I wanted to list a number of threads where someone complains about the download speed on Steam (through the Steam Client). These pop up almost daily on the Steam Hub. I thought it might be useful to collect some of them in one place. This is because I know most people don't bother making a thread about such issue on Steam, but only a few do. Yet despite this, there is quite a lot of them.

Why? I and others got tired of explaining the same things over and over. I think Steam's Client needs some kind of build-in optimization for handling the game installation download speed on modern windows systems, instead of us instructing each user to share what their specs are and change settings on their system to make Steam (specifically) download faster.

It might be helpful if you figure out why Steam downloads slow on modern systems people just bought from the store. In my guess it's because of Power Optimization; the system puts the task on a low power e-core, lowers the power usage even further because the task wasn't initiated by a Windows User, but rather the Steam Client Service. However, I am unsure of this. It is however clear that the power management stuff on the CPUs affect the speed, and so do many other things. Anyway-- it feels like a chore to answer all of them, and they're endless. We're not getting paid for it either.

Have fun with it.

September 17:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/6679490359788140733/

September 14:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/6679490060457366137/
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/6679490060455794514/

September 12:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4755326933237017435/
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4755326933234558168/

September 11:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/11/4755326933231575293/

September 7:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/0/4751948774787150847/
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4751948774786505644/

September 6:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4751948774785326960/
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4751948774785154178/
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4751948774784879874/

September 5:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4751948599937087354/

September 4:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/3802779235958444434/#c4751948599935587696

August 30th:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4767710741165192331/

August 23:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/30/4423184732109170588/

August 21:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4423184558849445907/
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/0/3377158861983291561/

August 20:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/0/6741412385247176688/

August 19:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/6741412150961540662/

August 16:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/6741411926481953878/

August 13:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4511004055391406158/

August 12:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4511003785958233151/
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4511003785957660491/

August 8:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/30/4511003483564660271/

August 7:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/0/4511003483560921233/

August 4:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4511003232654813330/
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4511003232654235477/

August 3:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4511003079825603619/
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4511002214527745123/

August 2:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4511003079821572688/

August 1:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4511002848506499035/
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/0/4511002848509920359/

July 31:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4511002848505099278/

July 28:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/0/4511002532252932990/

July 27:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4511002214538836374/

July 25:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4511002214532394084/

July 24:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4511002214528431917/

July 23:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/0/4526764654808649901/

July 21:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4526764457368808648/
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/30/4526764457368506937/ (different subject, but downloading 1 game 'takes days')

July 19:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/11/4526764378252983523/

July 18:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4030223998580156450/

July 17:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4526764179297576585/

July 16:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/6982351752477497230/

July 15:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/0/6982351509015576178/
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/0/6982351509015385279/

July 14:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/10/6982351509014854912/
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/6982351509013191908/

July 13:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/6982351509008396271/

July 11:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4406292251595014554/#c4406292251595054595
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4406292251594610514/

July 9:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4406292068728561235/

July 8:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4406292068723702738/
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/11/4406291873010124741/
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4406292068721859326/

July 7:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/0/4406291873010605564/

July 6:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4406291873006802851/

July 5:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4406291873005674709/
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4406291673458464140/

July 4:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4406291673457273624/
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/7/4406291673455541172/

July 3:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/1/4406291470272101196/

July 2:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/11/4406291470271124788/
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/0/4406291470270035066/

July 1:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/discussions/forum/0/4406291470267331798/


Edit to note:
You cannot test this problem from within a Virtual Machine on the Steam Network. You need a clean / new laptop with modern hardware (intel core 12 or 14 gen / AMD whatever), from HP, lenovo or whatever, with a clean installation.
Then test downloading from for example somewhere in Europe, one town away from the capital (make sure there is no datacenter in that town)

Ask someone abroad to do it and live stream results from various locations.

The reason why you cannot test this in a VM is because modern hardware and their drivers have all sorts of settings that optimize towards low power usage and 'offloading to cpu' which also has low power usage optimizations.
When you use a VM, you bypass these problems with virtual drivers; which doesn't help nor work.
Get any dumb 200~euro laptop from some market with windows 11 and test it.