[typerlover]

Whenever downloading files the speeds are significantly slower than when using my pc. For example, on the pc I opened up a port on my router and speeds went up. I opened the port that my mac is now connected to and no dice. Any help?

[f1000]

What or how are you trying to download? I get full advertised bandwidth on my Mac. Are you trying to use one of those P2P apps?

[junebug630]

I have the same problem. My PCs all get the advertised or close speed of 4mb download and about 1mb upload. I run the speed tests at www.dslreports.com . On 3 of my pcs I get at or about that speed. On my brand new Mac 12" Rev D powerbook using the same router and cat 5 cable I can only manage speeds of about 730k or less download, but still inexplicably get the the 1mb and higher uploads. I don't understand this phenomenon. Anyone ?

[ghporter]

What kind of broadband connection do you have? It's kind of important-the "Maximum Transmission Unit" or MTU, which specifies the largest packet size to be sent, needs to be just a little lower for DSL connections-1492 instead of 1500 for cable. That can make a HUGE difference in your downloads, since using too high an MTU setting causes packet fragmentation and many, many retransmissions. Usually the symptom of too high an MTU setting is (drum roll!) half-speed downloads.

While your Mac should be able to figure out the MTU for itself, your router or maybe even your modem could be keeping this from working.

Check out the Mac Tweak FAQ on DSL Reports for some good info about tweaking a Mac for maximum performance. Also note the little GUI tool they mention-"RMAC." It works, it's simple, and it's FREE. Use this to see what your MTU is, and see if it's too high for your connection. You can also figure out what else is going on using this. I think it even tells you how your NIC is set up, so you can get it to peak performance as well.