Mac Mini vs. MacBook Download Speeds

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adhesiv
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Mac Mini vs. MacBook Download Speeds

Post by adhesiv »

Is anyone else seeing this issue...

I have a 20/5 FIOS connection at my house (it smokes) and Sabnzbd downloads the same file as follows:

MacBook (C2D 2.4Ghz Unibody/4GB RAM/802.11n)
About 2400-2500KB/s

Mac Mini (C2D 1.83Ghz/1GB RAM/802.11g)
About 1700-1800KB/s

Both are connecting wirelessly through an Airport Extreme (n series) and i have set both up identically for port forwarding through my router/firewall.

Then I thought it might be my wireless card since the mini is pre-n spec but the connection is still on 802.11g so should be able to hit the same speed as my MacBook since it's probably running "down" in the g range anyway...it's driving me nuts cause i'm trying to setup the mini as my media "hub" but since i get better download speeds on the macbook i have a hard time switching over...help!?!?!?  ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???
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switch
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Re: Mac Mini vs. MacBook Download Speeds

Post by switch »

Try setting the article cache in config>general to 120M. This will store temporary files in RAM first instead of writing them to disk which might result in some speedup if your hard drive in the mini is slow.

Also check the CPU usage on the mini, if it is at 100% then it is likely going as fast as the cpu can handle. Usenet downloading is not light on resources due to the various decoding and decompression that needs to be done.
rAf
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Re: Mac Mini vs. MacBook Download Speeds

Post by rAf »

I think you should also test your mac mini and macbook with an ethernet cable (if you can) just to see if it's not a wireless issue.
1 Go ram is too less for Mac OS X. If you can afford, upgrade your mac mini to 2 or 4 Go.
demioa
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Re: Mac Mini vs. MacBook Download Speeds

Post by demioa »

adhesiv wrote: Is anyone else seeing this issue...

I have a 20/5 FIOS connection at my house (it smokes) and Sabnzbd downloads the same file as follows:

MacBook (C2D 2.4Ghz Unibody/4GB RAM/802.11n)
About 2400-2500KB/s

Mac Mini (C2D 1.83Ghz/1GB RAM/802.11g)
About 1700-1800KB/s

Both are connecting wirelessly through an Airport Extreme (n series) and i have set both up identically for port forwarding through my router/firewall.

Then I thought it might be my wireless card since the mini is pre-n spec but the connection is still on 802.11g so should be able to hit the same speed as my MacBook since it's probably running "down" in the g range anyway...it's driving me nuts cause i'm trying to setup the mini as my media "hub" but since i get better download speeds on the macbook i have a hard time switching over...help!?!?!?  ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???
The speed difference is most likely due to the mini running 802.11g.

You can upgrade the mac mini to 802.11n as long as it is a Core 2 Duo.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/D4141ZM/A
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interfacelift
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Re: Mac Mini vs. MacBook Download Speeds

Post by interfacelift »

I would agree with rAf that you need to eliminate some variables.
• Be sure both machines are running the same version of OS X
• Connect both via ethernet and see if speeds differ
• Try transferring via another method (FTP, HTTP, etc). Are speeds the same as SABnzbd? (It'll help determine if it's _just_ a SAB issue or an entire machine network connectivity issue.

As for the 802.11n enabler, skip it. It won't work on your Mini. It's not on the list of compatible machines. The card in a pre-2009 Mini is 802.11g, not an 802.11n with the n disabled as some other Macs were.

(oh, and I'm insanely jealous of your 20/5 connection. I get 6.25mbit/2mbit where I am, and I can get 12, but it's nearly twice the price)
Last edited by interfacelift on May 4th, 2009, 4:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
adhesiv
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Re: Mac Mini vs. MacBook Download Speeds

Post by adhesiv »

Thx Switch, rAf, demioa, and interfacelift...
- I've set the article cache to 120M already...both machines setup that way.
- The mini isn't taxing out yet at 100% it's more like 30% while downloading.
- An ethernet test would be hard since i've got my AEBS in the attic but if i can get my hands on some looooong cables if it really bugs me i can give it a shot.
- I've thought about the RAM upgrade and might still look into that.
- Other downloads pull down as fast as the MacBook (HTTP, FTP, network drive to network drive, etc.)

I'll keep tinkering and let you know if anything changes, thank you all for your input...keep the suggestions coming if you think of anymore.
jkristoph
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Re: Mac Mini vs. MacBook Download Speeds

Post by jkristoph »

I had the same problem with 2 machines.  This is definitely a wireless problem.  A good option would be setting up a wireless bridge (in an attempt to boost signal quality) and plugging ethernet into the mini.  Go to speedtest.net, I am sure that the mini will post lower scores that the macbook.
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cr91
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Re: Mac Mini vs. MacBook Download Speeds

Post by cr91 »

I would say change the wireless protocol on your Airport Extreme to g, since both computers support it. Plus, you won't have any 'bottlenecking', because 54Mbps will have your 20mbits fios covered. I'm pretty sure that's what's causing the trouble.

I personally decided to stick with the good ol' ethernet cable, although my net is just 10mbits. But hey, I'm not conservative. Wi-fi is always useful when I move to the other rooms.

Try that and let us know. If that doesn't work, remember our good friend RJ45.
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