Choosing a broadband connection speed

[yanazake]

Hello there, Here comes the atari-to-lastgen asker again!

So, I'm waiting for broadband connection to get close to my street address, so I can request a line after all those years of dial-up connection a few ones of lame 3G connection.

Luckly for me, the offered speeds range from a minimum of 5mbps to nearly 50 and above [I think these were the values, and the unit '']
anyway, they're offering good speeds for a good price. I finally want to TRY some online games, and while my pc may be powerfull enought right now, [or just enought to play with mild or weak graphics] I'm not sure how I should be sure the connection will be enought :/

Any hints?

[Sprung]

Hello there, Here comes the atari-to-lastgen asker again!

So, I'm waiting for broadband connection to get close to my street address, so I can request a line after all those years of dial-up connection a few ones of lame 3G connection.

Luckly for me, the offered speeds range from a minimum of 5mbps to nearly 50 and above [I think these were the values, and the unit '']
anyway, they're offering good speeds for a good price. I finally want to TRY some online games, and while my pc may be powerfull enought right now, [or just enought to play with mild or weak graphics] I'm not sure how I should be sure the connection will be enought :/

Any hints?

Get the fastest you can reasonably afford, since good connections will make for a better multiplayer and online experiences. 5Mb/s is a good connection, and anything above that will just make it better.

[yanazake]

That's good to hear! I might get 15mb/s then, just need to choose the phone account type that comes with it... or pay more for the connection alone

[Sprung]

That's good to hear! I might get 15mb/s then, just need to choose the phone account type that comes with it... or pay more for the connection alone

I'd go as basic as possible with the phone. Hell, I don't even have a home phone line anymore since we all have cells.
Tell them as long as it rings, you're happy

[Inferno.]

I used to play online perfectly on 2mbps. Just make sure nobody in your house is watching YouTube or streaming videos anywhere else whilst you're playing online if you get a slower connection like 2mbps.

I can play online perfectly whilst others are streaming with my 10mbps connection. It's very nice.

[ToBreakOne]

2mbps is the lowest I'd go, but you should aim for 10-15 for pretty much seamless playability and quick load screens.
Other than that anything in excess is really for downloading purposes only as when it comes to online gaming it's more about how quickly your computer can load the sprites than the speed of your connection once you're past a certain amount of mbps.

I used to have 10mbps and now have 30mbps and I honestly cannot tell the difference since my hardware is still the same...

[yanazake]

I'd go as basic as possible with the phone. Hell, I don't even have a home phone line anymore since we all have cells.
Tell them as long as it rings, you're happy

Yeah, I know the feeling! Problem is, my mother is one heck of a phone talker. So, if my options are get a phone number or pay basically the same price for the connection alone, then I'd rather get the phone and make her pay the phone part :B Just hope it works that way XD''

But seriously, the prices are somewhat forcing the customers >X( I'll end up getting a 15mb/s because the 10mb/s one is just $10 cheaper... and the cheapest phone options are almost the same price, so I'll get a "big" one, just for it to endure my mother's talking =p

I think the monthly fee would be around US$100... Now, let's hear the people saying how absurd this price is \o/

[ToBreakOne]

I think the monthly fee would be around US$100... Now, let's hear the people saying how absurd this price is \o/

I pay about 25 USD every month for my connection and that's with a phone attached to it.. You're getting so ripped off.. But if broadband is new to your area then you're doing alright... Once your contract ends they will probably have a much cheaper plan on offer so you should switch to that, otherwise they'll make you pay the same price always, which is what many people get suckered into.