How to estimate the size of byte array/buffer to read from NetworkStream?

int bufferSize = 8192;
Byte[] buffer = new Byte[bufferSize]; 

I need to read from a NetworkStream which would have a continuous flow of incoming data at a high rate. I wanted to know

• What should be the basis for setting the bufferSize value?
• Is there a standard "safe" value that can be chosen irrespective开发者_C百科 of the enviornment?
• Should it also vary with the Stream I'm trying to read from (FileStream/NetworkStream/..)?

Please consider performance as the focus point for the estimation.

There is only one sure way to optimize performance: measure, measure, measure.

I've seen 1024, 4096 or 8192 used as buffer sizes for downloading files from the internet, and I haven't noticed any significant difference using either one.