Opening Steam Increases Latency to ALL Internet Sources, or even disables internet entirely

Issues & Assistance Games & Emulators
1

As stated, when I open steam, native or native runtime when on ps with garuda/arch my overall latency to internet based entities increases dramatically, this happens across all devices on my network not just the garuda machines. When closing steam my normal network performance is restored, network wide.
At times this issue will completely bork my network interfaces, wired and wireless and force a networking service restart or a full pc restart to restore connectivity. I have two Desktops running garuda with very similar specs and it happens to both of them in the identical manner stated. They are under two different routing sources to the internet, one system is at my office, one is at my home. But both routers are Unifi UDM Pro/SE. I have even completely disabled all of the firewall features and this problem still occurs, I have given full whitelisting to the garuda machines and the issue still occurs.

Here is a link to watch a screen cap of the issue occurring.

PC Specs

System:
Kernel: 6.11.5-zen1-1-zen arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 14.2.1
clocksource: tsc avail: hpet,acpi_pm
parameters: BOOT_IMAGE=/@/boot/vmlinuz-linux-zen
root=UUID=00fdf37f-076d-440e-8d72-b42884cdabf2 rw rootflags=subvol=@
quiet resume=UUID=408394b1-11c3-4595-acff-f20b33e0d4c4 loglevel=3
amdgpu.ppfeaturemask=0xffffffff ibt=off
Desktop: KDE Plasma v: 6.2.2 tk: Qt v: N/A info: frameworks v: 6.7.0
wm: kwin_wayland vt: 1 dm: SDDM Distro: Garuda base: Arch Linux
Machine:
Type: Desktop Mobo: ASRock model: B650E Taichi Lite
serial: <superuser required> uuid: <superuser required> UEFI: American
Megatrends LLC. v: 3.02 date: 05/14/2024
CPU:
Info: model: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D bits: 64 type: MT MCP arch: Zen 4 gen: 4
level: v4 note: check built: 2022+ process: TSMC n5 (5nm) family: 0x19 (25)
model-id: 0x61 (97) stepping: 2 microcode: 0xA601206
Topology: cpus: 1x dies: 2 clusters: 2x1 cores: 16 threads: 32 tpc: 2
smt: enabled cache: L1: 1024 KiB desc: d-16x32 KiB; i-16x32 KiB L2: 16 MiB
desc: 16x1024 KiB L3: 128 MiB desc: 1x32 MiB, 1x96 MiB
Speed (MHz): avg: 2982 min/max: 545/5759 boost: enabled scaling:
driver: amd-pstate-epp governor: performance cores: 1: 2982 2: 2982 3: 2982
4: 2982 5: 2982 6: 2982 7: 2982 8: 2982 9: 2982 10: 2982 11: 2982 12: 2982
13: 2982 14: 2982 15: 2982 16: 2982 17: 2982 18: 2982 19: 2982 20: 2982
21: 2982 22: 2982 23: 2982 24: 2982 25: 2982 26: 2982 27: 2982 28: 2982
29: 2982 30: 2982 31: 2982 32: 2982 bogomips: 268803
Flags: avx avx2 ht lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 sse4a ssse3 svm
Vulnerabilities:
Type: gather_data_sampling status: Not affected
Type: itlb_multihit status: Not affected
Type: l1tf status: Not affected
Type: mds status: Not affected
Type: meltdown status: Not affected
Type: mmio_stale_data status: Not affected
Type: reg_file_data_sampling status: Not affected
Type: retbleed status: Not affected
Type: spec_rstack_overflow mitigation: Safe RET
Type: spec_store_bypass mitigation: Speculative Store Bypass disabled via
prctl
Type: spectre_v1 mitigation: usercopy/swapgs barriers and __user pointer
sanitization
Type: spectre_v2 mitigation: Enhanced / Automatic IBRS; IBPB:
conditional; STIBP: always-on; RSB filling; PBRSB-eIBRS: Not affected;
BHI: Not affected
Type: srbds status: Not affected
