http://webservices.cnet.com/Bandwidth/
I usually use this one.....
Bandwidth Tests
none of these things really work very good. You can go to one and it says you are getting 2mb, go to another and it says you are getting 1mb. None of them are reliable. They all change way too much. I've sat there and restarted the same one a few times and got anywhere from 1mb to 2mb from the exact same site seconds between each test. Bah
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MegaVectra
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The test at PC Pitstop seems to be the most consistent, at least for me, but yes most of them are very erratic.
IMO, the best way to test your throughput is to download <a href=http://www.analogx.com/contents/downloa ... htm>Nestat Live from AnaolgX</a> and <a href=http://www.downloadaccelerator.com/>Download Accelerator</a>. Start a download with DA and then use Netstat Live to determine your speed.
IMO, the best way to test your throughput is to download <a href=http://www.analogx.com/contents/downloa ... htm>Nestat Live from AnaolgX</a> and <a href=http://www.downloadaccelerator.com/>Download Accelerator</a>. Start a download with DA and then use Netstat Live to determine your speed.
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renovation
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LikeLinus is correct about different results from different speed tests, but that's because of the difference of the number of hops you have to take between them, the number of simulataneous connections to that particular server, the current traffic congestion in the neighborhood of that server, etc. Plus, some tests are better designed than others.
Otherwise, speed tests can give a fairly accurate idea of your potential download speeds.
For example, I'm in Seattle, but I prefer to hit C|Net down in San Jose, since I'll always have blazing fast download speeds if I hit a server in my own zip code. To get an accurate idea of my performance after a system rebuild, I ran all my tests from this one server. The first seven or eight tests I ran all showed my speed below DSL 768 speeds...several returned as low as 450-500. I tweaked my registry, and now, no matter what time of the day, I do not fall below 1.5Mb. Heck, many times it returns "Infinity".
So I got further away to a slightly more detailed speed test site (RR in San Antonio), which tells me my speed is 3342Kb/s.
Oh, my...I just realized I may be sounding like I'm bragging. What a pompous ass you all must think I am...
But I digress. Just take the results with a grain of salt, and realize speed is never constant (it's addictive, yes, but that's for another thread...).
Otherwise, speed tests can give a fairly accurate idea of your potential download speeds.
For example, I'm in Seattle, but I prefer to hit C|Net down in San Jose, since I'll always have blazing fast download speeds if I hit a server in my own zip code. To get an accurate idea of my performance after a system rebuild, I ran all my tests from this one server. The first seven or eight tests I ran all showed my speed below DSL 768 speeds...several returned as low as 450-500. I tweaked my registry, and now, no matter what time of the day, I do not fall below 1.5Mb. Heck, many times it returns "Infinity".
So I got further away to a slightly more detailed speed test site (RR in San Antonio), which tells me my speed is 3342Kb/s.
Oh, my...I just realized I may be sounding like I'm bragging. What a pompous ass you all must think I am...
But I digress. Just take the results with a grain of salt, and realize speed is never constant (it's addictive, yes, but that's for another thread...).
Usually those bandwidth test sites are far from accurate. Just download something from your local news server or if your ISP has a website with downloads (or tucows) you should get your max download speed from there. I know my bandwidth is around 300Kb/s but I don't usually see that unless I do what I mentioned...
