I have a personal computer on mac os, but I need windows to work. I used a virtual machine for a long time, but I want to get rid of it, and I would like to switch to mac on m2. Without thinking twice, I took a working computer on Windows 10 pro, set up rdp on it, on mac I use microsoft remote desktop. You can work, but there is still an unpleasant interaction delay. I understand that in theory it is possible to minimize the delay as much as possible, since my computer on windows and on mac os actually stand side by side on the same table. Firstly, it confuses me that the exchange takes place via tcp, and in the client on mac os I did not find the opportunity to change to udp. Secondly, as far as I understand, data transfer occurs through an intermediate link? Or do we get a p2p connection? I would like to understand if there are other alternatives to windows rdp that would prove to be faster? Perhaps there are ways to fine-tune the settings? Or is it possible to connect to the local network and drive all traffic within one wifi router?
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1Are these computers connected together via Ethernet, or are you using Wifi? Wifi is not great for RDP.– Mokubai ♦Commented Mar 2, 2023 at 10:41
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Yes, I use WiFi to access. I understand that using a cable directly is preferable, but the router has sufficient maximum speed for such a task (tp link archer ax50).– Vlad SaharCommented Mar 2, 2023 at 10:47
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1With things like RDP speed is less important than latency. Every device actively using wifi will restrict the bandwidth available for other wifi devices and impact the latency of device to device connections as devices have to wait for the link to go quiet. One device sending desktop data will impact the latency of a device asking for data. Wifi is half-duplex. Ethernet being full duplex means that requests for desktop data and mouse pointer movement can be received at the same time as sending data for previous requests. The first thing you should try is connecting the machines via Ethernet.– Mokubai ♦Commented Mar 2, 2023 at 10:54
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2You can connect them with ethernet cables to your router. Directly connecting one to the other with a single cable can work but requires some manual configuration on both machines which can be annoying. The OS doesn't matter.– Mokubai ♦Commented Mar 2, 2023 at 11:10
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2support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/mac-help/mchlp1660/mac seems to suggest that modern systems should "just work" and may not require manual configuration. Check the "ethernet" section. The problem is that if you leave both machines on WiFi and plug in an ethernet cable then the machines may simply ignore the cable entirely as they already know how to talk correctly via the WiFi.– Mokubai ♦Commented Mar 2, 2023 at 12:23
2 Answers
You may want to consider reducing the color depth from 32bit to 16bit on the RDP client. If your rdp client doesn't have the choice, you can likely edit the rdp file with a line like "session bpp:i:16". I recall seeing improved performance and I couldn't visually tell the difference for the work I was doing. Give it a try and see. Good luck.
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I tried this method, but, unfortunately, I did not see a significant difference :( Commented Mar 6, 2023 at 14:17
Setting the Graphics Interpolation Level from "Automatic" to "High" made a difference on a M2 Max. Note that I did not notice a difference by unchecking "Use hardware acceleration when possible", so I've left that checked.
Reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/253548/extreme-lag-on-microsoft-remote-desktop-mac-client Comment on post by Özberk Akbaş
Richard in Pasadena Mar 3, 2023 at 11:42 PM Thanks Ozberk. I did as you suggested to uncheck the "hardware acceleration." But the connection would start to slow down after a few minutes. However, the actual fix from seeing your screenshot. I also set the Graphics Interpolation Level from "Automatic" to "High." This fixed the issue.
