I signed up for a 100 Mbps internet plan for $15 a month, while 300 Mbps would cost me $50. I find that 100 Mbps works well for everything I need. However, when I applied for a low-income service from my new ISP, they told me that 100 Mbps wouldn't be suitable for gaming, but that it would be fine for streaming and web browsing. I'm curious why that is the case because it seems to me that streaming, especially at 1080p, could struggle on a slower connection. Can anyone explain the reasoning behind these different speed recommendations?
4 Answers
You genuinely don't need high speeds for gaming—it's often just sales talk. Tests show even data-heavy games like Destiny 2 use a surprisingly low amount of data. For example, in an hour, it might only use around 300 MB, which equals about 666 Kbps. As long as you have decent speed, gaming should be alright. For example, I used to game on 10 Mbps without issues aside from long download times.
True, but you have to account for games with P2P networks. They can use a lot more bandwidth, especially upload.
These companies are just trying to sell you on more expensive packages. They know gamers often have more disposable income, so they market higher speeds as necessary. But in reality, unless you're maxing out your connection for downloads, lower speeds like 100 Mbps should suffice for online gaming.
It's frustrating how marketing works. They target gamers with the 'need for speed' hype.
Exactly! They just want your money. Many gamers think faster speeds equal better performance without knowing about ping and latency.
Here's a quick breakdown: for gaming, what matters is latency. If packets are getting delayed, you experience lag. But for streaming, you want speed so that your video can load quickly. Most gamers are misled into thinking they need super-fast internet when really they need stable low latency. A friend on 50 Mbps can stream and game without issues, as long as the connection remains stable.
Exactly! I find that most video services only require about 25 Mbps for 4K, yet they push for higher speeds to upsell.
This is so true. I can download games at decent speeds but experience lag issues if I share the connection while gaming.
Gaming requires low latency whereas streaming benefits from high bandwidth. While both might seem related, they're actually quite different. For gamers, a connection with low latency is crucial, meaning even if you have lower bandwidth, like 100 Mbps, as long as the latency is low, it should work fine for gaming.
But wouldn't the latency be about the same between 100 Mbps and 300 Mbps? If the 100 Mbps plan is fiber, that is.
Latency is indeed different than speed. I’ve played games fine on a DSL line with decent latency, even when downloads were super slow.
That's interesting! I lived on a 10/1 Mbps connection and managed fine with gaming, although downloading was a nightmare.