my internet connection slows down so bad that it may tack 5minets to download a subforum index
but every speed test shows >10Mbs even when the dns server is timing out on reloading web pages (it never times out on a speed test site)
even when the download speed slows down to 5KBs

so I need a speed test that has some creditably is there some website
that can be counted on to be fast that I can do a test download speed on


unless there is NO OTHER OPTION stay as far from road runner as you can

this is exactly NOT what I was looking for
all of these that I have tried show 10Mbs to 20Mbs even when this web site is timing out in the middle of a page reload

Then why did you ask? :-P

Speedtest.net is about as good as it gets. If you're showing good throughput with that, then you have something else going on, and your issue is not there. What do ping times show? It seems to be a newly established connection thing, not so much a speed issue. Have you tried using Google's DNS? 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4. Using an ISP's DNS servers seems like inviting trouble, regardless. I'm on Comcast Business at home, and using their DNS was a huge mistake.

it's a time of day thing
I have access to a windozs computer
both linux and windoze slow way down after the sun sets and keep slowing down till the internet is unusable at about 2:00 am
till about 10:00 am then they speed up

I'm asking for a web site that can be counted on to be fast
that I can download something big from

isn't comcast known for bandwidth filtering web sites they are not hosting ?
I'm thinking the speed tests are about the only thing
NOT being bandwidth filtered by road runner

Comcast business is not subject to the same restrictions as residential.

I've tested from a 10gigE line at work, and was restricted by the 1000mbit line to my computer, not the other end. Obviously, this varies by testing area. However, the fact is, you said yourself the speed test shows nothing wrong. Therefore, it's not the speed test's fault. Go investigate the problem further, don't blame anyone who tries to offer assistance.

Edit: It occurs to me that you think speedtest.net operates on local servers under its name, when it doesn't. It uses local high-bandwidth providers in each area. Speedtest for me comprises of a few fiber to the premises ISPs that each sit on 3 times the bandwidth needed, and proudly advertise their mrtg graphs for the large amount of techies in the area to look at. If I were to run a speed test, I'd hit one of those.

Regardless, speedtest.net shows no issues while new page loads time out, so the issue is definitely *NOT* with established connections. Your issue lies elsewhere.

have you tested your lan? ping with max packets (usually 65500) pc to pc, check modem, routers any configurable switch settings. Occasionally Comcast bogs down for internet connection from my home network and I have to reboot it from the modem up, shut down pc's, shut down switch, shut down router, shut down modem, pull power and coax from modem and allow it to bleed down, then power up in reverse order (wait for modem to be fully rebooted before poering up router and same for router before switch). If your using Comcast and hardcoded local IP's, try the closest Comcast DNS IP address for primary dns.

Speed tests won't be representative if the cause is slow DNS responses. Changing DNS servers might help but it should be combined with persistent DNS response caching. For uncovering other network-related problems reviewing network configuration and objective test results should help give insights into what the other bottlenecks are and what re-configuration could alleviate (if any) it, especially since this appears to be a problem the OP has experienced for a long time now. For testing I would suggest shutting down the nscd and any other DNS caching services (if enabled), using 'dig +trace' and tcptraceroute (instead of ICMP) and comparing Firebug (Firefox) or Dragonfly (Opera) load times (screen shots?) with that of an online service like say Pingdom's full page test. If the problem only manifests itself during certain times it doesn't make sense to only provide on set of data but that should be obvious.