BALIX
I download enormous amounts of data and also use my system to support others so get a lot of daily traffic. I have access to both 512 and 2mb connections. Granted the 2mb is super fast in the morning but come wakey wakey time across the pond it drops noticably. Hence most of the time you are paying for extra bandwidth that you will struggle to use.
I would suggest trying a demo copy of DU Meter available on a 30 day trial from
www.dumeter.com it will let you know exactly what kind of data you are shifting. It will certainly be an eye opener.