Download speeds

[poolger]

I have a 2 Mbps download speed so I was wondering how long on average it would take to dowload a 430MB file? It says it will take about 6 hours, is this right? Also is there anything I can do while online to help speed the process up.

[Mattk]

2 mbs=200k/sec(approx)
1 meg every 5 secs
12 megs per minute
430 megs dl'ed in 36 mins

this is at full speed throughout tho.

[puzzlesRus]

Assuming the download site can download at your average download speed capability, it should take only 30 minutes. I think you can take the 6 hours estimate as tongue-in-cheek.

[poolger]

Thanks for the help, I dont think it is tongue-in-cheek as I have been downloading for about an hour now, and only have 90MB complete.

[Buenchico]

The speed at which you can download a file often has more to do with the speed at which the host server can send it, rather than your PC's ability to receive it.

If lots of people are trying to download the file (or other files on the same server) simultaneously, bandwidth limitations can slow the process considerably. To speed things up, you need to use software which acts as a 'download manager'. This enables you to make multiple connections to the same server and get the file considerably quicker. (If the file is hosted on several different servers, the download can be even quicker because the download manager will take data from several servers at once).

Anyone who regularly downloads large files should have a decent download manager installed on their PC. I recommend Download Accelerator Plus. It's free, here:
http://www.speedbit.com/
(Don't worry that the free version is 'ad-supported'. It just means that there's a small pane in the window that displays an ad. There's no spyware or anything nasty to worry about).

Chris

[stevie21]

DAP above and the adverts that go with it are almost impossible to uninstall at times. I'd use a different download manager.

As has been said, maybe the fastest that the file can be sent to you is causing the delay rather than the speed at your end.

[oldbob]

I find myself wondering why your download speed is so low. Even on a 56k modem on dial up connection I would expect a speed more than double 2 Mbps. Could it be that you are using an old 14K 28K or 32K modem? If so I suggest you replace it with a 56k modem very quickly. If the modem is not the problem, the next thing to look at is the ISP. How does your download speed compare to those attained by users using a different ISP? At a reported speed of 2Mbps I would not be surprised if it took 6 hrs to download 430Mb. Frankly I wouldn't even try to download a file of that size at that speed.

[ugly_bob]

?oldbob? eh?

Like has already been said, your download will only be as fast as the slowest part of the journey - could be your ISP throttling back at peak times, could be the server you're downloading from.
In perfect conditions, you should be able to download about 900Mb per hour on a 2Mbps connection

[rojash]

OldbOb, you just gotta lay off the booze, mate...