive multiplayer gaming.
Is high ping good or bad?
High ping is not good as it introduces higher latency(more lag) & reduced responsiveness.
Conclusion
That’s about it. Having a very high ping can genuinely ruin a fun multiplayer match. So to resolve this issue, it’s imperative to find the actual cause of higher network latency instead of blaming the wrong component.
Hopefully, this write-up has helped you know what actually affects ping & what doesn’t. Feel free to share your queries in the comments below.
GGWP!
