Expensive or Inexpensive HDMI Cable?

[SlackROG]

I've read many time online that some people say, when it comes to an HDMI cable, just buy a cheap one, it's all the same.

But then I'm not really the expert here, and I wonder if a higher quality cable, does ensure a better quality signal from graphics card to monitor, and it will help?

I bought this Monster 'Just Hook It Up' line of HDMI cable;

https://www.monsterproducts.com/Cables/HDMI_Cables/id-6639/Just_Hook_It_Up_High_Speed_HDMI_Cable_wit...

I see through Monster it's only $9.97, and I don't conisder that so costly, but I paid at a store $29, so not sure it's worth it either way.

Monster sells a lot of nice cables, as far as I know;

https://www.monsterproducts.com/collections/cables/hdmi

So is it good to pay more for so called better quality and if so, any HDMI cables that stand out for the gaming geek I should look at?

Thanks

[xeromist]

With a digital signal it's impossible to have a quality difference based on the materials & construction of a cable. It's basically on or off. However, if you get a really bad cable you might have enough signal loss(especially with longer cables) for the devices to lose sync. This manifests as the image artifacting, blanking, or HDCP errors.

So I generally wouldn't recommend buying an unknown brand but Monoprice and Amazon Basics branded stuff should be fine. There is no reason to buy Monster products unless you like the way they look.

[SlackROG]

The way it looks LOL, it's just a cable plugged in the background you can't see... 😉

Well I find it amazing how this BS is pushed to consumers then, if there's no purpose in it, surprised there's not been lawsuits over this...

Hmm

[GEEKCPA]

I have purchased some of the premium cables, and aside from being lighter in the wallet afterward, I couldn't see any difference in image quality. Some of those premium cables actually caused more problems than the cheaper cables because they were generally larger in diameter and stiffer than the "cheap" stuff. I actually replaced a Monster cable with a cheaper-looking Samsung cable that came with a new soundbar because the Monster was too stiff to make a sharp curve in the cable housing of the Samsung soundbar. There may be something to the various speed ratings of the newer cables that may affect performance at the higher reolutions beyond 4K (yeah, 5K and 8K are coming).

[xeromist]

Yeah, ratings are different. An original spec HDMI cable may or may not support the higher bandwidth necessary for new HDMI versions. As long as the cable you buy is rated for your application the premium brand doesn't matter.

[SlackROG]

Well my monitor is only 24" 1080P, so I know I don't need all the fancy bells and whistles hehe...

I ordered these two monoprice to check out;

https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024021&p_id=15428&seq=1&format=2

https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=102&cp_id=10240&cs_id=1024021&p_id=24187&seq=1&format=2

Thanks guys...

[Korth]

There are now four kinds of HDMI cables: Standard Speed, High Speed, Standard Speed with Internet, High Speed with Internet. All certified HDMI cables have to display some kind of part marking to indicate which type they are. Unmarked cables are often uncertified cables, and often cheaply made.

And there's different cable lengths. Not much difference between a 3' and a 6' cable, but a 15' cable can introduce signal latencies (on Internet, anyhow). Just get the shortest one which is long enough to reach, less cost and less wiring clutter to deal with.

But, aside from branding and cosmetic features, there's no functional difference between a $10 cable and a $100 cable. "Inexpensive" and "cheap" are different things, what really matters is the HDMI certification.

[SlackROG]

Well those 2 I ordered have Ethernet capability, it seems like it's hard to get cables without Ethernet in it.

Having the Ethernet capability, even though you don't need it, doesn't cause any issues, or degrade any HDMI quality in any way?

[Korth]

Buying HDMI cable with Internet channel you won't use only increases cost. But if they're already ordered then it's a done deal, lol. Maybe it'll actually save you money in the long run if you re-use this cable to connect future HDMI appliances which make use of the extra capability.

[SlackROG]

Korth wrote:
Buying HDMI cable with Internet channel you won't use only increases cost. But if they're already ordered then it's a done deal, lol. Maybe it'll actually save you money in the long run if you re-use this cable to connect future HDMI appliances which make use of the extra capability.

Did you actually see the costs of those cables?

Not sure those qualified as costly... LOL... 😉