cable or dsl?

[l3ored]

i have roadrunner cable. my mom says it would be cheaper to switch to verison dsl. i know bandwidth and latency varies depending on carrier and location, but in general which is faster? low ping is a bit more important over bandwidth because im an online gamer.

 

[Chaotic42]

After dealing with Bellsouth, I'd never ever ever ever get DSL if I could get cable.

 

[l3ored]

i ran the speed test at dslreports.com: 2255kbps down, 340 up, i'll get my friend on dsl to run the test later...

 

[Connoisseur]

I have Cablevision cable. I believe ppl only go DSL if they wish to have higher upload rates (small businesses etc.). My cable is 3mbit up and 256 kbyte down I believe. Depending on how much you're willing to spend, DSL can have a much higher upload cap. Other than that, I believe cable is superior.

 

[Connoisseur]

errr sorry 3mbit DOWN and 256kbyte UP

 

[myocardia]

I've never seen any dsl that can compete with cable. BTW, the latency is negligible with either one, assuming the dsl isn't satellite-based (Directtv).

 

[blodhi74]

cable .... have not have any luck with Dsl

 

[neutralizer]

cable. if earthlink is available in your area, choose that. i hear they get better speeds, better newsgroups, and cheaper.

 

[edmundoab]

I've had no problems with DSL,

Cable on the other hand was a total head ache for me at one point.
But I know the true capabilities of a cable if the bandwidth is sufficient enough

 

[Algere]

I've heard DSL is better ping-wise since it's a dedicated line unlike cable which is shared.

 

[StrangerGuy]

Originally posted by: Algere
I've heard DSL is better ping-wise since it's a dedicated line unlike cable which is shared.

If I remembered correctly, both of them were shared. Its just that cable sharing is more "obvious" to the user.

 

[SSibalNom]

a LOT of it depends on where u live...... in L.A. cable is pretty overloaded in some parts, so DSL is actually faster in my area...... everywhere else I've lived though, cable has been faster

 

[Soulkeeper]

cable is winning if you look at the situation as a whole.
but the decision on what to buy is really regional
check out dslreports.com maybe .net ......
if you are close to the dsl co (like under 10k ft.) then you'll usually get really good pings and have a nice gaming/webbrowsing experience.
cable just bogs down sometimes during peak hours, unless you get business cable or something
if you just want bandwidth then get cable
cable upload caps are comparable to dsl upload caps but the download is usually much greater
pings however are usually better on dsl users with reasonable location tho imo (because of the dedicated bandwidth and such)

just call each company and go to their webpage to compare the upload/download speeds
then factor in price/distance/features like email space/etc

good luck

 

[SilentZero]

Cable! I had DSL in europe and it was horrible. Now that im back in the US ive only used cable and its been 5 times as good. Nothing could bring me back to DSL!

 

[tart666]

cable,

I don't know the best pings you can get with DSL (keep hearing it varies depending on your distance to the hub) but with RR i get 30ms pings routinely to certain non-rr servers. (edit: point being, it's a crapshoot with DSL, but pretty much guaranteed with cable)

 

[ectx]

I have always used cable after going wideband. Never had the need to try DSL. I don't know for sure which one is better though.

 

[CigarSmokedByClinton]

In general, cable has more bandwidth, pings are about the same, but DSL is cheaper. DSL is sufficient for internet surfing, lite downloads, gaming. Cable is the cadillac , it does all three of those better, but costs more.

Its a tradeoff, speed vs cost. I have had DSL for the last 2 years, and yeah, its slower, but its still broadband. Can't afford cable.

Now if I switch to Vonage, I will definately switch to cable.

 

[The Sauce]

Originally posted by: myocardia
I've never seen any dsl that can compete with cable. BTW, the latency is negligible with either one, assuming the dsl isn't satellite-based (Directtv).

Untrue. From what I have seen latency is significantly better with cable. (BTW, I am using DSL.)

 

[50]

I would get cable, my friends tell me you have to "log on" everytime you want to use DSL which sounds like a pain while Cable is always on. Also make sure your telephone wires outside your house are cable, mine were fiber optic and I can't get DSL!

 

[Dulanic]

It depends totally on who provides your DSL and how far from the CO or RT you are on your line. You can't just say cable is better cause it's cable. In some places DSL is faster, in some Cable is faster. If they are the same speed I usually go DSL because I find it as reliable if not a bit more then cable and it is usually cheaper. For me it is DSL, I could go Comcast who I hate and get 3.0/256 or SBC at 6.0/608... I went SBC since they are the same price.

 

[imported_Nacelle]

Another bad thing about DSL is that it adds noise to the line. The filters are supposed to remove it. But, that isn't always the case. Our cordless phone was useless as long as the modem was on.

 

[l3ored]

wow, thanks for all the replies, looks like im probably going to keep cable, but im going to wait till my friend runs those tests before i make a decision

 

[Gusty987]

I would recommend SBC DSL over cable. I get 2500/350 for $40/month. But since you are in Verizon country (and Verizon sucks), you should stay w/ Roadrunner. Just my opinion, no offense to Verizon users.

 

[Anubis]

cable. Road Runner is either 2.5/384 or 3.0/384 depending on if they upgraded you yet, from your tests im guessing your still 2.5/384 which is still really good, in my expirence with DSL its more of a pain in the arse then Cable, and RR is always there when something fusks up their service has been great also

 

[dlerious]

Originally posted by: CigarSmokedByClinton
In general, cable has more bandwidth, pings are about the same, but DSL is cheaper. DSL is sufficient for internet surfing, lite downloads, gaming. Cable is the cadillac , it does all three of those better, but costs more.

Its a tradeoff, speed vs cost. I have had DSL for the last 2 years, and yeah, its slower, but its still broadband. Can't afford cable.

Now if I switch to Vonage, I will definately switch to cable.

I think it depends on where you live. I'm getting 3Mb down and ~320K up with cable
for $45. I only have one choice for DSL (the local phone co. in a rural area) - they
charge $50-$80 for 640/160 and $230 for 1.5M/320K. I'm only about 200 feet from
the CO, but I'm not even going to consider DSL unless the prices come down quite
a bit.

J