Upgrade from 1.5mbps to 3mbps?

I currently have AT&T DSL with the 1.5mbps download plan for $30/mo. I consistently get 1.3mbps, but wouldn't mind having a bit more speed.
I can upgrade to 3mbps for an additional $8/mo.

Would the upgrade be noticeable? I would like pages to load quicker, and maybe be able to watch some online videos in higher definition...

Bob

 

I have the same service provider and upgraded to the 3.0. I noticed very little difference in it at my location.

 

Likely you won't notice too much difference in loading webpages.
The difference will come in file download speeds, videos streaming more smoothly with less lag, and stuff like that.

 

$30 for 1.5 mbps? man, that's a total rip off. you better look for alternative isp's and/or connections.

 

Yikes that's no good.

http://www.belshe.com/2010/05/24/more-bandwidth-doesnt-matter-much/

You'll actually see quite a big difference upgrading according to this, but there's severely diminishing returns after 3Mbps and you won't likely notice any difference between 3Mbps and, say, 10Mbps.

Clearly RTT is the biggest factor here.
You can have a look here for more info on RTT:
http://code.google.com/speed/page-speed/docs/rtt.html

 

r u kiddin'? you're sayin' he'd not be likely to notice any difference between 3 mbps and 10 mbps. how so? even though it's dsl he's using, he'd most likely feel the drastic change in performance, speedwise i'm saying.
on the other hand, there're alternatives like cable net, from which you get what you pay for, most of the time. no dramatic performance drop due to distance.

 

i would conmsider other companies,,,38 bucks for 3.0,,,no way

 

Luxeon,

They won't.

I have 20 mbps. There are only a few companies that support that speed for downloads. Microsoft for example. Most downloads are in the 1.5 mbps range or less.

 

In terms of page load times, not streaming/ downloading large content. You can read the link I provided for further information.

 

My uncle is paying $45 for 1.5 mbps DSL from Qwest at his place. Qwest says that the distance from exchange does not allow faster speeds. Recently Comcast has expanded its service in his location and are offering 6 mbps for $45. I have recommended him to shift to Comcast soon.

 

I pay $10 a month for 3mbps from Frontier, thats the price for their 1.5 line. I get it for that price because I'm on the end of the line and 3mbps isn't going to happen..... my average is 1.7mbps.

 

Recently I went from 8 mbps to 24 mbps. I did see a significant increase (as much as 3X) in some download speeds. I have a Cable/Telephone "package" so I am not sure exactly how much my 24 mbps costs. I am guessing that it costs around $45.

 

Download speeds will always improve, they rely heavily (if not completely) on bandwidth.

But page loading is much more complicated.

 

Indeed!

We have 6-8 mbps and we pay $30 for that

Though I could get a 100 mbps fiber connection for $60 but I got no need for that speed at the moment.

 

The largest part of my interest is that some video can be a bit choppy, and I don't believe it is my hardware (our main computer is fairly powerful)...

So, it appears that I may benefit from an increase in bandwidth, and the price I am paying is a bit steep.

Fastgame is attaining better performance for 1/3 the price. I definitely need to look around. What I like about the SBC/Yahoo/Ameritech/AT&T DSL is that it has been extremely reliable.
Comcast cable looks pretty nice, but it is expensive: $30 for 1 year, then $45+ thereafter.

On a side note, I have been trying to determine how far I am from the provider--is there a test for this?

 

Luxeon try to search on this site.
http://broadbandmap.gov/

It might be useful for you.

I have now searched on Google trying to find a good broadband price, speed, rating, etc..comparison site for the U.S. but I don't find any. Don't you americans have some kind of comparison site at all?

 

well, those are reasonable prices, at least.