Why Is My Download Speed Much Slower in Steam Than in the Riot Client?
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MellowPine47
My download speed varies a lot depending on the game client. The Riot client can reach around 50 MB/s, while Steam has occasionally reached that speed but usually stays between 10 and 20 MB/s, averaging roughly 16 MB/s. Could this be caused by download prioritization, file installation, or something else? I connect my PC by Ethernet to a Wi‑Fi extender that I've had for several years, so I'm also wondering whether the extender may have degraded. Speed tests usually show results close to 50 MB/s. My system uses a Ryzen 5 5600X, an NVIDIA RTX 3070, and a TUF Gaming motherboard with Wi‑Fi support.
Answers
Steam may be downloading compressed files and unpacking or installing them at the same time. That makes the CPU and SSD part of the bottleneck, so the network connection can sit idle while files are processed. The Riot client may handle downloads differently or install after downloading. Try a smaller game and watch your CPU, SSD usage, and available drive space. An SSD that’s nearly full—especially below roughly 10–15% free space—or one with a saturated cache can also slow installation-heavy downloads.
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First compare the clients against an actual speed test, since the displayed units can also be confusing—megabits and megabytes per second are different. If speed tests are close to the higher figure, your internet connection is probably fine and the difference is likely caused by Steam’s downloading and installation process. Since the PC is connected through an older Wi‑Fi extender, testing directly from the main router would still be worthwhile in case the extender is introducing instability or throughput loss.
MellowPine47: Speed tests are usually close to 50 MB/s, and the SSD seems fine. I’ll still check the extender and compare the results with a direct router connection if possible.
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MellowPine47: That makes sense. The SSD seems healthy, but I’ll test with a smaller game and keep an eye on CPU usage during the download.