• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Expensive vs. Inexpensive HDMI

cadaveca

My name is Dave
Joined
Apr 10, 2006
Messages
17,232 (2.51/day)
OMG, the insanity.:laugh:

Price does matter. There are different types of HDMI cables, and some are only really good for 720p.

There are standard and highspeed cables, and 1080p, the most common resolution for PC monitors, requires a highspeed cable.

Previously, before 1.3 spec, sure, it didn't matter, but it does now. Even more so that now we are on to 1.4.


As well, cable length can degrade the signal, digital or not, just like any other cable.

:rockout:
 

Easy Rhino

Linux Advocate
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2006
Messages
15,641 (2.35/day)
Location
Mid-Atlantic
System Name Desktop
Processor i5 13600KF
Motherboard AsRock B760M Steel Legend Wifi
Cooling Noctua NH-U9S
Memory 4x 16 Gb Gskill S5 DDR5 @6000
Video Card(s) Gigabyte Gaming OC 6750 XT 12GB
Storage WD_BLACK 4TB SN850x
Display(s) Gigabye M32U
Case Corsair Carbide 400C
Audio Device(s) On Board
Power Supply EVGA Supernova 650 P2
Mouse MX Master 3s
Keyboard Logitech G915 Wireless Clicky
Software Fedora KDE Spin
if it doesnt cost anymore than go for 1.4a. having the extra standards compatability is a bonus when the two cost the nearly the same.
 
Joined
Jan 21, 2011
Messages
366 (0.07/day)
Location
Baraboo, WI
System Name Dell m6600
Processor i5 2520
Memory 16gb
Video Card(s) ATI 6970m
Storage 128gb agility 3
Power Supply 240w
Software win 7 pro
cable is not "just" cable, but I have yet to find anything that is higher quality than the cheap $5 HDMI cables...


fancy plugs, and a nylon mesh do absolutely nothing when it is the same $.05 wire from A to B
Ratings also mean nothing... it is the exact same 19pin/wire combo...

the "shielding" that is on monster cables....
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=9551
 

cadaveca

My name is Dave
Joined
Apr 10, 2006
Messages
17,232 (2.51/day)
This was such an issue for me with the 3008WFP. Wrong cables=problems with DVD/Bluray playback. It's not really cost, per-se, but at the low-end of pricing, it matters.
 
Joined
Apr 14, 2010
Messages
1,498 (0.28/day)
Location
canada
System Name INTEL/AMD
Processor I7 4790k stock / 1100T@3.8GHZ(on air)
Motherboard GIGABYTE GAMING 5 / GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 / zalmen 9900
Memory 4x4 GB 1600 / 4x4gb 1600
Video Card(s) GTX670 x2 / ATI 5870 x2
Storage 2xcorsair ssd 120gb raid0 /2x adata ssd 120gb
Display(s) 55Iinch LCD / 22inch acer
Case CM 690 II Advanced (USB 3) / Anteck 900
Power Supply Enermax 800EWT / 750 zalman
Software Win 10
I work for best buy. If you don't spend more then 100$ on a hdmi cable your tv will explode.:p
 
