I'm not using GOG Galaxy BTW, I mean downloads using the "download backup installer" feature.

I've got two PCs. For simplicity's sake we'll call them "Slow PC" and "Fast PC".

"Slow PC" gives me on average 8.0Mb/sec download speed. Which isn't great. It's FAR below national and regional averages for my location. But so called "Fast PC" gives me just 1.0Mb/sec. Eight times slower. Steam downloads are also the same BTW. Yet online "speed testers" claim I am getting 13Mb/sec on "Fast PC". Well I do NOT get that here on GOG! Yet 8Mb/sec on another old PC! I just do not get it!
Those speeds are megabytes per second, not megabits per second BTW. Or I assume it's megabytes, the exact wording on the download speed indicator says (1.0MB/sec). Regardless, one PC still shows (8.0MB/sec) where the other shows (1.0MB/sec).

Both PCs are on the same router, same network provider etc. The only difference being "Slow PC" is "downstairs" and a little closer to the router, "Fast PC" is "upstairs" and not much further away. That shouldn't make such a speed difference surely? It shows "full signal strength" on the little wifi icon anyway.

I've not got full specs or "DxDiags" on hand right now. Let's just say "Slow PC" is ancient, at least 10 years old, maybe more, "Fast PC" is an Intel i7 11700 / GTX3070 and a so called "super duper 9th gen wifi card" and I think that card may be a complete and utter duffer.
Then again, it's also an old router. Does the new wifi card not like the old router? Wheras the "Slow PC"s ancient wifi is fine with it?
Thing is it's exactly the same when connecting "Fast PC" through "ethernet", not "wifi". But I have scant knowledge of such topics, and I'm not even certain it is even using the "ethernet" at all.
They both have Win10 so it's not that. I've tried downloads different times of the day on both PCs and get the same speeds, so it's not "busy times" slowing things down. I've also tried downloading directly onto different drives as well, so it's not a slow drive that's the issue.

Anyone give me any ideas on this problem?

Thanks!

1. Click the connection icon on the system tray (typically the rightmost side of the taskbar, where the clock is). It looks like a computer monitor with a cable on its left side.
2. From the menu that pops up, choose Network & Internet Settings.
3. In the window that opens, click Change adapter options.
4. In the Network Connections window, if the Wi-Fi entry is enabled, right-click it and choose Disable.

If using the Ethernet connection doesn't inconvenience you, stick to that. Even with an ideal setup, Wi-Fi is still worse than a wired connection.
By default, Speed Test sites will test using a server that's as close to you as possible. That will show blazing fast speeds that you seldom see on smaller sites.
Unless you have an antiquated CPU and HDD, your system specs are unlikely to be an issue. Your GPU definitely doesn't play a part in this. In fact, it's your slower PC that performs better, so we know that's not the problem.

Hi Ice_Mage

Trying that I'm getting 2.5MB/sec on the PC with the problems (the "Fast PC"), so it's a bit better. I'm thinking right now "does the other PC measure it in megabits per second, isn't 8megabits/sec about the same as 2.5megabytes/sec?). I should try downloading the same file and time them on both.

That speed test website I tried that said 13MB/sec (was that in bytes or bits?) appeared to be using a server about 200 miles from my location BTW.

If you're using the same application or speed test site, then you should see the same unit of measurement. 1 megabyte (MB) = 8 megabits (Mb)
You can use the Calculator app in Windows to convert between the two. In the top left corner, click the menu icon (3 horizontal lines) to switch to the Data section.

Do you use different firewall software on the two PCs? Is the wired connection on the fast PC looped through a surge protector by any chance? I don't see any obvious reasons for the wildly differing download speeds from the same sites.

Hi Ice_Mage,

Sorry was not around for a few days to get back!

Anyway, both those PCs ("slow" and "fast" remember?) are both showing megabytes per second, so they're standardised! The "slow" PC downloaded a 1Gb file from GOG in 2m 30s, the "fast" PC took 9 minutes. So "fast" downloads a lot slower on GOG, and Steam, than "slow" PC. Despite "slow" PC generally running awful on the internet! Eg, GOG runs very slowly (but downloads quick once it starts) and is very sluggish to respond to keypresses - even right here as I type this! And you should see how bad "Outlook" runs on "slow" PC.

Slow PC uses the system crippling Norton 360, Fast PC uses Bullguard, so that's more reason to expect slow PC to be slow!!!!!!

Now, as for surge protectors, yes, I do use one on fast PC! So I need to look to see if the ethernet plug is going through it! That still wouldn't explain why it is so slow with WiFi though.

There are so many things that can affect the speed (congested wifi, configuration errors, your software firewall or some shitty wifi adapter utility on your PC messing up things, your internet operator is deliberately slowing down mass downloads from some sites, etc.), but for that slow wifi, I'd suggest you check how congested the wifi channel, that you are using, is. At least if you are living in an apartment building where your neighbors are using wifi too etc. Your router might tell it, but there are also e.g. phone apps like Wifi Analyzer which check it.

Usually the wifi router should try to select the channel that is not congested, but sometimes you might want to select a less busy one manually.

I haven't lately had these problems, but sometimes my wifi connections seemed to slow down or even break up due to some other wireless devices (bluetooth etc.?) apparently somehow interfering the signal. For instance, I noticed that whenever our TV was on in the living room, I would have shitty wifi connection from the wifi router in the same room. I suspected it was the wireless subwoofer of the TV stereo system, which caused it.

Lately I haven't had those problems, either that stereo system finally changed to some other channel or band or whatever by itself, but I also did tinker with my router, changing the channel and other settings. Plus, the router got some firmware update from my internet operator at some point, as well.

Another thing I would try was to run e.g. Linux on a live-CD (USB memorystick) and see if you have similar download problems. That would at least make sure it is not caused by your Windows firewall or virus scanner or other similar software.

I've now tried everything that I can think of, and was suggested here (within my ability to do so).

I still just cannot get GOG dowloads (and Steam) better than 3.0Mb/sec on so called "fast PC" against up to 8.5Mb/sec on "slow PC". Yet online speed checkers often claim 20 - 30 Mb/sec on Fast PC and over 40 Mb/sec on Slow PC. THAT is NOT being reflected when download off GOG!

As for the ethernet, that has slowed, and sloooowed, and slooooooooooooooooooooowed over the past fortnight and is now down to 0.6Mb/sec GOG downloading, and rarely more than 3Mb/sec on speed testers.

I even had the idea that it was downloading direct to an SSD drive that was the bottleneck....... afterall aren't they notoriously slow when it comes to write operations despite being fast with read? But it's NOT that either, I've tried downloading directly to several different drives.

I've even tried different browsers, so it's not that.

I've disabled firewalls and AVs, still no more than 3Mb/sec.

I've switched every other device in the house that connects to the internet. No dice.

NOTHING has worked to address "Fast PC"s slow downloads.

So if anyone can think of anything else, or would dumping the abyssmal BT Internet provider for another do the trick?