Speed test sites and why you shouldnt take them for granted
 

Hello all,

Now i see multiply posts on here about slow speeds and the only reason people say they do is because they have done a speed test

So i like to show why speed tests arent jsut about the connection

Here is the speed test done on a very optismised system, for reference win7 64bit, 8gb ddr3 ram, hex core 3ghz amd processor, 512mb graphic nvidia with 25-35 programs running

and here is the result

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2012/02/55.png

nwo from teh otehr machine

different spec

win xp 32bit, 2gb ddr ram, 2.4ghz single core dual core, 256 graphic ati, with 60-70 programs running

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2012/02/56.png

now if it was just the connection that was tested the result should be about the same but it isnt because the connection is part of it, but since the test is run in a browser it also uses your computer processing power etc so if your ocmptuer is running slow it make the speedtest seem slower to

speedtest sites can give a idea if there isa problem but are not themself indicator you are getting slow speeds

i thought i would post this because when i have queired people using them people think they are th be en all and think that the speed test are right this jsut shows there not.

There more to speed test than jsut above but it shows there not as simple as peopel think

Re: Speed test sites and why you shouldnt take them for granted
 

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2012/02/52.png

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2012/02/53.png

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2012/02/54.png

I'm sure you're right on the PC being a factor. But the above results to the same server from the same high spec don't support your the specific scope of your conclusion.

BTW, I'm using BT Infinity today (not that it matters to this discussion). The other factors are the pipes at the Speedtest server, the number of users converging on those pipes, activity on your local node from minute to minure and so on. Speedtest.net is nowadays a bigger scarer than that wretched Pingtest.net and 10 dBmv downstream power!

Re: Speed test sites and why you shouldnt take them for granted
 

yip, just trying to point out that peopel seeing 0.5down and 5mb up and think ther eis problem just showing from a connection workign fine it can vary on teh result jsut from the ocmputer itself but it isnt the only factor to speed test , i suppose wha ti was trying to convey is just take the speedtest for literals there other ways to check they can help indicator a problem but can indictor a problem that isnt there to because potential ofa pc issue

Re: Speed test sites and why you shouldnt take them for granted
 

Speedtests are subject to the same kind of variations as everything else in or on the internet.

Speedtests will only be as fast as the fastest link in the chain, back in the old days your connection was almost always the slowest link hence speedtests could accurately measure that and that alone. Now that end user connections are so much faster the effect of everything else in the middle is becoming far more apparent, making speedtests both more and less relevant at the same time.

At one end of the spectrum, anyone with a good "feel" of how internet connections work will know an automated speedtest is only one of many tools available in determining the characteristics of a connection, at the other end anyone just wanting to know "how fast is my internet running" should just look at their modem stats.

Re: Speed test sites and why you shouldnt take them for granted
 

pretty good point but people want to know there getitn there speed and rely ont eh spee test site a lote a lot withotu realisign ther emore toe speed test that meets teh eye.

but the vast of times i have seen somone go i am only getting 5.5Mb/s and i am 50MB amases me to as peopel really dnt get that 5.5Mb/s equates roughly to bout 43MB meanign they are getting pretty much all there speed an not a 1/10th liek they think

Re: Speed test sites and why you shouldnt take them for granted
 

The person who invented the terms bits and bytes has a lot to answer for:D
They have caused so much confusion and even your message will probably be misunderstood;)

Re: Speed test sites and why you shouldnt take them for granted
 

true i should have used the proper naming convetion so i will edit

but bits and btyes are needed but are confussing ot peopel who dnt udnerstand i think a new ocnvetion for displaying internet speeds and transfer rates needs to b e divese for the average person

Re: Speed test sites and why you shouldnt take them for granted
 

People just need to learn that Mbps (Mb/s) and MB/s all mean different things. It's all about the capitalisation (or lack of). Lowercase "m" for example is "mili" so your connection must be damn slow if you're using that as a unit :)

Re: Speed test sites and why you shouldnt take them for granted
 

lol yeah ;)

i know the different between them so doesnt bother me bt i was more trying to show that speed test are depenet on 4 things mainly your ocmputer, your connection, the speed test site pipe ie connection and the maount of user using at at any oen given time, so gettinga speed test saying you have 5mb connection doesnt mean you arent getting your conenction speed but of course jsut it a start for testing you should then use bandwidth test with relible things liek torrents or big game fie sites etc

Re: Speed test sites and why you shouldnt take them for granted
 

One thing speedtests will do is give you a lower limit for what your connection speed is.

Re: Speed test sites and why you shouldnt take them for granted
 

Firstly Andrewcrawford23 you need to sort your posts out. They are very hard to read full of typos/spelling errors/poor grammar. Don't take offense, I am just saying. You may get more replies if you do.

As for your theory, I would some what disagree. I have ran speedtests on the slowest of slow systems struggling to draw the speedtest page correctly, yet they still come up with the same speedtest result. Surely the speedtest is coded in such a way that it would not be dependent on how any java/active x/scripted performance within a browser is performing. Yes it has graphics and is all pretty, but from the point in time when you actually submit the speedtest it's all going on in the background.

It could in theory have an effect yes, but I think it would be minimal. Surely it would also be very obvious to someone running a test if the browser performance was being compromised by "60 - 70 programs" in the first place and the very nature of running said test would not be the best...errr... "test". ;)

Who runs "60-70 programs" anyway? I mean at once...is that what you meant?

For reference I have an ancient machine here that I just did a speedtest on and it came out faster than a modern day machine. I think as said above it is much more dependant on other factors like at the speedtest server end for a start.

Re: Speed test sites and why you shouldnt take them for granted
 

who has 60-70 programs runnign at once machine bought straight otu the shop of pc world etc, this machine is but that because i am doign it delibrate for otehr reasons

majority of peopel are unaware how many programs are runnig inteh background and generally report a slow comptuer booting up as the itnernet runnign slow because majority fo people are unaware

all internet application will be affected by the comptuer performance, i wasnt necessarily saying that aold comptuer cant do it if it optismse more unopstimesed system will make the pseed result seem wrong it can sometimes be right, i have runt eh speed test on this comptuer about 300 times and i get reulst from 0.1mb through to 51mb my max but the other comptuer which is opstimised as it run a certain program gets 48-50mb ever time i have done that about 100 times

im not saying the comptuer is the be end all but it has effect and so peopel shouldnt jsut assume it there connection and shouldnt get offended if someone dispute there speedtest result

Re: Speed test sites and why you shouldnt take them for granted
 

Yes, but my point is exactly that they shouldn't

Re: Speed test sites and why you shouldnt take them for granted
 

I hate these topics .. but spyware is a common cause of slow speeds, I'd suggest a piece of spy/malware would be considered a running program and very much affects the speed of the test. I would also question the limitations of an operating system, I know with some old versions of windows the TCP connection limits the speed .. (if memory serves) I'm not a fan of networks and this stuff so feel free to correct me.

Re: Speed test sites and why you shouldnt take them for granted
 

Try this speedtest.

http://www.measurementlab.net/run-ndt