Optimize Your BitTorrent Download Speed
BitTorrent can be fun, as long as you get decent speeds. Not satisfied with your current speeds? These suggestions might help to optimize your download pleasure
1. Hack the max half-open TCP connections
If you’re on XP sp2, your TCP connections are limited to a maximum of 10. This might hurt your downloading speed because it wont let you connect to as much peers as you want. It is supposed to slow down viruses because their spreading strategy is to connect to a high amount of ip numbers, but it could cripple your torrent downloads.
A nice way to fix this is to download this patch.
Note: Some people report that their antivir reports the patch to be a Virus, This is not the case. Check out http://www.lvllord.de/ for more details on this
The patch allows you to set the maximum allowed connections to any number you want. Any number between 50 and 100 is ok (more is NOT always better).
Next you need to configure your torrent client to allow 50-100 max half-open TCP connections
uTorrent: Options > Preferences > Advanced options > net.max_halfopen
Bitcomet: Options > Preferences > Connection > max half-open TCP
Now you’re ready to go…
A third point of interest is that some “windows updates” revert your tweaked tcp connections back to 10. So it’s wise to check this every now and then. You can check this by going to (in windows xp) Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Event Viewer > System… Look for event 4226 (sort by event).
For more details about Windows XP SP2 and Event ID 4226 read David Kaspar’s excellent post
If there are a lot of daily occurences it’s likely that the max amount of half-open tcp connections was set back to 10. Or you’re infected with some nasty spyware…
2. Torrent Client Configuration
In order to apply these tips you need to know your maximum up- and download speed. You can test your bandwidth over here (stop all download activity while testing). Also make sure that you applied the tips provided in our previous posts.
Note that there’s a difference between kb/s (kilobits/second) and kB/s (kilobytes/second). To be precise, kB/s = kb/s divided by 8. In this tutorial we use kB/s (like most torrent clients do). This means that you might need to calculate your max speed in kB/s yourself if the speedtest only gives you the results in kb\s (so divide by 8 then).
Settings 1-4 can be found in the options, settings or preference tab of most torrent clients.
1. Maximum upload speed
Probably the most important setting there is. Your connection is (sort of) like a pipeline, if you use you maximum upload speed there’s not enough space left for the files you are downloading. So you have to cap your upload speed.
Use the following formula to determine your optimal upload speed…
80% of your maximum upload speed
so if your maximum upload speed is 40 kB/s, the optimal upload rate is 32kB/s
But keep seeding!
2. Maximum download speed
Although setting your maximum download speed to unlimited may sound interesting, in reality it will only hurt your connection. If you still want to be able to browse properly, set your maximum download speed to:
95% of your maximum download speed
so if your maximum download speed is 400 kB/s, the optimal download speed is 380kB/s
3. Maximum connected peers per torrent
Yet another setting that you don’t want to max out. I experimented quite a lot with the max connected peers settings and came to the conclusion that both high and low number hurt the download speed of a torrent. The following setting worked best for me.
upload speed * 1.3
so if your maximum upload speed is 40 kB/s, the optimal amount of connected peers per torrent is
40 * 1.3 = 52
I didn’t noticed a difference for fast or slow connections here.
4. Maximum upload slots
1 + (upload speed / 6)
so if your maximum upload speed is 30 kB/s, the optimal number of upload slots is
1 + (30 / 6) = 6
3. More Tips
Check seeds and peers
A simple tip, but very important. Always look for torrents with the best seed/peer ratio. The more seeds (compared to peers) the better (in general). So 50 seeds and 50 peers is better than 500 seeds and 1000 peers. So, be selective.
Change the default port.
By default, BitTorrent uses a port 6881-6999. BitTorrent generates a lot traffic (1/3), so isp’s like to limit the connection offered on the these ports. So, you should change these to another range. Good clients allow you to do this, just choose anything you like. If you’re behind a router, make sure you have your ports forwarded (portforward.com) or UPnP enabled.
Disable Windows Firewall
It sucks. Windows Firewall hates P2P and often leads a life of it’s own. So disable it and get yourself a decent (free) firewall, Kerio or Zone Alarm for example.
Turn on Encryption
Encrypting your torrents will prevent throttling ISP’s from limiting your BitTorrent traffic. Check out how to enable encryption in Azureus, uTorrent, and Bitcomet, the three most popular torrent clients.
Optimize your internet connection
The TCP optimizer is a freeware utility that optimizes your internet connection. I found it very useful and it helped speeding up my connection for regular internet activity and for downloading torrents. Just download it, and move the slidebar to your maximum download rate (note that it’s in kb/s). Don’t try to set it higher because that will hurt your download speeds!
Last but not least… Buy a faster connection…
Happy Torrenting!
