Steam download speeds

[Rupertvdb]

I have a 56k yet i seem to be getting dl speeds of like 26 - 40 k a second and then it'll go to 0k...then back up, is this normal or am i getting a bugged up dl?

On top of this nothign i have downloaded works so far but i think that's because i havent downloaded anything completely yet, it'll let me load the OF startup screen but then it crashes when i attempt to play.

 

[killer916]

I have a 56k yet i seem to be getting dl speeds of like 26 - 40 k a second and then it'll go to 0k...then back up, is this normal or am i getting a bugged up dl?

On top of this nothign i have downloaded works so far but i think that's because i havent downloaded anything completely yet, it'll let me load the OF startup screen but then it crashes when i attempt to play.

Ok, you seem a bit confused. 56k is measured in bits per second, which equals 5-6 kilobytes per second. So basicly yours is going about 2-5 bytes per second.

 

[Kirkburn]

Erm, killer916, u seem to have got the wrong end of the stick I think he realises the difference between 56kbps and 20-40 KB .... as an aside to get the dl speed from 56k u divide by 8, giving 7KB/s as the (*theoretical*) max dl speed. U will never get that tho ....

The answer!
I'm on 56k and the same thing happens - it's likely becuase Steam is designed for broadband connections where the dl speed is quite high. When the dl speed is v slow therefore, it is misreported (probably not sampled often enough, or similar)
I wouldn't worry about it, it's still downloading at normal speeds

 

[Swizzel]

lol yeah, steam is not very accurate when measing speeds...i'm on cable and my max download peaks around 400KB/s. When i update on steam it is always 1MB/s+ ....oh how i wish that were true

 

[mattgirv]

Erm...

Its measured in bits not bytes

 

[Rupertvdb]

thanks for you help guys, the mists of ignorance have been cleared by the sunny smile of knowledge.

 

[Varsity]

You download drops to zero because Steam is checking what you next need to grab from the content servers, sending the request and getting a response. You don't get the same effect on broadband because it all happens so fast.

 

[Scapegoat]

Yea, Steam tracks downloads in kbits, not kbytes, so getting 30-40k is right for a 56k.

And you can't play Op4 because you havn't finished downloading it yet! Doesn't it make sense that you get an error when you han't downloaded all of the game?

 

[PvtRyan]

Yea, Steam tracks downloads in kbits, not kbytes, so getting 30-40k is right for a 56k.

And you can't play Op4 because you havn't finished downloading it yet! Doesn't it make sense that you get an error when you han't downloaded all of the game?

It's possible to stream Op4, the game is being downloaded while you're playing. But of course, you need the essential files before you can run it

And Steam speeds are quite nice, it's not slow at all like people say. I downloaded Codename: Gordon at 2,2 Mbit and yesterday with 1 Mbit.

 

[jackofthetrade32]

can't any of you devide by 8? or times by 8?