Identify Download Issues Resolve Slow or Unstable Speeds
Identify Download Issues Resolve Slow or Unstable Speeds
Hello everyone, I’m facing an odd issue when trying to check my internet speed on my computer. Here’s what I know: My setup has two computers connected via different cables and setups. The speeds are 600Mbps down and 10Mbps up. On my end (Comp 1), I can play games from Steam at about 50-60Mbps, but only around 360Mbps according to Speedtest.net. My wife’s computer (Comp 2) downloads games at 540Mbps with the same server, and gets roughly 550Mbps.
The hardware specs are: Comp 1 has an i7-8700k on a Gigabyte Z370N Wi-Fi board with two 1Gbps ports; Comp 2 has a Ryzen 5 3600 on an ASRock B550 Phantom Gaming 4 with one 1Gbps port.
I’ve tried several fixes:
- Switched to another cable on Comp 1, no difference.
- Added extra cat5 cable to Comp 1 and the switch, still nothing.
- Connected Comp 2’s cat5 cable to both ports on Comp 1, no improvement.
- Plugged directly into the modem, only slight boost (Speedtest went up to 390Mbps).
- Updated BIOS, chipset, and LAN drivers from the motherboard site—still nothing.
- Called my ISP; they mentioned packet loss between me and the modem, but that doesn’t fully explain the gap.
Could there be something I’m overlooking? Or are the specs just not enough to handle the load? Any suggestions would be really helpful!
Steam uses megabytes as its default unit, while speedtest displays results in megabits per second. Payments are made in megabits. Could differing settings on individual PCs cause this inconsistency?
Here’s a clearer version of your request:
Please share a screenshot of each computer from this site showing a full test. A more detailed measurement would be helpful compared to speedtest.net. I don’t know the operating system yet—would you like me to suggest resetting the networking stack first? For Windows 11, you can look for "Network reset" in the start menu.
I noticed that detail was missed earlier. I'm using Windows 10 now. The network reset was completed before testing. Attached are the test outcomes. All tests ran after a clean restart, and no Chrome apps or tabs were active during testing. (adjustments made to clarify) Comp 1 results: Comp 2 results:
Both machines are using Windows 10 with the most recent updates applied. I wasn't certain about the meaning of those attached pictures, so I didn't add labels. The top photo corresponds to version 1 and the bottom to version 2. I tested the process three times on version 1 mainly due to the unusually slow download speed, yet each run produced identical outcomes.
It seems you're trying to troubleshoot some technical aspects. Make sure to clear your IP, ISP, and map details. You might need to refine your post by editing the images. This topic is intriguing—check if Event Viewer displays any errors. Running Safe Mode with Networking should yield similar results. During speed tests, does Task Manager show consistent Tx/Rx speeds or indicate another process using bandwidth? I doubt it, but it's worth verifying. What network adapter model are you using? If it's Intel (likely Realtek), follow these steps: press Windows Key + R, type ncpa.cpl, right-click your adapter, choose Properties, click Configure, go to Advanced, and turn off Energy Efficient Ethernet.
I considered deleting those items but found networking isn't my area of expertise, so I wasn't sure what mattered most for the test. I haven't used Event Viewer much, which makes interpreting the data tricky. However, I do see around 100 errors and 200 warnings about Device Setup Manager in the past 24 hours. Everything else appears to be working fine. Starting in safe mode with networking didn't alter anything. Task Manager shows consistent speeds from speedtest.net and Cloudflare. During Steam downloads, CPU usage peaked at 17% across all threads, and the M.2 SSD reached a maximum of 1%. It's an Intel network adapter and appears as Intel® Ethernet Connection (2) I219-V in the network list. Energy efficient ethernet is enabled. Disabling it and running another Cloudflare speed test yielded no improvement.
Here are some alternative ways to phrase this:
- The guide doesn’t cover the driver installation process, so follow the steps Intel provides.
- Save the zip file, unzip it, and remove the existing driver from Device Manager.
- Use the “Add drivers” option in Device Manager, point it at your extracted folder, and restart if needed.
- If the issue persists, check Event Viewer for device errors to see if the connection is working correctly.
- To verify proper negotiation, press Windows Key + R, type ncpa.cpl, select it, and confirm the status shows a negotiated 1 Gbps link.