Joined
Nov 6, 2009
Messages
1,299 (0.23/day)
Location
Ohio
System Name Vegnagun
Processor Ryzen 5950x
Motherboard Asus B550 Gaming-E
Cooling Noctua NH-U14
Memory 4x8 G. Skill 3800mhz CL14
Video Card(s) EVGA RTX 3080 FTW3
Storage WD SN850 2tb
Display(s) Viotek 1080p 120hz
Case Fractal Design Define 7
Power Supply Corsair AX850
Mouse Logitech
Keyboard Logitech 815 tactile
Software Windows 10 Education
Benchmark Scores top 1% in the world for weekly score in Killzone 2 :)
Joined
Jan 11, 2009
Messages
9,252 (1.58/day)
Location
Montreal, Canada
System Name Homelabs
Processor Ryzen 5900x | Ryzen 1920X
Motherboard Asus ProArt x570 Creator | AsRock X399 fatal1ty gaming
Cooling Silent Loop 2 280mm | Dark Rock Pro TR4
Memory 128GB (4x32gb) DDR4 3600Mhz | 128GB (8x16GB) DDR4 2933Mhz
Video Card(s) EVGA RTX 3080 | ASUS Strix GTX 970
Storage Optane 900p + NVMe | Optane 900p + 8TB SATA SSDs + 48TB HDDs
Display(s) Alienware AW3423dw QD-OLED | HP Omen 32 1440p
Case be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 rev 2 | be quiet! Silent Base 800
Power Supply Corsair RM750x + sleeved cables| EVGA P2 750W
Mouse Razer Viper Ultimate (still has buttons on the right side, crucial as I'm a southpaw)
Keyboard Razer Huntsman Elite, Pro Type | Logitech G915 TKL
Joined
May 23, 2010
Messages
507 (0.09/day)
System Name Home Theatre
Processor i5 750
Motherboard Gigabyte P55 USB3
Memory 4GB ADATA 1333
Video Card(s) Sapphire 1GB ATI 5670
Storage 32gb Kingston SSD (Os)/ 1TB and 640GB Caviar Blue (Storage)
Display(s) Sony KDL40HX800
Case Cooler Master HAF 922
Audio Device(s) HT Claro Plus
Power Supply Corsair HX650
Software Windows 7 64-bit
OMG, the insanity.:laugh:

Price does matter. There are different types of HDMI cables, and some are only really good for 720p.

There are standard and highspeed cables, and 1080p, the most common resolution for PC monitors, requires a highspeed cable.

Previously, before 1.3 spec, sure, it didn't matter, but it does now. Even more so that now we are on to 1.4.


As well, cable length can degrade the signal, digital or not, just like any other cable.

:rockout:

So if I am connecting a HDMI to my PC which i have a ati 5780 or something like that, but it is a high end graphic card. I should get a better HDMI cable? What high speed cable should I get?

Thanks
 

Mussels

Freshwater Moderator
Joined
Oct 6, 2004
Messages
58,413 (7.87/day)
Location
Oystralia
System Name Rainbow Sparkles (Power efficient, <350W gaming load)
Processor Ryzen R7 5800x3D (Undervolted, 4.45GHz all core)
Motherboard Asus x570-F (BIOS Modded)
Cooling Alphacool Apex UV - Alphacool Eisblock XPX Aurora + EK Quantum ARGB 3090 w/ active backplate
Memory 2x32GB DDR4 3600 Corsair Vengeance RGB @3866 C18-22-22-22-42 TRFC704 (1.4V Hynix MJR - SoC 1.15V)
Video Card(s) Galax RTX 3090 SG 24GB: Underclocked to 1700Mhz 0.750v (375W down to 250W))
Storage 2TB WD SN850 NVME + 1TB Sasmsung 970 Pro NVME + 1TB Intel 6000P NVME USB 3.2
Display(s) Phillips 32 32M1N5800A (4k144), LG 32" (4K60) | Gigabyte G32QC (2k165) | Phillips 328m6fjrmb (2K144)
Case Fractal Design R6
Audio Device(s) Logitech G560 | Corsair Void pro RGB |Blue Yeti mic
Power Supply Fractal Ion+ 2 860W (Platinum) (This thing is God-tier. Silent and TINY)
Mouse Logitech G Pro wireless + Steelseries Prisma XL
Keyboard Razer Huntsman TE ( Sexy white keycaps)
VR HMD Oculus Rift S + Quest 2
Software Windows 11 pro x64 (Yes, it's genuinely a good OS) OpenRGB - ditch the branded bloatware!
Benchmark Scores Nyooom.
So if I am connecting a HDMI to my PC which i have a ati 5780 or something like that, but it is a high end graphic card. I should get a better HDMI cable? What high speed cable should I get?

Thanks

5870's only support HDMI 1.3, but you might as well grab a modern 1.4 cable.
 
