# How's my internet speed?



## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

I'm finding my computer rather s-l-o-w lately. So, I just tested my internet speed on the "Ookla" website. Results are below. I'm with Rogers. Just wondering if those of you more familiar with this stuff than I am (which is most everyone!) can comment on the results - good? bad? other? Thanks.
PING- 108ms
Download Speed- 17.28Mbps
Upload Speed- 10.28Mbps


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Looks good to me. Mybe you have other issues with your computer? Do a cleanup on it.


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## OhGreatGuru (May 24, 2009)

The problem is most likely on your computer. But that PING seems a bit slow. Mine is normally 15-20ms on DSL service. If you are using a WIFI router, my son-in-law found he had to update the software on my router to correct a problem with slow/erratic PING.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

thanks guys. what the heck IS PING anyway?


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

jargey3000 said:


> thanks guys. what the heck IS PING anyway?





> The Internet Ping command bounces a small packet off a domain or IP address to test network communications, and then tells how long the packet took to make the round trip. The Ping command is one of the most commonly used utilities on the Internet by both people and automated programs for conducting the most basic network test:
> Can your computer reach another computer on the network, and if so how long does it take?


It is equivalent to "I am Alive" between the two communicating nodes on the internet.


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## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

Depends what you're paying for Jargey! 

I pay for 100 down and 10 up and get it spot on with Rogers wired. 

Wireless I'm 43 down and 8 up. That works.


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## mrPPincer (Nov 21, 2011)

^(@ carve's post) yeah, it's essentially your computer saying 'hey', and measuring the milliseconds it takes for the reponse to come back.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

OhGreatGuru said:


> The problem is most likely on your computer. But that PING seems a bit slow. Mine is normally 15-20ms on DSL service. If you are using a WIFI router, my son-in-law found he had to update the software on my router to correct a problem with slow/erratic PING.


Mine is about 11 ms. But don't forget it depends on which host computer jargeys internet IP address homes in on and the typical response of the host to ping back. it's a round trip measurement. 



> Remember when doing an online ping that the packets are sent from that website, so the t*imes that are returned reflect the path from that location and not from your computer*. Nevertheless, a ping from an online website can be useful to test if an address can be reached from different places around the Internet, to do comparative timing to test how long it takes to reach one site compared to others.


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## 319905 (Mar 7, 2016)

jargey3000 said:


> I'm finding my computer rather s-l-o-w lately. So, I just tested my internet speed on the "Ookla" website. Results are below. I'm with Rogers. Just wondering if those of you more familiar with this stuff than I am (which is most everyone!) can comment on the results - good? bad? other? Thanks.
> PING- 108ms
> Download Speed- 17.28Mbps
> Upload Speed- 10.28Mbps


J ... you say your computer is s-l-o-w ... what do you mean by that, for example, Win10 updating while you're using your computer can slow things down. Back when I was with Rogers, I found the DNS server was often down, or not current and so very slow connect or no connect to certain sites. Out of habit, even with TekSavvy, I set my PCs to look at my router which I've set to Googles 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 servers ... maybe have someone help you out with that meaning setting your adapter to those.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

rikk2 said:


> J ... you say your computer is s-l-o-w ... what do you mean by that, for example, Win10 updating while you're using your computer can slow things down. Back when I was with Rogers,* I found the DNS server was often down, or not current and so very slow connect or no connect to certain sites. Out of habit, even with TekSavvy*, I set my PCs to look at my router which I've set to Googles 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 servers ... maybe have someone help you out with that meaning setting your adapter to those.


I'm on teksavvy, slow to connect to their DNS server sometimes and other times it times out and comes back with "website unavailable".
This can be frustrating when it happens a lot. Putting in the website IP address would bypass the DNS server, but I don't always have the the actual IP address at the time it happens. I would have to get it ahead of time. 

Had a problem last year with Teksavvy DNS (Domain Name) server...had to use their IP address directly to get to them. They seem to be having problems with their DNS server again.
TekSavvy East:
Primary: 206.248.154.22
Secondary: 206.248.154.170

I'm going to set up my router to use one of the other ones...but I have to dig into the documentation to find out where to change it.

