do i need a router?

hi all,
i am quite new to all this, so i need your help
i have a 512kbps/1024 kbps connection broadband cable connection.
The modem is thomson TCM420, and it doesnt have a inbuilt router.
I use utorrent (p2p) software alot, infact its the primary software i need the net for, and it seems it is blocked, i cant seem to get good speeds on it. and i tried everything, from reinstalling winxp, to modifying the utorrent settings and azureus as well.
I get excellent speeds while downloading other files from the web, but when it comes to utorrent or azureus, the speed limps.
Does that mean i need a router to forward ports?
My neighbours have the same connection as mine, and they have a touchstone arris cable modem, and no router, but they get excellent speeds on the utorrent.
Do i need a router? or do i need to talk to my ISP people? My isp people dont respond too much, so is there anyway else out? Should i change the modem? or just get an additional router to forward ports?

thanks,
monica

just use the port checker in utorrent to see if the port is open. If it is then it might just be a poorly seeded file. I would only expect a download speed of about 100-200 kbs given your connection stats. That's a pretty slow connection for cable.

Yeah without a proper port forward you will never get full speed

DMZ is used to put one computer outside of the router. I suggest you portforward it manually since you will not lose the NAT firewall that way (in plain english it's more secure). If you only have one computer connected to your router you should be able to port forward properly. Mine only messes up when I have two.