Joined
Feb 10, 2008
Messages
3,393 (0.55/day)
Location
BC.CAN
Processor 2700x under H100i progeebee
Motherboard ASUS x470 prime
Cooling Fans
Memory gskill ripjaw 3200
Video Card(s) MSi Vega 64 ref
Storage 120Gb OCZ Vertex 2E SSD - 500Gb Games - 1.5tb Storage and Media
Case CM HAF 932
Power Supply Corsair TX750
Software Win 10
I pass 3d (games and movies ) to my tv with a $25 foot Chinese cable I've has for 3 years. Its older than 1.4a and modern 3d yet it still works. Shielding does matter for longer runs and where interference is possible ( inside walls).

Shielding is important.
 
Joined
Dec 14, 2008
Messages
1,226 (0.21/day)
Location
The Netherlands
System Name Silent allround
Processor i5 750 @ 3,0Ghz 1.04v / 3.4Ghz 1.11v/ 3,6Ghz 1.15v
Motherboard Gigabyte P55-USB3
Cooling Thermalright IFX-14 + Scythe Slip Stream 140mm @ 600RPM
Memory 2 x 4GB Samsung M378B5273DH0-CH9 @ 2000 MHz 9-10-10-27 T1
Video Card(s) Sapphire HD 5870 Vapor-X @ 940/1270
Storage Intel Postville 80GB SSD & Western Digital Green 2TB
Display(s) Dell Ultrasharp U2412M
Case Bitfenix Merc Alpha
Audio Device(s) Asus Xonar D2 with Unified Drivers
Power Supply Nexus NX-5000 R3 530W
Software Windows 7 Home Premium x64
Benchmark Scores Super pi 1M : 8,549s @ 4,7Ghz (Core i7 920)
$100 or $10 , connection stays the same. although expensive cables may have better build quality and things like that but if you stay under 10 meters it doesn't matter what cable you get
 
Joined
Mar 6, 2009
Messages
5,976 (1.03/day)
Location
Cybertron aka Canada
Processor Intel Core i5-3570K
Motherboard Asus P8Z77-V Pro
Cooling Noctua NH-D14
Memory 8GB Mushkin Blackline DDR3-1600
Video Card(s) Gigabyte GTX 670
Storage Intel 520 60GB, Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB
Display(s) BenQ 24" XL2420T
Case Corsair 550D
Audio Device(s) Sennheiser HD600, Audeze LCD-3F, Mytek Stereo 192 DSD, La Figaro 339, Burson HA-160, Geek Pulse X
Power Supply Corsair AX650
Mouse steelseries Sensei MLG edition
Keyboard Cooler Master QuickFire Pro
Software Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium
Joined
May 7, 2009
Messages
5,392 (0.94/day)
Location
Carrollton, GA
System Name ODIN
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Motherboard Gigabyte B550 Aorus Elite AX V2
Cooling Dark Rock 4
Memory G Skill RipjawsV F4 3600 Mhz C16
Video Card(s) MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ventus 3X OC LHR
Storage Crucial 2 TB M.2 SSD :: WD Blue M.2 1TB SSD :: 1 TB WD Black VelociRaptor
Display(s) Dell S2716DG 27" 144 Hz G-SYNC
Case Fractal Meshify C
Audio Device(s) Onboard Audio
Power Supply Antec HCP 850 80+ Gold
Mouse Corsair M65
Keyboard Corsair K70 RGB Lux
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Benchmark Scores I don't benchmark.
^ Prime example of advertising lies and BS.

Great prices though.
 
Joined
Jan 21, 2011
Messages
366 (0.07/day)
Location
Baraboo, WI
System Name Dell m6600
Processor i5 2520
Memory 16gb
Video Card(s) ATI 6970m
Storage 128gb agility 3
Power Supply 240w
Software win 7 pro
LOL at the "triple shielded" part...


1. the plastic coating on the wires...
2. the foam/plastic around the bundle of wires
3. the fancy colored plastic on the outside


non do anything besides making sure the wires don't break...
 
