Sometimes you will notice that your computer is downloading files at an extremely poor speed. Whether it could be your ISP or faulty hardware of your PC, connection interruption can be quite frustrating. If you've to wait for the entire day just to download a single game, then it's really not worth your effort. Isn't it?
There are a lot of reasons why your PC may download games at a slow pace. The reasons could be a poor internet connection, too many devices sharing the internet, poor hardware, outdated OS, too many background programs running, and so on. Regardless of the problem, one thing must be noted you should consider doing a speed test on your PC to check whether the issue is related to your ISP or your PC itself. In addition, when you're downloading games and facing a slowdown there are a lot of fixes that you can try and improve your overall downloading speed. But, first, it's crucial to diagnose the main reason behind it.
Keep on reading this article to understand why games download slowly on PC and what solutions you can try to fix them and improve your download speed.
The download speed is referred to the speed at which your router or modem receives the data from the internet. Generally, all internet service provider offers a higher download speed than upload because most of our internet activities depend on how fast we can download data from the internet. The recommended download speed is 25Mbps per person while the upload speed will work fine even if it's 3 or 4Mbps per person.
The most frustrating thing is when you find out the internet network is slow specifically on your PC not on other devices. Even when your ISP is providing you with an optimal speed, your PC may slow down. Whether you're using MAC or Windows, it could affect both especially when you're downloading large-sized files like a game. But, there are solutions that may help you out.
When you're downloading files, your computer will require a sufficient amount of bandwidth to process them smoothly. However, when too many people are using the same internet connection, people are sharing the same bandwidth. So, at times, you may have only a minimum bandwidth left for your game download which may affect its speed. This happens especially with wireless connection when someone else in your house is already downloading a large-sized file on their computer or any other devices and you're trying to download a game at the same time.
As the size of these two files is huge, only one person will enjoy the bandwidth advantage. So, you can schedule a specific time for download when not too many people will be sharing the internet. Then, you can check whether the download speed remains slow or it improves than before. If the download speed remains poor even when you're having all of the bandwidth, then there are other reasons behind it.
Hardware issues are pretty common in older systems as they can be hampered by too many problems like overused CPU, bad hard drive, poor router, or maybe incompatible internet protocols. If you're using a system with an older CPU, the processes that run through it can be overwhelming for it which may slow down the download speed.
Also, if you're using a poor router that is incompatible to provide the speed that your internet service provider is offering, then slowing down will be pretty common. An ideal modem supports a least 802.11G speed which is enough to ensure you get the ideal speed for which you're paying. Along with your router, you must also replace the network adapter card if you're using it. With poor hardware, you will only experience lagging due to their inefficiency.
If you're running applications in your background that require an internet connection while you're downloading the game, then you may experience a bit of lag. It happens because as we have told your download process will require internet bandwidth to process it quickly. When you're running background applications that are utilizing the bandwidth resources, then you will only have a few amounts left for your download. This may cause a slowdown. Hence, close all the background programs to allow your computer to have enough bandwidth and process everything quickly.
If your videos are taking forever to load, games are downloading slowly, and you're facing other lags in your windows, then there are a few ways to troubleshoot your internet connection. However, first and the most important thing is to check your internet speed to ensure where the problem relies on. There are free speed testing tools available that you can use to check your internet speed.
There could be many reasons that cause your internet to slow down but the most common reasons we've discussed above except if your ISP has nothing to do with the slowdown. Now let's take a look at the ways to improve your download speed on Windows,
1. Try downloading one thing at a time. Downloading multiple files may increase the slowdown.
2. Use an ethernet cable or you can try moving your router closer to your computer. This will help prevent connection interruption.
3. Delete cache files if you're using the Chrome browser. Too many caches may slow down the browser.
4. Disable the metered connection. It can be set to limit data usage, but it may cause a slowdown when you're downloading a large file.
Your download speed may slow down even when your internet connection is fast or even when you're using a Mac. Well, there are reasons that we have mentioned. But, the good news is that you can fix it.
Let's take a look at the ways to improve your download speed on Mac,
1. There are several third-party apps available for Mac that can accelerate your download speed. For example, you can use Folx which is a download manager helping users to achieve a decent download speed by splitting the file into multiple threads.
2. If you're using low-quality filters on Mac, then it may affect the download speed. So, try to use high-quality filters to help you improve the download speed.
3. You can change the ISP setting to ensure it works the best for your router.
4. Outdated OS and firmware may cause you poor download speed. This is the reason why you should always keep your firmware and software up to date.
These are the solutions that you can try to improve your internet speed on Mac. However, if your router has major issues or your ISP is messing with your speed, there are nothing to do that replacing both of it.
So, a slow download speed on your PC is undoubtedly annoying. After all, you've waited for so long to play your favorite game. And now, when it's released, you're unable to download it due to poor internet speed. It's frustrating. Isn't it? But, there is nothing to worry about as we've provided solutions both for Mac and Windows users. Contact us now to enjoy smooth downloading from now on. If the issue continues, then contact your ISP for further help.
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