diff --git a/lib/_stream_readable.js b/lib/_stream_readable.js
index 11069985a4d40a..681c3eaec245be 100644
--- a/lib/_stream_readable.js
+++ b/lib/_stream_readable.js
@@ -190,15 +190,19 @@ Readable.prototype.setEncoding = function(enc) {
   return this;
 };
 
-// Don't raise the hwm > 128MB
+// Don't raise the hwm > 8MB
 const MAX_HWM = 0x800000;
-function roundUpToNextPowerOf2(n) {
+function computeNewHighWaterMark(n) {
   if (n >= MAX_HWM) {
     n = MAX_HWM;
   } else {
     // Get the next highest power of 2
     n--;
-    for (var p = 1; p < 32; p <<= 1) n |= n >> p;
+    n |= n >>> 1;
+    n |= n >>> 2;
+    n |= n >>> 4;
+    n |= n >>> 8;
+    n |= n >>> 16;
     n++;
   }
   return n;
@@ -227,7 +231,7 @@ function howMuchToRead(n, state) {
   // power of 2, to prevent increasing it excessively in tiny
   // amounts.
   if (n > state.highWaterMark)
-    state.highWaterMark = roundUpToNextPowerOf2(n);
+    state.highWaterMark = computeNewHighWaterMark(n);
 
   // don't have that much.  return null, unless we've ended.
   if (n > state.length) {