Joined
May 7, 2009
Messages
5,392 (0.94/day)
Location
Carrollton, GA
System Name ODIN
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Motherboard Gigabyte B550 Aorus Elite AX V2
Cooling Dark Rock 4
Memory G Skill RipjawsV F4 3600 Mhz C16
Video Card(s) MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ventus 3X OC LHR
Storage Crucial 2 TB M.2 SSD :: WD Blue M.2 1TB SSD :: 1 TB WD Black VelociRaptor
Display(s) Dell S2716DG 27" 144 Hz G-SYNC
Case Fractal Meshify C
Audio Device(s) Onboard Audio
Power Supply Antec HCP 850 80+ Gold
Mouse Corsair M65
Keyboard Corsair K70 RGB Lux
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Benchmark Scores I don't benchmark.
LOL at the "triple shielded" part...


1. the plastic coating on the wires...
2. the foam/plastic around the bundle of wires
3. the fancy colored plastic on the outside


non do anything besides making sure the wires don't break...

Actually, number 2 prevents magnetic interference. Mainly from close by speakers.
 

Mussels

Freshwater Moderator
Joined
Oct 6, 2004
Messages
58,413 (7.87/day)
Location
Oystralia
System Name Rainbow Sparkles (Power efficient, <350W gaming load)
Processor Ryzen R7 5800x3D (Undervolted, 4.45GHz all core)
Motherboard Asus x570-F (BIOS Modded)
Cooling Alphacool Apex UV - Alphacool Eisblock XPX Aurora + EK Quantum ARGB 3090 w/ active backplate
Memory 2x32GB DDR4 3600 Corsair Vengeance RGB @3866 C18-22-22-22-42 TRFC704 (1.4V Hynix MJR - SoC 1.15V)
Video Card(s) Galax RTX 3090 SG 24GB: Underclocked to 1700Mhz 0.750v (375W down to 250W))
Storage 2TB WD SN850 NVME + 1TB Sasmsung 970 Pro NVME + 1TB Intel 6000P NVME USB 3.2
Display(s) Phillips 32 32M1N5800A (4k144), LG 32" (4K60) | Gigabyte G32QC (2k165) | Phillips 328m6fjrmb (2K144)
Case Fractal Design R6
Audio Device(s) Logitech G560 | Corsair Void pro RGB |Blue Yeti mic
Power Supply Fractal Ion+ 2 860W (Platinum) (This thing is God-tier. Silent and TINY)
Mouse Logitech G Pro wireless + Steelseries Prisma XL
Keyboard Razer Huntsman TE ( Sexy white keycaps)
VR HMD Oculus Rift S + Quest 2
Software Windows 11 pro x64 (Yes, it's genuinely a good OS) OpenRGB - ditch the branded bloatware!
Benchmark Scores Nyooom.
and #1 prevents teh wires touching each other, which is rather important.
 
Joined
Jan 11, 2009
Messages
9,252 (1.58/day)
Location
Montreal, Canada
System Name Homelabs
Processor Ryzen 5900x | Ryzen 1920X
Motherboard Asus ProArt x570 Creator | AsRock X399 fatal1ty gaming
Cooling Silent Loop 2 280mm | Dark Rock Pro TR4
Memory 128GB (4x32gb) DDR4 3600Mhz | 128GB (8x16GB) DDR4 2933Mhz
Video Card(s) EVGA RTX 3080 | ASUS Strix GTX 970
Storage Optane 900p + NVMe | Optane 900p + 8TB SATA SSDs + 48TB HDDs
Display(s) Alienware AW3423dw QD-OLED | HP Omen 32 1440p
Case be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 rev 2 | be quiet! Silent Base 800
Power Supply Corsair RM750x + sleeved cables| EVGA P2 750W
Mouse Razer Viper Ultimate (still has buttons on the right side, crucial as I'm a southpaw)
Keyboard Razer Huntsman Elite, Pro Type | Logitech G915 TKL
#3 protects the wire, and it's protection, from being damaged
 
Joined
May 7, 2009
Messages
5,392 (0.94/day)
Location
Carrollton, GA
System Name ODIN
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Motherboard Gigabyte B550 Aorus Elite AX V2
Cooling Dark Rock 4
Memory G Skill RipjawsV F4 3600 Mhz C16
Video Card(s) MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ventus 3X OC LHR
Storage Crucial 2 TB M.2 SSD :: WD Blue M.2 1TB SSD :: 1 TB WD Black VelociRaptor
Display(s) Dell S2716DG 27" 144 Hz G-SYNC
Case Fractal Meshify C
Audio Device(s) Onboard Audio
Power Supply Antec HCP 850 80+ Gold
Mouse Corsair M65
Keyboard Corsair K70 RGB Lux
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
Benchmark Scores I don't benchmark.
Shielding. Its important and always comes in 3's.