Type: tsx_async_abort status: Not affected
Graphics:
Device-1: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Navi 32 [Radeon RX 7700 XT /
7800 XT] vendor: Sapphire driver: amdgpu v: kernel arch: RDNA-3
code: Navi-3x process: TSMC n5 (5nm) built: 2022+ pcie: gen: 4
speed: 16 GT/s lanes: 16 ports: active: DP-1,DP-2,HDMI-A-1
empty: HDMI-A-2,Writeback-1 bus-ID: 03:00.0 chip-ID: 1002:747e
class-ID: 0300
Device-2: Microdia Depstech webcam driver: snd-usb-audio,uvcvideo
type: USB rev: 2.0 speed: 480 Mb/s lanes: 1 mode: 2.0 bus-ID: 5-1.1:3
chip-ID: 0c45:636b class-ID: 0102 serial: <filter>
Display: wayland server: X.org v: 1.21.1.13 with: Xwayland v: 24.1.3
compositor: kwin_wayland driver: X: loaded: amdgpu
unloaded: modesetting,radeon alternate: fbdev,vesa dri: radeonsi
gpu: amdgpu d-rect: 7680x1440 display-ID: 0
Monitor-1: DP-1 pos: right res: 2560x1440 size: N/A modes: N/A
Monitor-2: DP-2 pos: center res: 2560x1440 size: N/A modes: N/A
Monitor-3: HDMI-A-1 pos: primary,left res: 2560x1440 size: N/A modes: N/A
API: EGL v: 1.5 hw: drv: amd radeonsi platforms: device: 0 drv: radeonsi
device: 1 drv: swrast gbm: drv: kms_swrast surfaceless: drv: radeonsi
wayland: drv: radeonsi x11: drv: radeonsi
API: OpenGL v: 4.6 compat-v: 4.5 vendor: amd mesa v: 24.2.5-arch1.1
glx-v: 1.4 direct-render: yes renderer: AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (radeonsi
navi32 LLVM 18.1.8 DRM 3.59 6.11.5-zen1-1-zen) device-ID: 1002:747e
memory: 11.72 GiB unified: no display-ID: :1.0
API: Vulkan v: 1.3.295 layers: 10 device: 0 type: discrete-gpu name: AMD
Radeon RX 7700 XT (RADV NAVI32) driver: mesa radv v: 24.2.5-arch1.1
device-ID: 1002:747e surfaces: xcb,xlib,wayland device: 1 type: cpu
name: llvmpipe (LLVM 18.1.8 256 bits) driver: mesa llvmpipe
v: 24.2.5-arch1.1 (LLVM 18.1.8) device-ID: 10005:0000
surfaces: xcb,xlib,wayland
Audio:
Device-1: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] Navi 31 HDMI/DP Audio
driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel pcie: gen: 4 speed: 16 GT/s lanes: 16
bus-ID: 03:00.1 chip-ID: 1002:ab30 class-ID: 0403
Device-2: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] Family 17h/19h HD Audio driver: N/A
alternate: snd_hda_intel pcie: gen: 4 speed: 16 GT/s lanes: 16
bus-ID: 50:00.6 chip-ID: 1022:15e3 class-ID: 0403
Device-3: C-Media Audio Adapter (Unitek Y-247A)
driver: cmedia_hs100b,snd-usb-audio,usbhid type: USB rev: 1.1 speed: 12 Mb/s
lanes: 1 mode: 1.1 bus-ID: 3-2.3:4 chip-ID: 0d8c:0014 class-ID: 0300
Device-4: Generic USB Audio driver: hid-generic,snd-usb-audio,usbhid
type: USB rev: 2.0 speed: 480 Mb/s lanes: 1 mode: 2.0 bus-ID: 3-8:7
chip-ID: 26ce:0a06 class-ID: 0300
Device-5: Microdia Depstech webcam driver: snd-usb-audio,uvcvideo
type: USB rev: 2.0 speed: 480 Mb/s lanes: 1 mode: 2.0 bus-ID: 5-1.1:3
chip-ID: 0c45:636b class-ID: 0102 serial: <filter>
API: ALSA v: k6.11.5-zen1-1-zen status: kernel-api tools: N/A
Server-1: PipeWire v: 1.2.6 status: active with: 1: pipewire-pulse
status: active 2: wireplumber status: active 3: pipewire-alsa type: plugin
4: pw-jack type: plugin tools: pactl,pw-cat,pw-cli,wpctl
Network:
Device-1: Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210/AX1675 2x2 [Typhoon Peak]
vendor: Rivet Networks Killer driver: iwlwifi v: kernel pcie: gen: 2
speed: 5 GT/s lanes: 1 bus-ID: 49:00.0 chip-ID: 8086:2725 class-ID: 0280
IF: wlp73s0 state: down mac: <filter>
Device-2: Realtek Killer E3000 2.5GbE vendor: ASRock driver: r8169
