Speedtest for PowerPC Macs?

[RedCroissant]

Does anyone know of a reliable speedtest site or application that will work with a G4 iBook? I tried using the speedtest site and others as well, but it just doesn't load or work for me. Thanks in advance!

[eyoungren]

There are a few out there but I don't have the urls right now. Try using Google for a speed test search but add "no flash" and "no java".

[RedCroissant]

Originally Posted by eyoungren

There are a few out there but I don't have the urls right now. Try using Google for a speed test search but add "no flash" and "no java".

Well, I don't know why I didn't type that in when I was doing the search, but i did find one that worked wonderfully; it's too bad my iBook is so slow compared to my other devices.

the one I used was http://testmy.net. My results were....well, slow.

.4 Mb Download
.3 Mb Upload

Even though that's slow compared to the other devices on my network, I don't think it's too bad considering the considerably slower processor speed, and the fact that it is the oldest device in my collection.

[MisterKeeks]

The speed of the computer should have little to no impact on the outcome of the test. Are you on wireless?

[rabidz7]

speedtest.net

it works on my powerbook

[MisterKeeks]

Originally Posted by rabidz7

speedtest.net

it works on my powerbook

You must have Wildy's modified flash plugin installed.

[RedCroissant]

Originally Posted by MisterKeeks

The speed of the computer should have little to no impact on the outcome of the test. Are you on wireless?

True. And yes I am but my other devices that connect via WiFi are much faster(obviously due to them being newer)

Originally Posted by rabidz7

speedtest.net

it works on my powerbook

I tried it and it doesn't work.

[eyoungren]

Originally Posted by rabidz7

speedtest.net

it works on my powerbook

Did you read the first line of the OP's post where he mentioned he had already tried speedtest.net?

And as mentioned, you need Flash for speedtest.net. Most of the speedtest sites out there require Flash, or Java.

On an old iBook that's taking enough of a performance hit before you even START the speedtest.

So, I sent the OP looking for sites that don't require Flash and/or Java. There are a few out there.

[MisterKeeks]

Originally Posted by RedCroissant

True. And yes I am but my other devices that connect via WiFi are much faster(obviously due to them being newer)

I am not sure what kind of wireless is in your iBook, but lets say it is G wireless- that would slow you down if you are on an N network, which might be the cause of the low results. Also, unless you have a dual-band router, it will slow down everything else using the network at the same time.

[skateny]

Originally Posted by MisterKeeks

I am not sure what kind of wireless is in your iBook, but lets say it is G wireless- that would slow you down if you are on an N network, which might be the cause of the low results. Also, unless you have a dual-band router, it will slow down everything else using the network at the same time.

I get why people like to know how their rigs do in speed tests. But I'm happy with my own internal fatigue monitor.

[SuperJudge]

Open up Terminal.app (Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal) and copy and paste the following to the command line and press Enter:

wget --output-document=/dev/null http://speedtest.wdc01.softlayer.com/downloads/test500.zip

ETA: You might need to use this instead because I can't remember if it's wget or curl is available without MacPorts on older versions of OS X, but the results will be the same either way:

curl -o /dev/null http://speedtest.wdc01.softlayer.com/downloads/test500.zip

That will give you a pretty good idea for how fast your connection is. Be aware, though, that the test file is 500MB. If you have bandwidth limits/caps in your internet plan, you have been warned.