My connection speed is 400mbps. I get web pages pretty much instantly, P2P programs download songs at about 250kbps, movies at about 400kbps, and software about 300. For torrenting I get around 1.5-2.2mbps. Just make sure the port your using when downloading is open both UDP (outgoing) and TCP (incomming) If you have Windows XP it's very simple to unblock the ports using windows firewall, check your help guide for instructions. Also, better LAN cables (If on highspeed) help, less internet related programs running (saves more bandwidth for the download) and sometimes it just needs a really healthy download.
~Bryan~