USB Cable

[LoveHomeTheatre]

Not sure if this applies to this forum but I was wondering if there was any difference between usb cables? I was planning on buying one from the dollar store but they have some at best buy that were much more expensive.

[mrBlue]

If you don't need it right away I recommend monoprice. They have quality products - I've bought several HDMI cables among other things - and their prices are dirt cheap. Shipping is usually pretty quick and yea I wouldn't trust dollar store cables of any kind.

[katharsis]

If it's at the dollar store, might be old 1.1 USB cables ... lol

Should you decide to buy one, check that it says 2.0 or high speed USB on there, then test it at home.

Then again if it's really only a dollar, it wouldn't matter now, would it?

[tor]

I read somewhere that the USB spec was designed with low cost cables in mind - the cable quality requirements are very low. You can assume that almost all cheap cables will work well. This is part of the reason why the USB standard mandates a maximum cable length of only 5 meters, longer cables would have required tighter specifications.

[harrisonh]

Depends on what you're using the USB for. USB 1.1 cables are good enough to use with many 2.0 devices, although I wouldn't really recommend them. It is like using a cat5 cable instead of a cat6 cable. If the distance is long, or you are using devices in a daisy chain, use 2.0 because the spec is slightly different. 2.0 is backwards compatible, but if you want to use the higher speed, BOTH devices AND the cable need to be 2.0

If I was moving data off a video cam, I'd use 2.0 or 3.0 or firewire. If I was just hooking up a printer, and I had an old cable lying around, I'd use it. We have tons of old cables lying around that are still perfectly good. If money is an object, go to a thrift store, I know I donate 15-20 2.0A/B cables a month that we get free with printers and other peripherals we use. I personally would trust a free usb cable that I got from epson or HP, than a no-name brand from a dollar store.


The other issue is the dollar store issue. In many cases, dollar stores sell odd lots and dealer over stock. In that case it is perfectly fine to use one from the dollar store. But remember that MANY items at the dollar store are crud that may or may not even meet spec, in some cases, they are the same cable but not "badged" and some cases they are counterfeits. IF it is an odd lot or overstock a dollar store can be a great buy. But don't get too cheap. I have neighbors that have had power cords from dollar stores melt because they were poorly constructed. Target and Wallyworld sell usb cables for cheap. Is it worth shorting out your computer to save a couple of bucks with a counterfeit cable?

USB only carries 4.4v 5.25V at up to 5x100mA so a cheapo cable shouldn't really be dangerous, but I personally wouldn't use a cheapo if it was a device that drew power through the cable.

You do NOT need to buy "premium" brand name usb cables or even hdmi cables. Within reason, data is data. One of the other posters mentioned monoprice. They make EXCELLENT cables. I use them at work and at home and recommend them all the time but if you're only buying one or two cables, shipping and handling will kill you.