Help me identify the cause of slow downloads

[craig234]

I've never seen this. The only thing to change recently was a HD went bad and I replaced it with a brand new WD Black; fine at first, this started with days.

I downloaded a 1GB game in Steam; it took around 10 hours. Right now I started a 36GB download; after 20 hours it's 4.5GB done.

Internet speed test shows 142MB download speed. HD shows no errors apparently. Steam download screen shows spikes with a little downloading then no activity.

System is Windows 10 64, SSD OS drive, HD for games, Comcast cable modem. I can still play many games ok, but there are some weird issues, like I can't log into Elder Scrolls Online.

Ideas?

[かぐや]

Changing download region would be first thing what you should try. Closest server does not always mean you get fastest speeds.

[craig234]

How do I do that? I've used steam for over a decade without this issue.

[craig234]

Note, this isn't just Steam. I just ran world of tanks and it had a patch to download and is very slow (10MB in a couple minutes).

[Supafly]

Load task Manager and see how much CPU and the HDD is being used while it downloads.
Remember

1. Steam downloads compressed files. Once a chunk it unpacks and installs it. If HDD and/or CPU is maxing out the download speed will drop until the task is complete/

2. Unless changed Steam shows speeds in MB, Megabytes, most internet speed tests and ISP list speeds in mb, megabits. It's 8 bits per byte.

Run CrystalDiskMark and test the new drive to see how it performs. Then check the specs on the drive to see how it compares to the results. Possible the new drive isn't as fast as the old one you had or it's a little defective.

[craig234]

To install a 36GB game normally, I think it would take less than an hour. Currently, it's been like 6 days and is about 32GB/36GB. That's over 100 times slower than normal.

I ran crystaldiskmark, and people said it showed no errors. The new HD is a WD Black, one of the fastest available.

[Jack Schitt]

36GB is a pretty large file size for a game. The average game is between 4 and 10gb. Whenever there is a connection issue there's usually very little to nothing anyone can do about it. The only thing you can do is check your bandwidth settings in the client in settings > downloads and make sure it's not limited and check your internet connection speed at a site like speedtest.net
If your connection is slower than what you're supposed to be getting contact your provider.

It might also just be peak times. When the internet is busy the internet is slower, much like rush hour times with vehicle traffic.

If you're not having connection issues and your bandwidth settings are not limited in the client settings it's most likely peak times or that the file is as huge as it is.

[Iceira]

Use steam System Information, this is to avoid alot of what if.

and Elder Scrolls Online. ( that is username not email in Bethesda Client , could be same in ESO, dont recall ESO login procedur )
and the rest is odd unless this is laptop. with wrong user settings

[crunchyfrog]

With you saying you have issues with Steam downloads, World of Tanks updates, and Elder Scrolls Online logins, I immediately have to suspect your ISP or your connection.

So, the first thing to start doing is checking if it makes a difference between wifi (if you're using that) and a LAN cable.

Next, check your cabling. If you've recently changed hard drive, check to make sure that everything from your PC to router and to the world outside is connected well, free from tangles and not inadvertently wrapped up near power cables. Interference like that can destroy signals.

Have you updated your router firmware lately, or checked if there is an update? Is your router well away from other large items of electronics like TVs, fridges, microwaves and the like?

Once you've exhausted things your end, then you have to move on to your ISP. As you mention Comcast, I'm guessing you're American, which from what I hear are a really ♥♥♥♥ ISP known to throttle given half a chance.

So the first thing I'd do after checking all the things out above is run a speed test and find out what your speed you're getting actually is. If there's discrepancy, then I would not put it past Comcast to be throttling especially as other users have been saying this has been happening with the coronavirus. If they don't play ball, you can always threaten to cancel as that can offer some leverage.

Try all those things and let us know.

[craig234]

As I mentioned, I did run a speedtest, and it was normal, 142MB.

It's not the file size; just before this, I installed a 1GB game and it took like 8-10 hours I think.

It's very consistent in the speed, 24 hours, so it's not a 'peak time' issue.

It's a desktop, not a laptop.

I did another test - I went to Humble Bundle Trove, and downloaded a 3GB game; that was normal, it took about 5 minutes.

