Connection Speed Decreases Substantially When Flow Cache is Disabled

[vaynardx]

So, I've just updated my ASUS TUF AX3000 router to one of the Merlin forks developed by Gnuton recently. After setting up my router, I've decided to disable Flow Cache seeing as it's the common recommendation in these forums. But, after doing so, my connection speed decreases by 150-200 mbps (my connection is 600 dl/ul). I've installed FlexQOS in the hopes of getting better ping in games. Given my current situation, I have two questions:

1. Is it really necessary to disable Flow Cache?
2. If so, does it really slow connection speeds? If yes, why does it do that?

 

[Ripshod]

Only disable something if you're actually experiencing problems. Enable Flow Cache again and see how it goes.
If it ain't broke.......

 

[Morris]

I don't know why you think that disabling cache flow is recommended. It's purpose is to relieve the CPU of work and thus make the flows run faster.

 

[drinkingbird]

So, I've just updated my ASUS TUF AX3000 router to one of the Merlin forks developed by Gnuton recently. After setting up my router, I've decided to disable Flow Cache seeing as it's the common recommendation in these forums. But, after doing so, my connection speed decreases by 150-200 mbps (my connection is 600 dl/ul). I've installed FlexQOS in the hopes of getting better ping in games. Given my current situation, I have two questions:

1. Is it really necessary to disable Flow Cache?
2. If so, does it really slow connection speeds? If yes, why does it do that?

Disabling any hardware acceleration feature will slow your throughput for sure.

 

[coldkick]

I don’t recall ever seeing disabling flow cache as being a recommendation. Care to point me to that post? Seems strange.

edit: also at 600/600 you probably don’t need any QOS but ymmv

 

[vaynardx]

I don’t recall ever seeing disabling flow cache as being a recommendation. Care to point me to that post? Seems strange.

edit: also at 600/600 you probably don’t need any QOS but ymmv

It was from this post, https://www.snbforums.com/threads/f...pt-for-adaptive-qos.75620/page-19#post-810948

 

[coldkick]

Ah it’s a FlexQOS specific recommendation because flowcache negatively affects its ability to control traffic.

what type of pings are you getting with FlexQOS off and FC on? Did you get an improvement to ping with it on?

frankly, I would be surprised because at your connection speed there shouldn’t be much congestion fighting over which packets get delivered when.

 

[vaynardx]

Ah it’s a FlexQOS specific recommendation because flowcache negatively affects its ability to control traffic.

what type of pings are you getting with FlexQOS off and FC on? Did you get an improvement to ping with it on?

frankly, I would be surprised because at your connection speed there shouldn’t be much congestion fighting over which packets get delivered when.

Honestly, the difference in ping is just a few ms when disabled, so I would say that it is negligible at best. That said, may I ask what your recommendation is given my connection speed? If you're asking the reason why I have QoS enabled in the first place is that I live with three other people in the house and they have multiple devices that do a number of things; from streaming content, playing games, or downloading large files. In this situation, would it be best to just disable QoS? I am playing online games in my spare time by the way, so this question spurred from the context of getting as low latency as possible given the many things people do in this house do with regards to internet connection.

 

[Tech9]

You don't need QoS on 600/600 fiber line.

 

[vaynardx]

You don't need QoS on 600/600 fiber line.

Uhm, so does latency get affected when someone downloads a large file, for example?

 

[Tech9]

It may be, temporary and only at line saturation speeds. You hurt the performance constantly though running QoS. Your router is weak hardware based on entry-level RT-AX58U. Don't run things you don't need on it on 600/600 line. It may only get worse, not better.

 

[vaynardx]

It may be, temporary and only at line saturation speeds. You hurt the performance constantly though running QoS. Your router is weak hardware based on entry-level RT-AX58U. Don't run things you don't need on it on 600/600 line. It may only get worse, not better.

What do you mean by "line saturation speeds"?

 

[Tech9]

Close to your maximum ISP speed of 600Mbps. Below that speed you have no bufferbloat or latency issues you need to worry about.

 

[alba666]

IMHO, I would disable it, keep the change to yourself, and see if anyone is impacted. Highly doubt they will notice.