(this post is a compilation of previous “speed up” posts)
Previously: Sealand on Fire
Next: Pirates On The Loose
276 Responses (Add yours or TrackBack)
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I’d prefer reading in my native language, because my knowledge of your languange is no so well. But it was interesting!
Thanks for creating this, Ernest. I consider the tips listed on this site to be quite interesting and beneficial.
However, I’d love to download that TCP thing but I’m honestly afraid that it will harm my computer in some way. A few people have shunned it, while others have agreed that it is a healthy file.
I guess what I’m really trying to say, Ernest, is…
Can I trust you, brother?
After initially approving it I am taking back my comments on this patch.
I have observed it’s behaviour. Although it DOES change the max no of open connections in TCPIP.sys, it’s a virus.
Bit Defender kept blocking it from executing itself several times even hours after I applied the patch.
In just downliading a torrent, but i have upload speed too, something is uploading from my pc. i wanna know what is going ot from my computer when it says 20 Mb uploaded and to be continued ?
Tried them all, been there done that, But I found the upload slot calc to at least double my speed on those slow ones! Nice One!!
I found helpful info and software on the highspeedtorrent.com site. Worked great!
I’d prefer reading in my native language, because my knowledge of your languange is no so well. But it was interesting! Look for some my links:
thanx but no thanx more confused than ever now
you are our saver
thank you very much for ur kindness
hope u can come out with another new forum soon
Hi! I am from India.
Thanks for the info. I doubled my speed thanks to you. Cheers!
http://madhuri-dixit.110mb.com
When you are d/ling with torrents, USE A WIRED CONNECTION. EVEN THOUGH YOUR WIRELESS CARD SAYS 54 mb/s or even like 1 mb/s it limits it to only 5% of the whole speed. so if i use a 54 mb/s router and wireless card, it will only be 2.7 mb/s or with 1 mb/s it will only be about 50 kb/s. Oh yeah. Use Utorrent if your unexperienced. it is the easiest for speed priority
It really works! My uTorrent used to download at speed around 100 kB/s, and drop until it reachs flat zero. Now the speed doesn’t drop under 80 kB/s, and it will not i hope so.
I was wrong, it wipes down to zero again…
Thanks, a great post.
It was worth reading all of the 180 responses, I couldn’t stop laughing.
It was a good start for the new year!
Happy new year to every one.
it doesnt work for me the patch is useless
i have mcafee personal firewall mcafee virus scan enterprise updated intel pentium 3 at 933 mhz geforce 4 mx 440 64 mb on agp 2x very slow
os: windows xp pro sp3 beta
full key
IMO “upload slots” calculation is too high. You want other peers to see you as a “favourable peer”, that means not spreading your upload too thinly and just apeearing as another slow peer.
Keep it low, and you appear to be faster, and other faster peers may in turn find you more attractive.
I have mine set to ‘3′ regardless of upload speed. Not sure if thats best, but my hunch is the lower the better.
hey
after patching those stop
my downloads stopped!
n i no longer can connect to any seeder n peers!
what should i do??
the port is changed now but to no avail
i am behind a new[but an older version ] router
Internet’s working fine but i cant BT any more wtf
for those who say this is a virus and those who question if this works or not! i got this patch about four months ago my eset nod32 virus scan said this is a virus but obviously this patch messes with regisrty files so it will tell you that its a virus(if it doesnt get new virus software)but you may not notice a difference in speed or connection but the patch does work. i have fast internet so when i downloaded with my internet capped at 32kbps and installed the patch my connection went to 230kbps. but others may not notice that big of a difference. the point.its safe download and does work.
This patch is great, it really improve the download from http://www.silaneshrimp.com
The patch worked well for me. Anyone who have crashed there computer might want to think about what they are downloading on bittorrent. :)
can someon tell me if port forwardng coud cause my computer any problems?
Id appreciate it!!
thank you it worked
[quote comment="265125"]thank you
it worked[/quote]
[quote comment="262423"]can someon tell me if port forwardng coud cause my computer any problems?
Id appreciate it!![/quote]
[quote comment="6472"]“So 50 seeds and 50 peers is better than 500 seeds and 1000 peers”
500 seeds and 1000 peers would almost always be the faster download - remember all those peers are seeders too
UPnP for port forwarding? NO[/quote]
Hi, remember to choose ports higher than the well-known ports, otherwise, you could start sensing weird things happening during any kind of internet access.
For people using ktorrent under linux, my case (kubuntu 7.10), the encryption part is as follows: Settings > Configure Ktorrent.
After that, select general over on the main menu, and way down you’ll find encryption, select the first one and try the other option if everything goes well.
Happy torrenting.
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