DSL or Cable

[BSMGamer]

:hump: Ok, I know DSL is slower than cable, but it costs a lot less than cable for$20 a month. And I need to know is cable worth the cost. Also there is this deal with DSL for free xbox live.So tell me what is better.

[SilverOak]

which is more important to you personally....cost or performance? I had cable before my DSL and our service was terrible. Extremely fast at times, but then disconnects at the worst times. To get speedy DSL, you must pay a premium charge for it. ;)

Talk to your neighbors and see what they use and what they report for service. To me, reliable quick service is what I demand for my gaming.

[Huckleberry]

it really depends on where you live and what type of neighborhood you're in. if you live in a fairly populated area, you're probably going to want DSL. it's much more consistent in speed, and degradation in speed is more a matter of how far you are from the company's nearest switch.

if you live in a less populated area, you may have a hard time even getting DSL. since there are fewer people, and thus fewer cable tv connections, you may be okay with cable. like courtjester said, when cable is fast it's VERY fast (i had 5 meg files download in 8 seconds at times), but when everyone else is watching tv (primetime) it can be dog slow (a fat, slow dog).

until the next wave of connection speed upgrades take place as companies get wireless down pat, and fiber optics take over, i'd stay with DSL...especiallly for the cost difference. spend a little extra and get 1.5 dl and at least 256 up.

[ShannonX]

just depends. Where i lived in st. louis and the location i lived in (close to the central office for the phone company) dsl was the hands down winner. Cable wasn't even close to providing me the same experience that dsl provided me. 3mbit with cable was the fastest i could get, i could get 6mbit with dsl for the same price ($45). So you need to look at what offers the best value for the dollar. and remember, with dsl, if you are more than around 7 - 9k feet from the central office, you'll be better of with cable.

and huckleberry the slowness isn't caused by watching tv, cable modems run on its own frequency that isn't used by tv channels. What slows it down is more people downloading those primetime shows right around primetime. :p

[Reclaimer]

I know that Time Warner has adjusted their network architecture in major markets to deliver consistent high speeds regardless of network traffic or network congestion. Their networks are scalable and can be adjusted now to accomodate higher traffic during peak times. It's been about 8 months now that I've had TW-Road Runner cable and the advertised speed is 3MB's down and during this time that I've had it, the lowest speed I've had during peak primetime was 2.2. I usually ride at 2.8 or just a hair under 2.9. I live in an apartment building where nearly all residents have this service because there was a deal between the apartment and the provider.
I also live in a major city. I am happy with Road Runner Cable and I'd probably never go back to anything else. In fact, if I get this one job I'm pushing for, I'm going to get the premium package that's 6MB's down.

[BSMGamer]

Ok, thanks for the info, but as you see I live in Indiana so I need a sure answer. I know people who have cable and says it works great.I've even tried it myself took less than five seconds to load a page.I want to switch to cable, but its so expensive and I get free xbox live with this DSL.I hate DSL because it is so slow, major lag time, and that mean I can never host a game.I mean Insight Digital(cable) goes for $50 bucks a month around her and its hard to come up with that kinda money.Also I am at what I think is my gaming peak and cable would seem real nice right now.So as you can see I am stress out with problem.I NEED YOUR HELP.SO VOTE NOW

[Reclaimer]

Ever tried www.dslreports.com ?

[ShannonX]

well. since most of us dont live where you live, your best bet would be to try cable first since 99% of the time you dont have to sign a contract.... and who is the dsl provider in your area?

[AlphaRaptor]

I've never played on a cable connection so I cant give you a full oppinion. But I got 1.5mb down and 256up DSL and its been working pretty well so far. But im thinking I might want to switch to cable next year because I can get 3mb down and 512 up for the same price im paying now. Who knows, by then they might be offering 6mb down for the same price. :)

[BSMGamer]

I live in a mild-suburban/SBC YAHOO DSL

[edwinmcdunlap]

Well, I have Qwest DSL with MSN here. Since I don't have cable TV, I thought it would be much easier to just go with DSL and not spend extra money on cable installation.

And since Qwest is our local phone service provider, It's even easier.

I've never had connection problems with it, either. Always there just when I need it ;)

-Ed

[ShannonX]

call up qwest then and have them pre qualify you, they will let you know the "aproximate" distance you are from their central office. Remember the farther you get, the slower your overal performance will be (download and upload speeds)