The Steam friends lists, and some games' 'news' items, wouldn't work.

Today, I tried Steam friends a couple times, it wouldn't work, then I tried more times - each try was about a 15 second wait - and the third time it worked.

It's not a comcast thing - other things work at normal internet speed, from PC games to tv streaming. The steam store page takes a while to load the pictures though...

I'll try to take a look at cabling, but that doesn't seem to match the varied symptoms.

My PC has a cable connection to the router.

I haven't updated firmware pretty much ever.

[Joke]

You installed a new HDD. Maybe your old drive was excluded from realtime scanning, but the new one isn't?

[Jack Schitt]

Where is your download region set to in Steam > Settings > Downloads? That could be it if your download location is set to somewhere far away from you. There are 3 servers in California, test them all out to see which one is best. The fastest one might not be the closest one.

And did you check to that your bandwidth is set to unlimited in that same settings area?

I assume you have to 150MBps package from Comcast? I have the 200MBps package and I get 242MBps down at speedtest.net. If you're supposed to be getting at least 200MBps or more your speed truly is slower than it should be and that could be from wiring which could be an issue with the wiring anywhere from the pole all the way to your modem.

Check your wires for kinks, holes in the insulation, and make sure everywhere the wire has a barrel connector is tight. It's not impossible that it's a wiring issue and possibly not anything you have full control over like rodents chewing at the wires.

Steam did post this article about download speeds and the features available to "control" them.

[craig234]

Originally posted by Joke:

You installed a new HDD. Maybe your old drive was excluded from realtime scanning, but the new one isn't?

I'm not sure what that is about, but this didn't happen immediately with the new hard drive, it started a few days later.

[craig234]

Originally posted by Jack Schitt:

Where is your download region set to in Steam > Settings > Downloads? That could be it if your download location is set to somewhere far away from you. There are 3 servers in California, test them all out to see which one is best. The fastest one might not be the closest one.

And did you check to that your bandwidth is set to unlimited in that same settings area?

I assume you have to 150MBps package from Comcast? I have the 200MBps package and I get 242MBps down at speedtest.net. If you're supposed to be getting at least 200MBps or more your speed truly is slower than it should be and that could be from wiring which could be an issue with the wiring anywhere from the pole all the way to your modem.

Check your wires for kinks, holes in the insulation, and make sure everywhere the wire has a barrel connector is tight. It's not impossible that it's a wiring issue and possibly not anything you have full control over like rodents chewing at the wires.

Steam did post this article about download speeds and the features available to "control" them.

Good question, but region didn't change, and is about 25 miles away. I could try another, but don't want to endanger the download that's been running a week.

That also wouldn't explain the non-Steam issues.

No, I think Comcase upgraded me a couple months ago from 75 to 100, and it shows 142.


This is like 100x slower, so it's not any minor variation.

[Jack Schitt]

Do you know what speed the download is actually going? If you go to View > Small Mode it's easier to find and read the actual download speed because it's right there next to the game name in the list. Here's some info that may or may not be helpful if you haven't already seen them:

https://store.steampowered.com/stats/content/

^That^ article claims average speed for Comcast connections in the US are 73MBps.

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=9498-WPDF-3220

Knowledge Base article on slow connection speeds.

As I mentioned before the closest doesn't always mean fastest. Your connection could be going to France, then Florida, then Russia, then China, Hawaii, and then to the server 25 miles away from you and to return data it might go to Kansas, into Canada, Texas, Wyoming, Alaska, then back to you.

Connections do not go in a straight line. They almost never do. There's a way to find out what path they're taking but we'd need a URL or IP address of the content servers your connected to to run that test and find out. I haven't been able to find that info for Steam's content servers.

Not a ping test if that's what someone is thinking that reads this. A ping test only displays the time it takes a set of packets of data to get from one address to the destination and back to the original address it was sent from. A ping test does not show the path it takes.

If it truly is unreasonably slow and it's only the Steam content servers there may not be anything anyone can do about it. Consider contacting official support and send them screen shots showing your download speeds to other servers and the Steam download (small and large mode) so they can't suggest "it's your connection."

[craig234]

It shows 2.8 Kb/sec. As I said, it's not only steam, but the Humble Bundle test was fast.