*opendns*
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220

*google*
8.8.8.8
8.8.4.4


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

_J ... you say your computer is s-l-o-w ... what do you mean by that,_
Mostly I mean the little arrow up top spins 'round & 'round a lot while waiting for a site to open, AND. at the same time on the bar across the bottom of the screen it usually says "resolving host" OR says "waiting for"- a whole bunch of .com sites, one after the other(none of which I know, they look like a bunch ad ad sites to me...) to open. It's particularly annoying when I open my email - which is Hotmail,(or Outlook,or Live... WHATEVER the heck it's called now). 
I'm using Windows XP, and Chrome for my browser.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

jargey3000 said:


> _J ... you say your computer is s-l-o-w ... what do you mean by that,_
> Mostly I mean the little arrow up top spins 'round & 'round a lot while waiting for a site to open, AND. at the same time on the bar across the bottom of the screen it usually says "resolving host" OR says "waiting for"- a whole bunch of .com sites, one after the other(none of which I know, they look like a bunch ad ad sites to me...) to open. It's particularly annoying when I open my email - which is Hotmail,(or Outlook,or Live... WHATEVER the heck it's called now).
> I'm using Windows XP, and Chrome for my browser.


you got some junk popup ad sites coming into your computer during email. 
You need to use adblocker to prevent these from taking up your computer resources..

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/adblock-plus/cfhdojbkjhnklbpkdaibdccddilifddb

If you are using Google Chrome browser: 
Go to that Chrome symbol in the upper right hand corner (3 horizontal lines inside a box) and scroll down to "more tools"
and look for "extensions".. it's a free app from Chrome called ABP...just add it to your chrome browser.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

carverman said:


> you got some junk popup ad sites coming into your computer during email.
> You need to use adblocker to prevent these from taking up your computer resources..
> 
> https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/adblock-plus/cfhdojbkjhnklbpkdaibdccddilifddb
> ...


Found something called Ad Block Plus (ABP in a "STOP" sign)... and added it. Is that what you're talking about?


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## 319905 (Mar 7, 2016)

J ... I'd put XP out to pasture, or stud, or wherever old OSs go ...


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

You should probably also download an anti-malware program and run it, such as MalwareBytes.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

rikk2 said:


> J ... I'd put XP out to pasture, or stud, or wherever old OSs go ...


yeah... you're prob. right.
what should i go with?


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

jargey3000 said:


> yeah... you're prob. right.
> what should i go with?


Best to buy a new laptop that already has Windows 10 installed. Here are some prices from Staples. Get one with 6-8Gb of RAM and a decent processor. 

You could upgrade XP to Windows 7 but I think it costs as much as Windows 10 (about $150). If you have an XP computer, it is unlikely it has what it takes to run Windows 10.


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## OnlyMyOpinion (Sep 1, 2013)

Sounds like some cleanup would help but the horse may be getting too old as well. Make sure you are familiar and comfortable with Win10 if you consider yourself 'old school' when it comes to such things. It has a much different look and operation compared to XP. You could also get a new laptop with Win10 and install Classicshell (free) right away to give you back an XP or Win7 look and operation.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

thanks for the input folks


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

rikk2 said:


> J ... I'd put XP out to pasture, or stud, or wherever old OSs go ...


Yes, but he's a Luddite. old school.:biggrin:


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

jargey3000 said:


> yeah... you're prob. right.
> what should i go with?


The old nag horse 32 bit (Pentium 5?) should be put out to pasture as some suggest. It was slow to begin with and probably a lot slower now.
It depends on whether you want to stay with a desktop or go to a laptop.

For desktops these days the minimum is at least Win 7. You need at least a "DUO CORE 2" 3.06 ghz processor clock (speed) or even something faster.
You can buy a refurbished unit at Tigerdirect for about $300 . They have free shipping on some models. 

or better still go for a newer model ?($699)
Lenovo ThinkCentre M73 Desktop PC – *Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz*, 4GB Memory, 500GB HDD, DVDRW, Intel HD 4600 Graphics, *Windows 7 Pro 64-bit,* Gigabit Ethernet, VGA, Display Port - 10B00013USodel..

of course there ARE faster desktop CPUs out there...depends on your budget..



> ASUS M32AD Desktop is the perfect home computer. This fast, powerful and reliable desktop runs on latest Windows 10 64-bit OS. It is powered by the 4th gen Intel Core i5-4460 processor with 12GB DDR3 memory to let you experience new levels of multitasking performance to do more of what you love, whether it’s online shopping, writing blogs or piecing together last summer’s vacation videos.


Intel i5 (4th generation process and "fast she is by"


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

...food for thought... food for thought. I'll have to get out to Computer Liquidation Centre again - see what the got kicking around. I guess I've gotten my $130 worth from "ol' Glue"...
appreciate the input!


