I tried DSL AFTER having used a cable modem for 2 years. Like dialup, I'll never ever go back! DSL at the standard speed (even at the higher priced speed) totally stinks compared to my cable modem's connection. I started downloading XP service pack 2 this evening and about 2 or 3 minutes into the download (well enough time for the download to settle in and show it's true speed), I clocked it at 4.3 Mbps! That's compared to the guaranteed download speed of DSL at 768 Kbps. This screenshot is displayed in KiloBYTES. A bit is smaller than a Byte. So if you break it down, the 435 Kilobytes turns out to be around 4.3 Megabits. To make it easy to understand for those that don't know or care about the technical details...this cable modem connection from my cable company rocks!...and the DSL connection with the 'guaranteed' speed totally stinks (to put it mildly). The thing is, my cable company will give me every bit of bandwidth available (which is always very good - always at least 3x faster than DSL)...but DSL will only guarantee 768 Kbps. Their claim to fame is they 'guarantee' that speed. But so what? If it sucks, it sucks...whether it's guaranteed or not! LOL I highly recommend a cable modem if you have it available in your area. However, 'your results may vary'. Because depending on your cable provider and how many people use this service, your speed could be much less than mine. But I must say, I'm thoroughly thrilled with my cable company. I just downloaded the entire 266 MB service pack 2 file to my PC while typing this. Now that's fast! Price is almost exactly the same as DSL in my area. I pay about $37 for the cable modem service. Not bad for the blazing speed they give me.
