Why: Computer is good quality, but internet won't run properly. Boarder line useless.?

[David]

My computer is but 4 months old, and as of the last month or so I have been having major problems with it. When I first got it, it ran everything great. There was little issue other then the fact that it was Windows 8 and constantly needed updated, but now my browsers can hardly do anything. Youtube keeps crashing, Pandora won't load, Omegle can't even detect my webcam, even things as simple as a .gif won't load for maybe 5 minutes or more. All problems that did not exist out of the box. I have an AMD A8 Quad Core, 8GB RAM, and the machine itself is just generally above standard and while it's nothing mind blowing, it shouldn't struggle so much to do such simple processes. I have scanned it for viruses, defragged it, got rid of my extra firewalls as well as deleted a lot of junk files and nothing seems to be helping it. I am no tech expert, so the bit I do know is of no help. Off the internet, the thing plays games such as Skyrim on highest detail without dropping frame rate so I know it can't be the hardware.

If it helps at all, I know it's a Dell Inspiron N series model. The exact numbers I don't remember, but considering it is only 4 months old maybe you can pinpoint it. It runs WIndows 8, I will give more information if needed, but I am all out of ideas.

[simon]

It sounds like your Internet connection may be bad. Your wireless router may not be working correctly too. Try doing a speed test to see what you are getting for download speeds. In order to download HD videos off of websites like YouTube and to have quick responsive internet access. You typically want a 3Mb download or better with at least a consistent .5Mb upload or better and a low ping of under 150.

Try to see what you get. Try at least 2 different servers 2 times each, and no more than 200 miles from you to see what you average. If your ping rates average over 150 constantly, you have a somewhat unstable connection. If it is over 200 you have issues.

My internet test gave me a consistent 17Mb download, with a 1.5Mb upload and a ping of 36 from servers no more than 100 miles from me. And that is in reality as fast as many advertised 50Mb connections, since my provider doesn't throttle websites. (Like YouTube) So I can watch HD videos and download anything off the internet with virtually no lag. I also load animated .gif's instantaneously.

See what you get here→ http://www.speedtest.net/