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

jargey3000 said:


> ...food for thought... food for thought. I'll have to get out to Computer Liquidation Centre again - see what the got kicking around. I guess I've gotten my $130 worth from "ol' Glue"...
> appreciate the input!


LoL! Don't buy "junk" from liquidation centres..if you like doing that, then you shouldn't be complaining about:
' Just bought this nag from the liquidation centre..and it's running very slow and gives me the blue screen of death sometimes...":biggrin:

Ok, I was joking a bit to illustrate my point about buying liquidation stuff..sometimes you can find a "good horse" and actually get some use from it without a lot of frustration ..after all you can't "keep kicking a dead horse"..and sometimes you can find a gem..
but you really need to know what you are buying and more important what is inside. PCs are not created equal.


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

carverman said:


> Ok, I was joking a bit to illustrate my point about buying liquidation stuff..sometimes you can find a "good horse" and actually get some use from it without a lot of frustration ..after all you can't "keep kicking a dead horse"..and sometimes you can find a gem..
> but you really need to know what you are buying and more important what is inside. PCs are not created equal.


You can mitigate your risk. From a personal standpoint, I've bought a couple of computers used as they tend to provide the horsepower I required. I would say that if you buy a Lenovo, or Dell that is coming off lease or something, it should be in decent shape. Easiest thing to do is to go to the store, take a look at the model numbers available and do a quick google. Unless the computer has been thrown around and mistreated, the main issues would be the harddrive, and the CPU fan, i.e. anything that involves physical movement. Generally if it is shown to boot up and works fine, it should be fine.

Of course, YMMV and it depends on what you want to do with it. If it is only web surfing, anything in the last 4-5 years should be more than sufficient (as you mentioned, a Duo Core would be sufficient), anything else is drastic overkill.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

bgc_fan said:


> Easiest thing to do is to go to the store, take a look at the model numbers available and do a quick google. Unless the computer has been thrown around and mistreated, the main issues would be the harddrive, and the CPU fan, i.e. anything that involves physical movement. Generally if it is shown to boot up and works fine, it should be fine.
> 
> Of course, YMMV and it depends on what you want to do with it. If it is only web surfing, anything in the last 4-5 years should be more than sufficient (as you mentioned, a Duo Core would be sufficient), anything else is drastic overkill.


Bought one used off Kijiji. $150 it has been great..it has an AMD 1.86Ghz Duo-Core. The only extra was that I had to buy Win 7 Home Premium for it and yes..the cpu fan.


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

carverman said:


> Bought one used off Kijiji. $150 it has been great..it has an AMD 1.86Ghz Duo-Core. The only extra was that I had to buy Win 7 Home Premium for it and yes..the cpu fan.


I tended to look for sub-$100 computers... one was a Lenovo that works fine. It was a Intel 2.93Ghz Duo-Core... the other was an Acer running some AMD processor. That was not good. There was some noise, and I didn't realize it, or it happened after the fact, but the fan needed to be replaced. Then all of a sudden it just wouldn't boot, nothing on the monitor. Based on this and some other experiences (other people who own Acer products), I realize that Acer produces junk computers. That's why I believe you can mitigate the risk by buying a decent brandname like Dell (have a laptop from 2006 or so that still works well), or Lenovo as mentioned, or ASUS (have a netbook circa 2008 that still works fine, although one of the buttons on the touchpad doesn't seem to respond).


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

sooo...Acer bad....ASUS good?
also - glad this Duo-Core thing came up - i've never heard the term before.


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

jargey3000 said:


> sooo...Acer bad....ASUS good?
> also - glad this Duo-Core thing came up - i've never heard the term before.


That would be with my experience. Others may have different experience.

Duo-Core is a bit of an older term. Newer computers will go with an i3 Core, i5 Core, or i7 Core, with i3 being the low end and i7 being the high end. Of course, that's dealing with Intel chips... AMD is a whole other flavour.

When in doubt, just take a look at the model number and google it to see how old it is. Anything recent (say past 5 years) should be fine for web surfing.

The other considerations would be RAM and Hard drive space... but anything recent would have at least 2 GB RAM and at least 250 GB Hard Drive space. Again, more than enough for your needs.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

jargey3000 said:


> sooo...Acer bad....ASUS good?
> also - glad this Duo-Core thing came up - i've never heard the term before.



