Low latency refers to the least amount of delay in a computer system or network. It can be measured using a ping test and is useful in scenarios where multiple repeat communications are required, such as VoIP and online gaming. Low latency can also improve performance in computer hardware, such as RAM and peripheral audio devices.
Low latency is the least amount of delay in a computer system or communications network. It is often used to refer to the amount of time it takes for a network packet to make a round trip from a sending computer to a receiving computer over a network connection. In other use cases, it can refer to the amount of time it takes to route data in and out of a computer’s random access memory (RAM).
Using a ping test is the most reliable method of calculating latency in a network communication. Calculating latency on a computer network involves logging the time it takes for a ping to reach its destination and return. This can vary based on a number of variables, including time of day, network type, distance to destination, and more. Typically, a number of pings are sent, and the latency is an average based on counting the round-trip time of each ping.
Low latency is very useful in a number of scenarios, but it has nothing to do with mass data transmission. A connection may only need to connect to a host once to download a large file, the speed of which does not depend on the delay in communicating back and forth with the source. The most desirable scenarios for low latency, therefore, are those where multiple repeat communications with the destination are required.
In Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications, such low latency is beneficial because voice data must be sent back and forth at extremely high speeds to avoid conversation delays. This also applies to certain types of networked applications such as MMO (massively multiplayer online) games and real-time trading in the markets. In the game, the playing customer must be able to continuously update his or her in-game position throughout the game. Higher latency creates a lag in game performance for the player, as the server hosting the game cannot update the player’s location as quickly. Other network applications, such as those used by day traders, find low latency desirable in order to be able to update and change a trading portfolio as quickly as possible to keep up with some high frequency markets.
While most of the discussions about latency are about computer networks, the specific hardware inside a computer can also benefit from low latency. Computer RAM is one example where the time it takes to add or remove data from a memory column can improve performance. This is referred to as column address strobe (CAS) latency, where a device in your computer called a memory controller directs data in and out of specific columns in RAM. Some memory controllers are located on the computer motherboard, while others have improved latency by implementing them on the central processing unit (CPU) instead.
Another computer hardware implementation that improves latency is in some peripheral audio devices. Some manufacturers use special device drivers for their expansion cards that bypass the operating system. Audio software that is more compatible with these special device drivers therefore achieves lower latency in transmitting sound from a program through the device to the user’s ears.
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