3 ms·

What makes for an amazing cable? For USB, if it carries data and power, I’m usually pretty happy with it.

• alias_neo 22d ago
  For USB, if it can carry 65W+ of power to my laptop as well as the Keyboard/Mouse inputs, 4K/60Hz display and audio back to the monitor as well as KB/Mouse and perhaps some external storage or network adapter, that's a pretty amazing cable. I also have preferences between my cables by the quality and aesthetic, I prefer some over others because they look or feel nicer even if in testing they contain the same conductors, but that's just ... me. I currently have 3 such cables connected to my work laptop each sending 4K/60Hz video to each of my 3 x 4k monitors, audio to my soundbar and one of them is powering the laptop at 90W and sending my keyboard, mouse and webcam inputs back.
  • tmountain 22d ago
    Thanks, that's helpful!
  • booty 22d ago
    Wow... have you found cheap cables that are able to display video despite not being advertised as such?
    • alias_neo 22d ago
      Generally no, you're far more likely to get something that DOESN'T do what's asvertised in my experience. You can almost always tell the second it's in your hand; in order to do the high throughput stuff, 20Gb, 40Gb etc, the wire is much thicker and stiffer, it needs conductors for all of those contacts. Ive never counted but it's something like 20 of them vs 4 in a standard cable. Of course always C to C; the A connectors with the extra contacts in between the normal USB 2 ones still aren't enough.
      • booty 22d ago
        the A connectors with the extra contacts in between the normal USB 2 ones still aren't enough. Oh jesus, I hadn't even realized that was a thing!
• lozenge 22d ago
  I just checked and there's 4 levels of data speed (including USB 4 Gen 4) and 3 levels of power (up to 240 W) but I wouldn't be surprised if that is an outdated answer.