Asking for opinions here on what to do to speed a system up( i.e. internet/network conenction ). If you don't have an actual answer to what I am asking please refrain from taking this off topic with lectures and arguments about Windows 10 and such. I would really appreciate it if responses were focused and my actual question.
Just did the 1607 Windows 10 update on my Aunt's computer. This is on an old Compag Presario that came with Windows 7 pretty much right when Windows 7 came out so a lot of the hardware is outdated/unsupported now. She bought it from a lease company when it was about a year old and it sat and sat and sat. I finally got her to let me work on it and get it all updated so she can finally retire the old dying dinosaur of a system she has now.
*** She is an old time New Englander who is very tight with $$$ so she won't buy a newer system. She will use this one because it is "new to her" even though it is already long outdated because it sat unused for like 4+ years before she finally decided to use it. I have to work with it.***
Everything is fine( really it is plenty of computer for her limited needs )except I noticed the internet doesn't work as fast on her system as it does mine. I am working on it here at home so I am using the same exact connection w/ Ethernet cable I use on my system. My system sees 180-200 Mbps+( download )and with that same exact connection I am only seeing 70 Mbps +/-( download )on her system? Same OS, same browser, same add-ons, etc... Only difference other than things like Motherboard, RAM, CPU is the Network Adapter( Ethernet card ).
I checked out the Network Adapter in Device Manager on her system and all it says is NVIDIA nForce Network Controller. No version of the hardware, 10/100, or anything else. I think it is using a generic driver Windows applied. I tried updating the driver and it came back as using the most recent/best. Went to the mfg's site and tried to find a driver but I couldn't come up with one at all. There was a Windows 7 nForce multiple version driver offered dated 2012 but it didn't work when I tried to install it. It said my adapter was not compatible. So no joy with the mfg.
So my question, after all that, is do you think buying a new Network Adapter( Ethernet card )would help? I am some of you are saying 70 Mbps is plenty BUT clearly the adapter isn't able to work at speeds the one in my system can so it is either failing or more likely just old and not up to modern speeds. The other issue is her internet connection is slow anyway( Fairpoint DSL = lowest speed level offered ). I want to be sure she is able to make full use of every Mbps of speed available to her when she is using it at her house. Here it isn't an issue really but if it only provides partial speeds at her house on the DSL it will be?. It is slow enough as is. I feel like I am on dial up when I work on her computer at her house.
So am I wrong in my thinking? If you agree/think it might help do you have a recommendation for an affordable decent PCI-E Ethernet card?
Thanks in advance.
EDIT - the network adapter in my system is from Realtek FWIW( or the chipset is anyway ).
Just did the 1607 Windows 10 update on my Aunt's computer. This is on an old Compag Presario that came with Windows 7 pretty much right when Windows 7 came out so a lot of the hardware is outdated/unsupported now. She bought it from a lease company when it was about a year old and it sat and sat and sat. I finally got her to let me work on it and get it all updated so she can finally retire the old dying dinosaur of a system she has now.
*** She is an old time New Englander who is very tight with $$$ so she won't buy a newer system. She will use this one because it is "new to her" even though it is already long outdated because it sat unused for like 4+ years before she finally decided to use it. I have to work with it.***
Everything is fine( really it is plenty of computer for her limited needs )except I noticed the internet doesn't work as fast on her system as it does mine. I am working on it here at home so I am using the same exact connection w/ Ethernet cable I use on my system. My system sees 180-200 Mbps+( download )and with that same exact connection I am only seeing 70 Mbps +/-( download )on her system? Same OS, same browser, same add-ons, etc... Only difference other than things like Motherboard, RAM, CPU is the Network Adapter( Ethernet card ).
I checked out the Network Adapter in Device Manager on her system and all it says is NVIDIA nForce Network Controller. No version of the hardware, 10/100, or anything else. I think it is using a generic driver Windows applied. I tried updating the driver and it came back as using the most recent/best. Went to the mfg's site and tried to find a driver but I couldn't come up with one at all. There was a Windows 7 nForce multiple version driver offered dated 2012 but it didn't work when I tried to install it. It said my adapter was not compatible. So no joy with the mfg.
So my question, after all that, is do you think buying a new Network Adapter( Ethernet card )would help? I am some of you are saying 70 Mbps is plenty BUT clearly the adapter isn't able to work at speeds the one in my system can so it is either failing or more likely just old and not up to modern speeds. The other issue is her internet connection is slow anyway( Fairpoint DSL = lowest speed level offered ). I want to be sure she is able to make full use of every Mbps of speed available to her when she is using it at her house. Here it isn't an issue really but if it only provides partial speeds at her house on the DSL it will be?. It is slow enough as is. I feel like I am on dial up when I work on her computer at her house.
So am I wrong in my thinking? If you agree/think it might help do you have a recommendation for an affordable decent PCI-E Ethernet card?
Thanks in advance.
EDIT - the network adapter in my system is from Realtek FWIW( or the chipset is anyway ).
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