*Very happy that worked out exactly like he hoped*
 
Joined
Mar 6, 2009
Messages
5,976 (1.03/day)
Location
Cybertron aka Canada
Processor Intel Core i5-3570K
Motherboard Asus P8Z77-V Pro
Cooling Noctua NH-D14
Memory 8GB Mushkin Blackline DDR3-1600
Video Card(s) Gigabyte GTX 670
Storage Intel 520 60GB, Seagate Barracuda XT 2TB
Display(s) BenQ 24" XL2420T
Case Corsair 550D
Audio Device(s) Sennheiser HD600, Audeze LCD-3F, Mytek Stereo 192 DSD, La Figaro 339, Burson HA-160, Geek Pulse X
Power Supply Corsair AX650
Mouse steelseries Sensei MLG edition
Keyboard Cooler Master QuickFire Pro
Software Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium
some HDMI cables are double shielded, don't have a ferrite core and cost $10. I don't see what the big deal is :shadedshu
 
Joined
Dec 3, 2009
Messages
1,301 (0.23/day)
Location
The Netherlands
System Name PC ||Zephyrus G14 2023
Processor Ryzen 9 5900x || R9 7940HS @ 55W
Motherboard MAG B550M MORTAR WIFI || default
Cooling 1x Corsair XR5 360mm Rad||
Memory 2x16GB HyperX 3600 @ 3800 || 32GB DDR5 @ 4800MTs
Video Card(s) MSI RTX 2080Ti Sea Hawk EK X || RTX 4060 OC
Storage Samsung 9801TB x2 + Striped Tiered Storage Space (2x 128Gb SSD + 2x 1TB HDD) || 1TB NVME
Display(s) Iiyama PL2770QS + Samsung U28E590, || 14' 2560x1600 165Hz IPS
Case SilverStone Alta G1M ||
Audio Device(s) Asus Xonar DX
Power Supply Cooler Master V850 SFX || 240W
Mouse ROG Pugio II
Software Win 11 64bit || Win 11 64bit
Well all i know is, I totally cheaped out on a dvi to HDMI wire once.

It turned out it wouldnt do FullHD at 60 Hz, only FullHD at 25 hz, and at 720p it did 60Hz.
anything higher, and the screen just went dark.

Bought a new cable that same afternoon which did FullHD at 60Hz, with the same video card.

I wouldnt say every cheap cable is bad, but I guess the chances dó increase the cheaper you go.
 
Joined
Jan 11, 2009
Messages
9,252 (1.58/day)
Location
Montreal, Canada
System Name Homelabs
Processor Ryzen 5900x | Ryzen 1920X
Motherboard Asus ProArt x570 Creator | AsRock X399 fatal1ty gaming
Cooling Silent Loop 2 280mm | Dark Rock Pro TR4
Memory 128GB (4x32gb) DDR4 3600Mhz | 128GB (8x16GB) DDR4 2933Mhz
Video Card(s) EVGA RTX 3080 | ASUS Strix GTX 970
Storage Optane 900p + NVMe | Optane 900p + 8TB SATA SSDs + 48TB HDDs
Display(s) Alienware AW3423dw QD-OLED | HP Omen 32 1440p
Case be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 rev 2 | be quiet! Silent Base 800
Power Supply Corsair RM750x + sleeved cables| EVGA P2 750W
Mouse Razer Viper Ultimate (still has buttons on the right side, crucial as I'm a southpaw)
Keyboard Razer Huntsman Elite, Pro Type | Logitech G915 TKL
Well all i know is, I totally cheaped out on a dvi to HDMI wire once.

