Run Cat5e, not Cat5. Get sockets with crimped contacts, not screws. That'll avoid any problems with getting it to run at gigabit - my workstation's onboard netw

Run Cat5e, not Cat5. Get sockets with crimped contacts, not screws. That'll avoid any problems with getting it to run at gigabit - my workstation's onboard network chip is really picky about cable quality for example and will drop to 100Mbit/s on cables that all my other gigabit gear handles just fine. Use cables with shielded RJ-45 connectors, the all-plastic ones can cause trouble when running at 1Gbit/s over longer distances. I don't think there's much of an art to it, just follow the instructions on the web. Crimping your own patch cables is pretty fiddly and tedious, so I try to avoid it. Wall sockets are somewhat better in that respect.