Internet Speed Choices

[Da6onet]

So I'm moving to a new apartment next week and have some options on what download/upload speeds I can have.

Here are my options so far (I have narrowed it down to the ones I am considering).
25/25 @ $70/month Fios Tier 2
50/10 @ $100/month Comcast tier 3
50/20 @ $145/month Fios Tier 3

Now correct me if I am wrong, but the upload speed tends to be the most important factor when talking about online gaming n'est pas?

I am currently leaning toward the 25/25 because it is the fastest upstream plan as well as the cheapest among the list.

Thoughts?

Aside: I am currently on a 3/0.768 @ 42/month DSL plan :-/

[Tbone]

I wanna say the 50/10 Comcast is their brand new line that I had at my old apartment. It was $100/mo, so that sounds right. I can tell you now that it is the fastest internet I've ever seen. It NEVER slowed down...I was constantly amazed. I miss it so much....

[Lithium]

Upload speed is good if you are hosting a server or need to do a lot of file uploads to an ftp or something. Typically the higher the upload speed the more expensive the plan typically is. Download speeds will be appreciated most by pirates, streamers, and users who route their internet to multiple computers and devices.

So the 25/25 plan is probably the most appealing. Are you sure that's correct though? It isn't 25/10 is it?

[Da6onet]

So the 25/25 plan is probably the most appealing. Are you sure that's correct though? It isn't 25/10 is it?

Yes it's 25/25, which surprised me that the higher tier plan wasn't at least 50/25. They do offer a 35/35 only if I sign up for more than just the internet (phone and/or tv) @ $105/month for two @ $125/month for all three (all with 2year agreement)

Really the internet is only going to be routed to two devices most of the time, however I have a few people wondering when I'm hosting a lan party, so I do want to provide a solid connection for everyone.

In more practical terms, aside from raw downloading of files, will the differences between 25, 35 and 50 downstreams be noticeable for streaming video, lag in games (especially when playing with overseas connections), and connecting say 6-8 computers at once?

Likewise, will the differences in the upload speeds 10, 20, 25, 35 be noticeable for lag (especially transcontinental) and having 6-8 computers playing online?

And ultimately, are those differences worth the jumps in price such as the $45 difference going from 10mbps up to 20mbps?

[Lithium]

I'd say that any of the upload speeds of 10, 20, 25, 35, you aren't going to notice any problems with online games.

I found some rough numbers but like a game of counter-strike might use 6KB/s up and down. And I think if you're hosting a CS server is like 100Meg an hour. Which is nothing at these speeds.

When you have these large speeds you really are only going to need them for file download and like netflix streaming. and say it's HD so maybe 20gig?

http://www.numion.com/calculators/Time.html

So, that's where you'll see the speed utilized.

[Eroz]

As far as I've ever seen Comcast ad speeds are not what you actually get, where as Fois you get closer to speed. Something to keep in mind.

[Heironymus]

im agreeing with Eroz..

[Da6onet]

Ended up going with the 25/25

[Lithium]

Wow FIOS really sticks to the ratings.

I get some crazy burst speeds on the download with cable which is suppose to be: 15 Mbps/756 Kbps (bursts: 25 Mbps/1 Mbps)

But this is my typical result. Cable has nothing on FIOS upload speeds though.

[Aerosian]

20 bucks a month through Comcast with my own router/modem. Found they cut it down to <8 if you rented the modem.