v: kernel pcie: gen: 2 speed: 5 GT/s lanes: 1 port: b000 bus-ID: 4a:00.0
chip-ID: 10ec:3000 class-ID: 0200
IF: enp74s0 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
Device-3: ASIX AX88179 Gigabit Ethernet driver: ax88179_178a type: USB
rev: 3.0 speed: 5 Gb/s lanes: 1 mode: 3.2 gen-1x1 bus-ID: 6-1.4:3
chip-ID: 0b95:1790 class-ID: ff00 serial: <filter>
IF: enp80s0f3u1u4 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
IF-ID-1: bridge0 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: unknown mac: <filter>
IF-ID-2: tailscale0 state: unknown speed: -1 duplex: full mac: N/A
Info: services: NetworkManager, smbd, sshd, systemd-timesyncd
Bluetooth:
Device-1: Intel AX210 Bluetooth driver: btusb v: 0.8 type: USB rev: 2.0
speed: 12 Mb/s lanes: 1 mode: 1.1 bus-ID: 3-7:5 chip-ID: 8087:0032
class-ID: e001
Report: btmgmt ID: hci0 rfk-id: 1 state: down bt-service: enabled,running
rfk-block: hardware: no software: no address: <filter> bt-v: 5.3 lmp-v: 12
status: discoverable: no pairing: no
Drives:
Local Storage: total: 2.73 TiB used: 518.37 GiB (18.5%)
SMART Message: Unable to run smartctl. Root privileges required.
ID-1: /dev/nvme0n1 maj-min: 259:4 vendor: Crucial model: CT2000P3PSSD8
size: 1.82 TiB block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B speed: 63.2 Gb/s
lanes: 4 tech: SSD serial: <filter> fw-rev: P9CR40D temp: 31.9 C
ID-2: /dev/nvme1n1 maj-min: 259:0 vendor: Crucial model: CT1000P5PSSD8
size: 931.51 GiB block-size: physical: 512 B logical: 512 B speed: 63.2 Gb/s
lanes: 4 tech: SSD serial: <filter> fw-rev: P7CR403 temp: 50.9 C
scheme: GPT
Partition:
ID-1: / raw-size: 880.43 GiB size: 2.68 TiB (311.60%)
used: 518.37 GiB (18.9%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/nvme1n1p2 maj-min: 259:2
ID-2: /boot/efi raw-size: 300 MiB size: 299.4 MiB (99.80%)
used: 592 KiB (0.2%) fs: vfat dev: /dev/nvme1n1p1 maj-min: 259:1
ID-3: /home raw-size: 880.43 GiB size: 2.68 TiB (311.60%)
used: 518.37 GiB (18.9%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/nvme1n1p2 maj-min: 259:2
ID-4: /var/log raw-size: 880.43 GiB size: 2.68 TiB (311.60%)
used: 518.37 GiB (18.9%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/nvme1n1p2 maj-min: 259:2
ID-5: /var/tmp raw-size: 880.43 GiB size: 2.68 TiB (311.60%)
used: 518.37 GiB (18.9%) fs: btrfs dev: /dev/nvme1n1p2 maj-min: 259:2
Swap:
Kernel: swappiness: 133 (default 60) cache-pressure: 100 (default) zswap: no
ID-1: swap-1 type: zram size: 46.66 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) priority: 100
comp: zstd avail: lzo,lzo-rle,lz4,lz4hc,842 max-streams: 32 dev: /dev/zram0
ID-2: swap-2 type: partition size: 50.79 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%)
priority: -2 dev: /dev/nvme1n1p3 maj-min: 259:3
Sensors:
System Temperatures: cpu: 46.5 C mobo: 37.2 C gpu: amdgpu temp: 55.0 C
mem: 64.0 C
Fan Speeds (rpm): N/A gpu: amdgpu fan: 585
Info:
Memory: total: 48 GiB note: est. available: 46.66 GiB used: 8.25 GiB (17.7%)
Processes: 570 Power: uptime: 30m states: freeze,mem,disk suspend: deep
avail: s2idle wakeups: 0 hibernate: platform avail: shutdown, reboot,
suspend, test_resume image: 18.65 GiB services: org_kde_powerdevil,
power-profiles-daemon, upowerd Init: systemd v: 256 default: graphical
tool: systemctl
Packages: 1808 pm: pacman pkgs: 1785 libs: 445 tools: octopi,paru,yay
pm: flatpak pkgs: 23 Compilers: clang: 18.1.8 gcc: 14.2.1 Shell: fish
v: 3.7.1 running-in: konsole inxi: 3.3.36
2

