It may make a difference and then it may not...You should do an online speed test to see if it will or not, if your speeds from that indicate a better performance speed then maybe you should Port Forward....
Firewalls can also stop you from sharing your files and direct connect is out of the question as well...
Use this link to do a speed test...
http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest?more=1
Let us know how it goes...