It turned out it wouldnt do FullHD at 60 Hz, only FullHD at 25 hz, and at 720p it did 60Hz.
anything higher, and the screen just went dark.

Bought a new cable that same afternoon which did FullHD at 60Hz, with the same video card.

I wouldnt say every cheap cable is bad, but I guess the chances dó increase the cheaper you go.

This won't happen to you if you buy a 1.4a HDMI cable :p
 

HookeyStreet

Eat, sleep, game!
Joined
Aug 29, 2004
Messages
7,122 (0.95/day)
Location
Great Yarmouth, England
Hi, so I am going to buy a new led tv and was wondering what kind of HDMI cable to buy. I've been researching and have seen 1.3 HDMI cables, Expensive HDMI cables, Inexpensive HDMI cables, and so forth. My question is if I want to experience the full 1080p video quality and audio quality what cable should I get. Does it make a difference getting a expensive HDMI cable over a inexpensive HDMI cable? I know that the 1.3 HDMI is a new version but what does it exactly do? does it perform better?

Thanks.....

Don't buy the really cheap HDMI cables because they are just poor quality and break easily. Go for a £5-£10 1.3b/1.4a type and you will be fine. People that buy £70+ HDMI cables are idiots with way too much money :D

PS: because the signal transferred is digital, a gold plated HDMI cables does nothing better than a standard one lol. Were not talking about analog scart leads here :D
 
Joined
Jan 11, 2009
Messages
9,252 (1.58/day)
Location
Montreal, Canada
System Name Homelabs
Processor Ryzen 5900x | Ryzen 1920X
Motherboard Asus ProArt x570 Creator | AsRock X399 fatal1ty gaming
Cooling Silent Loop 2 280mm | Dark Rock Pro TR4
Memory 128GB (4x32gb) DDR4 3600Mhz | 128GB (8x16GB) DDR4 2933Mhz
Video Card(s) EVGA RTX 3080 | ASUS Strix GTX 970
Storage Optane 900p + NVMe | Optane 900p + 8TB SATA SSDs + 48TB HDDs
Display(s) Alienware AW3423dw QD-OLED | HP Omen 32 1440p
Case be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 rev 2 | be quiet! Silent Base 800
Power Supply Corsair RM750x + sleeved cables| EVGA P2 750W
Mouse Razer Viper Ultimate (still has buttons on the right side, crucial as I'm a southpaw)
Keyboard Razer Huntsman Elite, Pro Type | Logitech G915 TKL
Don't buy the really cheap HDMI cables because they are just poor quality and break easily. Go for a £5/$5 1.3b/1.4a type and you will be fine. People that buy £70/$70 HDMI cables are idiots with way too much money :D

PS: because the signal transferred is digital, a gold plated HDMI cables does nothing better than a standard one lol. Were not talking about analog scart leads here :D

I like the bling on my HDMI cables :)
 
Joined
Jan 11, 2009
Messages
9,252 (1.58/day)
Location
Montreal, Canada
System Name Homelabs
Processor Ryzen 5900x | Ryzen 1920X
Motherboard Asus ProArt x570 Creator | AsRock X399 fatal1ty gaming
Cooling Silent Loop 2 280mm | Dark Rock Pro TR4
Memory 128GB (4x32gb) DDR4 3600Mhz | 128GB (8x16GB) DDR4 2933Mhz
Video Card(s) EVGA RTX 3080 | ASUS Strix GTX 970
Storage Optane 900p + NVMe | Optane 900p + 8TB SATA SSDs + 48TB HDDs
Display(s) Alienware AW3423dw QD-OLED | HP Omen 32 1440p
Case be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 rev 2 | be quiet! Silent Base 800
Power Supply Corsair RM750x + sleeved cables| EVGA P2 750W
Mouse Razer Viper Ultimate (still has buttons on the right side, crucial as I'm a southpaw)
Keyboard Razer Huntsman Elite, Pro Type | Logitech G915 TKL
Top