To Clarify, this does not happen to Debian or Fedora based machines running steam on the same networks, I have only seen this with Garuda simply because that is the only version of arch I use. So the issue could be Arch wide

More Info:
60 count ping without Steam Running

--- 8.8.8.8 ping statistics ---
60 packets transmitted, 60 received, 0% packet loss, time 59087ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 9.571/13.143/63.104/11.676 ms

60 count ping with Steam Running

--- 8.8.8.8 ping statistics ---
60 packets transmitted, 54 received, 10% packet loss, time 59265ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 9.560/76.094/94.706/27.586 ms
3

Have you tried disabling IPv6?
Try also different DNS providers.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Steam/Troubleshooting#Unusually_slow_download_speed

2 Likes
4

IPV6 is disabled and I have tried public, cloudflare, google quad9, along with my local stubby dns and pihole.

5

To add, my machine maintains a 2.5gb link on the local lan connection and my internet speeds are symmetric 2gb/2gb, I can consistently get these speeds and low latency as long as steam is not open. I am a network engineer professionally and I burn a lot of cash to ensure my home network performs better than most businesses people work for.
Here is another oddity, this issue only occurs in this combination with my testing, garuda arch and routed behind a unifi udm pro. I can connect to my hotspot and I do not have any packet drops, granted it is slower but it does not drop or increase latency.

More clarification, fedora and debian running steam behind my unifi router do not have this issue.

6

Alright I have some more info, the network wide latency is not garuda specific, it happens across all distros as long as they have a game downloading in the steam client. This happens when connected to my hotspot, so my previous correlation from garuda to unifi was incorrect, I was simply not downloading anything. So now this is either a steam issue or a unifi issue. I am putting together a test using a windose machine now to verify if it is steam wide which will likely point to unifi entirely and will post the info soon.

7

Hello rklxmok,
just change the download region under “settings” in steam. And then?

8

I had not thought of this, great idea, but changing the download region it behaves the same, latency still sky rockets on my routers interface and on all machines targeting an internet based source.

9

To add, this issue happens on windows machines as well, and across multiple routing platforms and internet sources. I am at odds to say the least, this issue surely is not isolated to just me and every network I touch with a device running steam, or am I simply able to see the immediate affect it has due to the monitoring capabilities I have on my networking equipment. Definitely not tied to garuda in any way, it is a steam issue, maybe regional cdn routing problems, but even so changing the download region should have resolved this or had an effect

11

I always keep IPV6 disabled as well. However, I have encountered cases while providing network support where disabling IPV6 itself caused speed issues. Have you tested with IPV6 enabled to see if the same speed deficit persists.

Have you tested your speeds using an alternate router? I have encountered cases in the past where a specific brand of router does not play well with certain internet providers (when running Linux).

I’m sure you’ve likely rebooted your router, but sometimes resetting the router to the factory defaults is required to restore proper speeds.

Have you checked lately to see if there has been a recent firmware upgrade issued for your router model?

Out of curiosity, which method did you use to disable IPV6? I’m guessing that with Windows being affected as well that you are disabling IPV6 through your router. I would try disabling IPV6 instead using a kernel parameter if you are disabling IPV6 though your router settings.

If Windows is also affected, then updating your bios might be a good idea if an update is available.

I know you are a very competent network admin, but sometimes what seems like an off the wall suggestion can be what corrects an unusual issue.

Good luck, and welcome to the Garuda community.

1 Like
12

Give the lts and mainstream vanilla kernels a try as well, run:
sudo pacman -S linux-lts linux-lts-headers
And reboot, check for improvements.
If none, run:
sudo pacman -S linux linux-headers
and reboot.

13

This topic was automatically closed 14 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.