Glad we were able clear things up for you. :biggrin:


> Core 2 is a brand encompassing a range of Intel's consumer 64-bit x86-64 single-, dual-, and quad-core microprocessors based on the Core microarchitecture. *The single- and dual-core models are single-die*, whereas the quad-core models comprise two dies, each containing two cores, packaged in a multi-chip module.[1] The introduction of Core 2 relegated the Pentium brand to the mid-range market, and reunified laptop and desktop CPU lines, which previously had been divided into the Pentium 4, Pentium D, and Pentium M brands.




There there is the super-duper Core Duo (Quad Core) 4 processors in one. 

http://www.cnet.com/products/intel-core-2-duo/specs/


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

bgc_fan said:


> The other considerations would be RAM and Hard drive space... but anything recent would have at least 2 GB RAM and at least 250 GB Hard Drive space. Again, more than enough for your needs.


These days with memory so cheap, RAM should be more than 4GB. At least 6Gb, preferably 8Gb. It makes a huge difference and costs very little. No need for huge hard drives. 300-500GB is more than enough. Ideally, solid state. I have a 256GB SSD and a 256 standard drive in my laptop. Boots up as fast as lightening! Could get by with just 256Gb.

You can get a good deal on a used refurbished Lenovo from this site:
https://www-304.ibm.com/shop/americas/content/home/en_CA/promo/1074766436.html
Lots of discussion of same on Red Flags here. http://forums.redflagdeals.com/ibm-pre-owned-re-certified-equipment-warm-hot-1269401/80/
For laptops T430 or T520 good choices. Desktop Thinkcenters priced well but need to use your existing monitor?

Of course, you can buy a new computer for these prices from Best Buy/ Staples. Probably not same quality, but adequate.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

bgc_fan said:


> That would be with my experience. Others may have different experience.
> 
> Duo-Core is a bit of an older term. Newer computers will go with an i3 Core, i5 Core, or i7 Core, with i3 being the low end and i7 being the high end. Of course, that's dealing with Intel chips... AMD is a whole other flavour.
> 
> ...





yes, all these clever designations are included to make your PC selection experience even more confusing.
*

 Recently heard by our roving reporter at a popular computer store for computers, printers and office supplies;


That pesky fly on the wall again :

PC buyer:* I'm looking for a desktop so I can surf the web and play Youtube, but I'm confused, and I only have so much money to spend on my new computer.

*Computer store sales dude*; Well you came to the right place. Here we have <brand> with i3 core and 2gb of DDR3 ram "on special" as we are in the process of <cough! cough!> ahem..er.."clearing out these old clunkers", and can offer you an exceptionional deal on the complete package. We also have instore demos at greatly reduced prices that even come with demo keyboards thrown in.
*
*PC Buyer: not sure, can you explain it to me one more time what I would be getting"?:confusion:

*Sales dude*: sure. If you are looking for more performance, may I suggest the i3 Core with 3gB of DDR3, 1 Terabyte HD, and a 5.0 concert hall digital quad effect audio card , and 8 USB.2.2 super ports, a wireless mouse and lots more features for<consults calculator) .. for a mere $200 more.

*PC Buyer:* with a more undecided and confused look on his face
*
*Sales dude: (waiting for his chance to clinch a sale of the day) Ok, I see that you are still undecided and looking for something that will be suitable for at least 5-10 years for you and not become a boat anchor within that period..because as you may have heard..
Micro Soft is coming out with Windows 15, the next generation to promote sales, and if you buy this < model> the next MS upgrade comes for free. It's a great deal.

*PCBuyer:* I get something for free?

*Sales dude:* yes....now here's the "cat's meow", with this i7 Core, with split FOUR parallel processors, prefetchers and direct instruction pipeline-ing, and 3.6 ghz clocking, and as a bonus, yes, it is suitable for "high octane" over clocking that will knock your socks off!
This baby comes with 6gb of DDR4, and 2Terabytes H-D for massive storage so you don't need to send your files to that internet "cloud"..where your files are lost deep in space.. and you too can be "king of the internet" well...sort of!. :biggrin:


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

*I'LL TAKE IT !!!*


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

jargey3000 said:


> *I'LL TAKE IT !!!*


I prefer the Futurama quote: Shut up and take my money.

The sad part of the whole PC industry is the fact that it is difficult to parse the different models. Back in the day, using processor speed used to give some idea, but with different processors running at the same speed, you could end up with difference performance. Too bad the industry couldn't come up with a comparative bias free rating methodology. I am aware of benchmarking software, but you never see an ad proclaiming Buy this! It scored a 2586 on Linpack.


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