Downloading too fast

[Saulkar]

So I have tried googling it with no results, lets see what this giant thinktank can come up with.

I have a 5mb internet connection contract with my ISP Sasktel. Very reliable. I can download at a maximum of 630 kilobytes per second but I am seeing something very odd. When I download a game on steam it downloads at 1.2 megabytes per second. Before you go off saying it is a user interface error, I have timed how long it took to download Halflife 2 at 5235 megabytes. It should have taken roughly 2 and a half to 3 hours but it took only an hour and twenty minutes approximately. Anybody have any clues as to why this happens with steam but no other internet based application on my computer?

 

[Cowabungaa]

I got that too, somehow Steam manages to pull quite a bit more of juice from my ISP than regular downloads do.

Beats me how Steam does it, but I'm not one to complain.

 

[Resphyre]

you can only download as fast as the server can upload... is what i think you were asking... i cant tell...

 

['Aredor]

My guess would be that your ISP accidentally gave you too much throughput, and that you only don't see it with "other internet based applications" (would be nice to know what you tried) because their servers are too slow?

 

[Saulkar]

you can only download as fast as the server can upload... is what i think you were asking... i cant tell...

No I am saying steam can download applications twice as fast as my bandwidth limit set by my ISP.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

Because Steam is powered by magical fairies and Gabe's leftover pizza. Stop complaining and enjoy the speed.

 

[thom_cat_]

probably something to do with the difference between Kb/s and kbps. But I dunno.

 

[mechanixis]

Stop all the downloadin'!

 

[Saulkar]

probably something to do with the difference between Kb/s and kbps. But I dunno.

Nope that is not it.

 

[Xelt]

Steam does seem to downlaod faster, from 225kbs to 1.1mbs

 

[Cowabungaa]

Because Steam is powered by magical fairies and Gabe's leftover pizza. Stop complaining and enjoy the speed.

Gabe doesn't look like someone who keeps leftovers laying around for long, know what I'm sayin'?!

...

Ok that was a low blow, now Episode 3 is delayed another 3 weeks dammit.

Still, I wonder how Steam does it. It's a really noticeable difference and doesn't seem to be some sort of bug. Other internet applications take note!

 

[Resphyre]

you can only download as fast as the server can upload... is what i think you were asking... i cant tell...

No I am saying steam can download applications twice as fast as my bandwidth limit set by my ISP.

oh... in that case... go steam go!

 

[Tharwen]

It's probably an issue with units these speeds are displayed in. For those who would like to know:

b = 1 bit
B = 1 byte = 8 bits

So:

Kbps = 1000 bits per second
KBps = 1000 bytes per second = 8000 bits per second

Basically, any speed displayed in Bps will look 8 times as fast as one displayed in bps. It's confusing and ISPs use it all the time to make it look like you're getting more than you actually are.

 

[Snotnarok]

Steam is actually basically a bit torrent client so you download from different servers at the same time as I gather.

 

[Smooth Operator]

So I have tried googling it with no results, lets see what this giant thinktank can come up with.

I have a 5mb internet connection contract with my ISP Sasktel. Very reliable. I can download at a maximum of 630 kilobytes per second but I am seeing something very odd. When I download a game on steam it downloads at 1.2 megabytes per second. Before you go off saying it is a user interface error, I have timed how long it took to download Halflife 2 at 5235 megabytes. It should have taken roughly 2 and a half to 3 hours but it took only an hour and twenty minutes approximately. Anybody have any clues as to why this happens with steam but no other internet based application on my computer?

Well a 5 megabit line should in theory get a maximum of 625 kilobytes of throughput, but since this is limited by the ISP it's never 100% (and if they have toomuch load they will even cut into your bandwidth).
I imagine steam doesn't always have this speed boost, or am I wrong?
3 things could be going on:
- Steam having a built in data compressor that manages to shrink everything by 50%, and in return they display a higher transfer speed
- Steam having a special contract with your ISP that allows the bandwidth bump when downloading from them
- you ISP momentarily messed up and gave you more bandwidth (happened to me once, got about 2 hours of full 5 megabytes(40megabit) downloads, funny thing is my ISP tells me my line is so unstable I can't have a package over 1 megabit...)

 

[Saulkar]

It's probably an issue with units these speeds are displayed in. For those who would like to know:

b = 1 bit
B = 1 byte = 8 bits

So:

Kbps = 1000 bits per second
KBps = 1000 bytes per second = 8000 bits per second

Basically, any speed displayed in Bps will look 8 times as fast as one displayed in bps. It's confusing and ISPs use it all the time to make it look like you're getting more than you actually are.

I think you missed the fact that all units were in bytes not bits, and that I had timed how fast applications take to download, and steam used to download at 630 kps thus another confirmation of unit. Also another fun thing I did is I am downloading Halflife 2 episode 2 right now. I started a download on Firefox at the same time. The Firefox download is peaking at 625-630 kilobytes per second while at the same time the steam download dropped from 1.2 megabytes per second to 610 kilo"bytes" per second. Also letting the steam download continue and stopping the other one, I started 2 1080p movies on youtube at the same time and the steam download is maxing out at 630 kilobytes per second. Despite steam downloading at my max speed both videos load faster than they play. Explain that oddball I am having.

 

[Saulkar]

Well a 5 megabit line should in theory get a maximum of 625 kilobytes of throughput, but since this is limited by the ISP it's never 100% (and if they have toomuch load they will even cut into your bandwidth).
I imagine steam doesn't always have this speed boost, or am I wrong?
3 things could be going on:
- Steam having a built in data compressor that manages to shrink everything by 50%, and in return they display a higher transfer speed
- Steam having a special contract with your ISP that allows the bandwidth bump when downloading from them
- you ISP momentarily messed up and gave you more bandwidth (happened to me once, got about 2 hours of full 5 megabytes(40megabit) downloads, funny thing is my ISP tells me my line is so unstable I can't have a package over 1 megabit...)

No it does not happen all the time but most of the time and I have never had my bandwidth cut before. Also another thing that tells me it is downloading faster than normal is I can have multiple things going on with firefox like downloading a file at 630 kilobytes per second and still have steam not drop below 610 kilobytes per second.

 

[Woodsey]

Well if you're supposed to get 5mb then that's not out of place is it? Maybe it's just the time of download. As the first post said though, Steam does seem to get as much as it can.

 

[DJDarque]

I wish I understood computers more so that I could at least understand what it is all of you are talking about. Computers are not my forte. =(

 

[thenumberthirteen]

I don't see the issue. You sait your limit is 5mb/s ans Steam is going at 1.2mb/s

If I know anything about which number is bigger than the other then I don't see a problem.