And How to Fix Packet Loss, Stutters, and Network Spikes
It’s frustrating when you’ve spent good money on a powerful gaming PC — an Intel i7 14th-gen CPU, RTX 4060, 32GB RAM, and fast SSD — only to have certain online games run worse than everything else. Offline titles run buttery smooth, Fortnite is perfectly stable, but games like CS2 and Black Ops 7 constantly stutter, drop frames, or show random packet loss.
The good news?
In most cases, this isn’t your hardware. Your PC is strong enough to handle any modern game. The real cause usually comes down to network routing, game servers, or a few hidden Windows settings.
Let’s break down why this happens — and how to fix it.
1. Internet Speed Isn’t the Same as Network Stability
A lot of gamers see 200 Mbps down, 200 Mbps up, and assume everything is perfect.
But online shooters don’t rely on speed — they rely on consistent routing to the game server.
You can have perfect speed and still get:
- Packet loss
- Ping spikes
- Rubberbanding
- Delayed hit registration
This happens when your ISP is taking a bad route to Steam or Activision servers.
Check your routing (takes 10 seconds):
Open Command Prompt and run:
tracert google.com
tracert 208.64.200.39
If one or two hops show huge spikes or timeouts, that’s usually the source of your lag.
This isn’t your PC — it’s your ISP’s path.
2. “Network Boosters” Actually Cause More Lag
ASUS GameFirst, Killer Control Center, MSI Dragon Center, Armoury Crate traffic shaping — these applications claim to optimize your connection, but they often introduce packet shaping and throttling that hurts competitive games.
If any of these are installed, disable or uninstall them.
This alone fixes packet loss for a surprising number of players.
3. Fix Your Ethernet Adapter Settings
Windows uses power-saving features that are terrible for gaming.
Go to:
Device Manager → Network Adapters → (Your Ethernet) → Properties → Advanced
Turn OFF:
- Energy-Efficient Ethernet
- Green Ethernet
- Interrupt Moderation
- Any “Power Saving Mode”
Set:
- Speed & Duplex → 1.0 Gbps Full Duplex
These settings reduce artificial delays and help stabilize your ping.
4. Make Sure the Game Is Using Your GPU
Windows sometimes launches CS2 or COD using the Intel integrated graphics instead of the NVIDIA card — especially after updates.
Go to:
Settings → System → Display → Graphics
Add:
cs2.execod.exe/bo7.exe
Set both to High Performance.
This prevents sudden frame drops caused by the wrong GPU being used.
5. Change Game-Specific Settings That Cause Stutters
CS2
Turn ON:
- Nvidia Reflex
- Multithreading
- Shader Preload
Turn OFF:
- VSync
CS2’s engine is sensitive to low-latency settings, so get these right.
Black Ops 7
Turn OFF:
- On-Demand Texture Streaming (common cause of stutters)
Turn ON:
- Cache Spot Shadows
- Cache Sun Shadows
The game is newly released, so server instability is normal right now — packet loss is happening for many players.
6. Update the Right Drivers (Not from Windows Update)
Windows Update drivers are often outdated or generic.
Instead, download the latest:
- Chipset Driver
- LAN/Ethernet Driver
from your motherboard manufacturer’s website.
This improves system stability and eliminates hidden latency issues.
7. Don’t Ignore the Servers
If Fortnite works perfectly but CS2 and BO7 lag, this is important:
It proves your PC and internet connection are fine.
It means:
- The specific game servers
- Or the route to those servers
is unstable.
Black Ops 7 especially has early-launch server problems affecting many players.
Final Thoughts
You did the right thing looking deeper into the issue — because the hardware you have is more than enough. When only certain online games lag, the problem almost always comes down to:
- Server routing
- Game engine quirks
- Network adapter settings
- Or background software interfering
Try the steps above, and you should see a dramatic improvement in both CS2 and Black Ops 7.