Ethan Nelson

Many VPN extensions, complex screenshot tools, and some older password managers tend to be heavier. Check your browser's task manager (Shift+Esc) to see real-time usage.

I disagree with the idea that it's *always* a hardware issue. Before swapping cards, did you try disabling any power-saving features for the adapter in Device Manager? Windows often puts them to sleep to save battery, which can cause drops.