hey i recently noticed after downloading all the drivers and programs that came with my new mobo that when i download something it's capped at about 150-200 kb/sec but i can download 1 or 2 other things at the same speed, so basically each download can't reach over 200kb/sec speed, which is quite annoying when trying to download team fortress 2 beta which is 7gb. One of the programs that I downloaded with the mobo is norton internet security 2006 for xp. Also if it's a router issue the router i have is a netcomm nb5plus4W

Hi Pyrokar.

Don't first assume that it is your PC that is causing slow downloads.

You can't tell by any download how fast your DSL/cable/FIOS max speed is. You need to run an Internet speed tester.

Speakeasy Speed test
http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/

Speedtest.net - The Global Broadband Speed Test
http://www.speedtest.net/Speedtest.net

BandwidthPlace
http://www.bandwidthplace.com/speedtest/

DSLReports.com
http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest?more=1DSLReports

my mums laptop (macbook) can still catch the full download limit and my pc could before reformat that day, and as i said it doesnt matter how many things im downloading it still reaches about the same amount. so it seems to be the system

Please run 3 different download/upload speed tests for both computers and report back with the results. Choose test servers that are geographically closest to you.

What kind of Internet service do both PCs have ? Cable modem, dial-up, DSL, fibre ?

What kinds of connections does each PC have ? Wired or wireless ?
f both PC's use the same type connection (both wired or both wireless) then it can't be a router issue since your mum's downloading speed if OK.

What manufacturer and model motherboard are you using ?

Have you gone to the motherboard manufacturer's web site and checked for updated BIOS and networking drivers ?
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Not that this is causing the slow downloads, but Norton IS is a real system resources hog. You will be much better off uninstalling it and running either of the free Avast or AVG anti-viruses.
Avast
AVG

ill run pc tests later, for the moment, im on adsl 2+ with tpg, both macbook and this pc are wired. Mobo is asus p5k-e wifi edition. I dont think it's hardware because during one of reformats when i got new pc (reformatted 4 times due to some issues) it was downloading at normal speed.

it seems i fooled myself, i ran the checks and was getting 900-1200 kb/s with aussie ones. just seems to be steam hates me more than it used to (i used to get fastest dl speeds off steam) oh well.