Understanding Connection Speeds

The Internet as a whole is affected by limitations of site speeds
and traffic problems. Your cable modem can only transmit data as
fast as the weakest link in the connection. If the site you are connecting to can only transmit data at a speed of 56 Kbps, that's
the maximum speed at which you will be able to access the site,
even though your cable modem is capable of much faster speeds.

If several people are trying to access that same site at the same
time, the total bandwidth available will be divided between the
users, and your speed may be further reduced. Your connection
speed may also be limited by your computer's central processing
unit (CPU). Some older CPUs can only process data at a fraction of
the speed at which cable modems are capable of delivering it.