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General discussion

6mbps vs. 8mbps internet speed

Aug 4, 2008 4:40AM PDT

I am moving to a new apartment as I am about to start college. I inquired about cable internet from Comcast today. They offer 6mbps and 8mbps speeds in my area. Does anyone have any recommendations which speed should be ideal for me? I am not too tech savy, but I'll probably have to download files, and maybe some music/movies if I have time. Thanks in advance.

Discussion is locked

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The speed may or may not be noticeable. . .
Aug 4, 2008 8:44AM PDT

What most people don't realize is that the actual download speed is totally dependent on the site. A speed test from a dedicated server can be impressive. But downloading from a web site can be amazing or dismal. Reason being is the route the download takes, how many hops are involved, the size of the server's backbone, the speed of their or any ATMs involved, the time of day which includes net congestion.

In other words, you may or may not see a big improvement or difference. If the price is the same get the 8 Meg. Just make sure that your modem is DOCSIS 2.x compliant. Pre-DOCSIS 2.0 is limited to around three Meg. My 2.x receives my 15 Meg Comcast/Time Warner/Roadrunner (pick one) just fine.

Wayne (IBM freak - 6)

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additional
Aug 4, 2008 1:18PM PDT

Your right about the source site.

Not sure about the docis version so i defer

But the 8 meg plan usually has 2x the upload from the 6 meg plan.
Here in Nashville I have the 8 and get a steady 1 meg/s upload to mozy backup, and my other services don't lag either. (on the 6 i was getting about 380ish and no lag)