A technology explainer distinguishes bandwidth, throughput and latency as separate measures of internet performance. Bandwidth is the maximum data capacity of a connection, while throughput—commonly called 'internet speed'—is the actual rate of data delivery, which can never exceed bandwidth due to factors like router limitations and network congestion. Latency, measured in milliseconds as ping, reflects the round-trip delay for data to reach a server and return, influenced by physical distance and connection type.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-04
DDR5 memory kits are labeled with a data rate (in millions of transfers per second) and a CAS latency figure, which together determine actual response time rather than clock speed alone. JEDEC's standard timings keep real latency close to 14 nanoseconds across speeds from DDR5-3200 to DDR5-8800, meaning faster-rated kits with looser timings aren't necessarily quicker to respond, just capable of moving more data once it starts flowing. Premium kits distinguish themselves by tightening CAS latency at a given speed or pushing to higher speeds like DDR5-9600.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-04
A Show HN project called Jevstiller introduces a local CPU model trained on outputs from the Jev classification API, aiming to answer most requests in about 15 milliseconds instead of the roughly 300 milliseconds a network call to Jev takes. Users set a target agreement rate (e.g. 98%), and the system routes only enough traffic to the local model to keep its combined coverage and error rate within that budget, sending the rest to Jev.
jevstiller.pages.dev
· 2026-09-29
Despite the shift toward wireless devices, many high-end and gaming keyboards remain wired or offer no Bluetooth option at all, largely because of measurable input delay. Bluetooth connections introduce a few extra milliseconds of lag between a keypress and its registration on a computer, which barely matters for typing but can affect gaming or music production. A 2.4GHz USB dongle connection offers a faster alternative to Bluetooth, often approaching wired performance for latency-sensitive tasks.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-21
Testing from Polling Rate Test shows Microsoft's Xbox controllers report input at roughly the same 125Hz rate whether connected via USB cable or the proprietary Xbox Wireless Adapter, translating to about eight milliseconds of potential delay in either case. Bluetooth connections, by contrast, add an extra four to eight milliseconds of lag, varying with interference from nearby wireless devices.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-19
A new comparison examines the practical differences between passive wired speaker setups and wireless Bluetooth systems, focusing on modularity, latency and cable management. It notes that wired systems let users swap components like amplifiers or speakers independently, while removing Bluetooth transmission delay from the audio chain. The piece also cautions that cables alone don't guarantee better sound quality if the source audio is already compressed.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-15
A comparison of gaming mouse specs finds that modern wireless models can match wired ones on the metrics that matter most: latency, polling rate, DPI, and tracking speed. High-end mice on either connection type can reach polling rates up to 8,000Hz, far outpacing a typical 125Hz office mouse, meaning the wired-versus-wireless debate has less impact on performance than it once did.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-14
A team tasked with speeding up ClickHouse for its largest customers found a critical dashboard query taking over 85 seconds and scanning nearly 2 billion rows across 198GB of data. Over four months, they applied a series of incremental, non-flashy optimizations—tackling issues like the overhead of ReplacingMergeTree's FINAL clause on mutable event data and an inefficient partition key—to bring the query down to sub-second response times.
jordivillar.com
· 2026-09-09
The developer behind Whistle Synth, a tool that turns whistling into synthesizer sound, has rebuilt it with AI assistance and released it as a free, ad-free, open-source Mac application. The overhaul cut audio round-trip latency from 80ms to 5ms and fixed stuttering by separating pitch detection from sound synthesis.
jefftk.com
· 2026-09-04
An analysis compares using televisions versus dedicated monitors for computer use, focusing on refresh rates, input latency, and color depth. It finds monitors generally offer higher refresh rates, lower latency (1-4ms vs 9-12ms on TVs), and better color support at lower price points than comparable TVs.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-01
A poem titled 'Safe Distance' uses imagery of undersea fiber optic cables, packet transmission, and network latency to depict a long-distance relationship mediated by technology. The piece frames digital communication as both a bridge and a barrier, with signals, nodes, and handshakes standing in for human touch and vulnerability.
spectrum.ieee.org
· 2026-08-23
GoKawiil