The completely free, Flash-based Internet speed test gives you a sweet graphical interface to view while testing your hook-up to the Web. Additionally, the site allows you to choose from a wide selection of servers from across the globe to check your speed with.

For any unaware, the speed test, like most on the net, simply calculates the time it takes to download and then upload data to and from your computer. Due to net congestion and actual physical distance, test results can vary quite a bit, making Speedtest.net a handy way to compare results across a wide selection of servers in various geographical locales.

SpeedTest.net also gives users a rundown of their average and best download/upload speeds. It shows how the user’s speed compares to others – on the same ISP, in the same city, same country, same continent and globally. Additionally, the results display an overall rank percentage that rates your connection globally and nationally.

Not only is it a handy tool for testing your Internet connection, it can also work as an excellent way to source out new ISPs, as the site displays global statistics on what the fastest ISPs are. With the site getting “hundreds of thousands of visitors a day”, and rankings based completely on actual test results, its unlikely you’ll get more un-biased method of sorting out who has the fastest connections – as you can see from the screen shots, sadly it’s not me.