I'm not very experienced with troubleshooting computers, so I'm trying to figure out where this problem is coming from. My older Acer PC began having connection problems after a system update that also reported a CMOS error. After that, some websites and online services worked normally, while others—such as Netflix, Yahoo, and World of Warcraft—would randomly hang, load very slowly, or disconnect. When one service stopped working, the others usually had problems too.
I replaced the Acer with a new SkyTech PC running Windows 11 Home, with a Ryzen 5 8400F, Radeon RX 9060, 16GB of DDR5 memory, and a 1TB NVMe SSD. However, the new computer has exactly the same connection issues. I transferred my personal files from the old computer using an external drive and scanned the new system with both a full Microsoft Defender scan and an offline scan, but nothing was found.
That makes me think the problem is somewhere outside the computers, possibly the router. It is around six years old, runs very hot, and previously sat in an area without air conditioning. We moved it into an air-conditioned room and placed a fan on it, but my latency actually became worse. Other people in the house can still stream Netflix through an Xbox without problems, although I'm the only person who regularly plays online games.
Could the router, modem, DNS settings, or Ethernet cable be responsible? What should I test before replacing the equipment?
2 Answers
Since two completely different PCs developed the same symptoms, the computers themselves are unlikely to be the cause. The router, modem, ISP connection, or a cable shared by the affected setup is much more likely. A six-year-old router that runs unusually hot is a strong suspect, so asking the internet provider for a replacement modem or gateway and replacing the router would be a sensible first step.
Try the new computer over Ethernet if you aren’t already, and test a different Ethernet cable as well. You can also temporarily change the DNS server to 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8. While the issue is happening, run `ping 1.1.1.1 -t`; if the response times jump sharply or time out, that points to a network, router, or ISP problem rather than a browser or game problem.
That makes sense. We’re going to replace the router and see whether the connection stabilizes.