Why is my internet so slow!!!

So I got an Acer laptop within this past calendar year. I have no idea why, but for some reason the internet is deathly slow. Is it some sort of connectivity issue? I know it's not the internet at my place because other laptops have been used and there internet has been lightning quick.

For example, I frequently stream baseball games on my laptop using MLB.tv. When I use my roommates laptop, it works great. The stream is fluid and clear and not choppy. When I use mine, it's a disaster... it's choppy and lagging and sometimes doesn't even work. Even with smaller things like loading a website will often be slow. I have no idea what it is.

For reference, this is the model I have: Newegg.com - Acer Aspire Intel Core i3 4GB Memory 500GB HDD 15.6" Notebook Windows 8 E1-571-6680

Also for reference, I don't anything about computers, so while I appreciate any help, you are going to need to explain this in the simplest of terms.

 

Are you using Wi-Fi? What Wi-Fi card do you have? What driver version?

 

Has your computer always been like this? It's possible that that specific model has terrible reception, if so, or if not, that something has either failed, or come loose (like an antenna cable).


EDIT: Looking at the other reviews for your laptop, it seems as if terrible wireless performance is a big problem with this model. You probably have a couple of options. It's possible that the poor performance is being caused by some kind of driver issue (drivers are sets of instructions that pieces of hardware give to Windows so that Windows knows how to operate them); if so, you might be able to find a new or better driver.

The other solution, annoying as it is, would be to purchase a USB Wi-Fi dongle. That would come with its own Wi-Fi chip and antenna, and completely bypass the one inside your machine.

This one seems to get very good reviews: TP-LINK TL-WN722N Wireless N150 High Gain USB Adapter

 

To rule out wireless problem try direct cable connection to the router.