Poor Performance or Lag

 Internet Speed, Fast Enough?

If you are using a dial-up connection your internet speed may not be fast enough for your game.  This is especially true if you are trying to host the game.  Most games these days require at least a 56 Kilobit per second connection, and some even require fast broadband connections.  If you are using dial-up and have a 56 kilobit modem make sure that you are connecting at a full 56Kb.  Often times the access number you dial may not support 56K and your speed may be suffering as a result.  Contact your ISP (Internet Service Provider) if you need assistance in improving your connection speed.

 How good is the server your connecting to?

Often times the trouble is not on your end but rather is a trouble with the person or server you are trying to connect to.  Many games offer methods of checking the connectivity between you and the server such as a connection bar or a ping In computer gaming a ping, also known as a high or low ping, is a measurement of how fast of connection to the game server the player has. For example a player with a 50 ping is more then likely going to have a much easier and better game then a player with a 250 ping. meter.  Try several servers or hosts to see if the trouble improves.

 Background Tasks

Background Tasks are hidden programs that run behind the scenes.  These running programs can interfere with your online experience as well.  Make sure that all other running programs and background tasks are closed down.

Close Background tasks

 System Slowdown?

Often times what can appear to be lag or latency trouble is actually related to system performance.  Many games have graphical settings in their Options menus.  Always try reducing these settings to lower values to see if performance improves.  If you believe your trouble is more closely related to system performance than online "lag" Go Here.