BleepingComputer.com: Varying Internet Speeds?

So my parents upgraded from at&t to Comcast, and I get much better speed even at the lows than I did with at&t. I honestly do not know what exact plan they signed for, but it was through Best Buy and they had checked off 8 meg. As for the speed varying so much, I have gotten as low as 2 Mb/s to 26 Mb/s. I believe the 2Mbps was a one time thing and my average low is around 8Mbps. The average high is in the high teens. Could this simply be Comcast's powerboost feature? Thanks for any help.

Speedtest.net Results:
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~1950 miles


Same place -

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<150 miles

Same Server

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~300 miles

This test was pretty consistent, varying from 12 - 18 but usualy around 17.
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Thanks again.

This post has been edited by Andrew: 08 March 2011 - 06:52 PM
Reason for edit: Mod Edit: Imagified Links - AA

Not familiar with the power boost feature.

What it more likely is, is a combination of things. Including total Internet usage at peak hours vs less usage at off hours.

I think Powerboost is more of a marketing gimmick than a real feature. My ISP in Canada Rogers is running a Powerboost ad campaign right now. Very light on specifics.

I do not know the specifics on such programs when it comes to Cable or DSL connections.

I do know they are snake oil = basically fake when it comes to related programs for dial-up.
On dial-up such programs actually are downloading less graphical data related to how the page renders. This simulates faster download speeds but in reality you are getting a lower quality viewing experience of the pages you do view.

Since my upload varies a little as well, should I stick with my lowest speeds, say 2Mbps, for reference if I put up a game server?