Just found out most HDMI cables are basically the same internally

I was looking up why my new 4K Apple TV was flickering and stumbled on a testing page that showed a $10 cable performing identical to a $100 one for most setups. Has anyone else saved a bunch by just grabbing the cheap ones at a local store like Micro Center?

3 comments

3 Comments

gonzalez.reese25d agoMost Upvoted

Wait have you tried the cheap ones from Monoprice too? Those are like $5 and work great for my setup. The whole HDMI cable scam is real man, digital signals either work or they don't. You don't need some gold plated monster cable unless you're running super long distances or doing crazy high refresh rates. I grabbed a 15 foot one for my projector for like 8 bucks and it handles 4K HDR just fine. Just make sure it says "High Speed" or "Ultra High Speed" on the box and you're golden.

rose_cooper20d ago

Has anyone else had that moment where you realize you've been overpaying for cables and feel like a total sucker... yeah me too. @kelly_nelson95 I get what you're saying about connector quality though, I've had a couple of those really cheap ones where the plastic casing just kinda fell apart after a while. But honestly my dumbest move was buying a $50 cable from Best Buy years ago only to find out it was the same as the $8 one my friend had... still haven't lived that down.

kelly_nelson9525d ago

Have you ever had a cable that just flat out stopped working after a few months though? @gonzalez.reese I agree with you on the general idea that you don't need to spend a fortune, but I've had way better luck with slightly pricier cables like the Amazon Basics ones. The cheap stuff from Monoprice can be hit or miss for me, especially if you're plugging and unplugging them a lot. It's not about gold plating or magic materials, it's about the connector feeling solid and the wire not breaking inside the jacket. A $10 cable that lasts two years is a better deal than a $5 one that needs replaced every six months in my experience.