| Metric | Rating | Notes | |--------|--------|-------| | | Moderate to High | Best under <150 ms RTT; degrades significantly on satellite/high-latency links without UDP. | | Bandwidth usage | Adaptive (30 kbps – 20+ Mbps) | Uses lossy compression for high latency; can saturate gigabit links for full desktop experience. | | CPU overhead | Low (GPU offload) | Newer versions offload to GPU (H.264 encoding); legacy version uses software rendering. | | Reconnection speed | Fast | Session shadowing/reconnect typically <3 seconds on stable network. |
Microsoft is quietly retiring the old MSTSC interface for a shiny new app simply called (available in the Microsoft Store). windows remote desktop client
Here is how to use the Windows Remote Desktop Client like a pro. | Metric | Rating | Notes | |--------|--------|-------|
The Windows Remote Desktop Client (often referred to as RDC or MSRDC) is a long-standing, built-in tool for accessing remote Windows environments. As of April 2026, it is in a major transition phase, with Microsoft actively retiring the legacy standalone installer (MSI) in favour of a modern unified client. LinkedIn +1 Quick Verdict Best For: IT professionals and power users within a Windows-centric environment who need high-performance, low-latency access to Pro/Enterprise desktops or Azure Virtual Desktops. Not Recommended For: Casual users looking for a "one-click" setup across different operating systems (try | | Reconnection speed | Fast | Session
The remote desktop resolution automatically adjusts as you resize the client window.