Windows up to date on patches, and spyware-scanned?  Antivirus software up to date, and running alongside a current firewall?

Hard drive been defragmented recently?

 

Go to www.dslreports.com and register.  You can then run speed tests and also a system test that will tell you (and explain how) to set your system for optimum performance, if needed.

Here is a couple of things they don't tell you about cable

1. The more users that are on cable in your area, the slower your connection will be (yes that means you share the connection speed with your neighbor)
2. There is a limit to how many cable jacks you can have in your house without an amplifier (majority of people don't have the amplifier)
3. Also check the settings for your network card to see if it can auto negotiate the speed. It might be set to a slower connection.
4. How much memory do you have and what OS? Windows 98 and Windows Me cannot handle memory over 128 megs well. Windows XP handles memory well. They state Windows XP will work at 128 megs of memory but I would suggest atleast 256 and higher.

DSL from what I hear is slower than cable but in some case it might be faster than cable. Here is some things about DSL

1. It doesn't share your speed with other users so your speed will be more stable.

Jesse

What kind of download speeds are you getting?  I have charter and get 250k during peak usage times, over 300k during non-peak times.  DSL is generally slower than cable (unless you have one of the 1/2 cable connections).  My neighbor gets around 70-80k on DSL.  If the cable technician used the same equipment/connection as your machine and got better speeds, then it could be something with your NIC.