lag internet, any advice?

I am new to Mac's and have just purchased a new MacBook. I am having trouble browsing the internet no matter which program I use, firefox or safari. My internet connect is cable and I have a good wireless connection. Sometimes it loads very fast and then sometimes it will just be loading and take forever. I feel that it is not an internet problem but something with the settings of this computer. I will click multiple times on a page or item to load and sometimes this makes it load quicker. This is so annoying and if anyone has a sloution, please let me know.

what makes you think its a hardware problem rather than the connection? Do you have any other computers you can test the connection with?

Not the mac. Check your connection speed. Try speakeasy.

I have connected to 2 wireless networks. Both have a high signal when looking at it in Internet Connect. I have just tried to connect using the ethernet cord but am unable to get on the internet this way. Are there some settings I need to adjust to switch to using the cord rather than wireless?

And one other thing. Using my HP laptop, the wireless works fine.. So i'm guessing it's not the connection.