Shopping for an HDMI cable needs to be easy—however some cables don’t carry out as anticipated, whereas others don’t clearly point out the HDMI specs supported.
In case you don’t have time to dig into the main points your self, use this information to seize the fitting cable to your wants. We’ve sorted it by HDMI specification (often known as HDMI model), so yow will discover an immediate, reasonably priced match. Our picks additionally sidestep the issues you may encounter when looking by yourself, be it cheaply made cables that carry out poorly or overpriced ones that do nothing higher than inexpensive alternate options.
Want a cable to make use of with a high-refresh monitor, particularly one above 144Hz? We usually suggest utilizing a DisplayPort cable as an alternative of HDMI—search for one rated for DisplayPort 1.3 or greater. Or seize one in all our solutions for DisplayPort 1.4 cables, that are backward suitable. To be taught extra about how these two interfaces evaluate, see our full rundown of HDMI vs. DisplayPort.
Monoprice Licensed Excessive Velocity HDMI Cable (6 Ft) – Finest premium Excessive-Velocity HDMI cable
Trying to output at 1080p/240Hz, 1440p/144Hz, or 4K/60Hz? Otherwise you want 10- or 12-bit coloration help for something below 4K/60Hz? Seize this Monoprice licensed Premium Excessive-Velocity cable. A 6-foot cable prices simply $9 (with a slim wire possibility obtainable), and all lengths have the HDMI Licensing Administrator’s official stamp of approval—so these ought to work with all units that require a Premium Excessive-Velocity HDMI cable.
Monoprice 8K Licensed Extremely Excessive Velocity HDMI 2.1 Cable (6 ft) – Finest Extremely Excessive-Velocity HDMI cable
Rolling with a setup that may deal with 4K/144Hz, 5K/60Hz, or 8K/30Hz? Or dynamic HDR? We favor Monoprice’s licensed Extremely Excessive-Velocity cable to deal with these hefty bandwidth necessities. You’ll pay $14 for a 6-foot cable, and a braided cable variant prices just a bit extra.
You’ll be able to spend much less on non-certified Extremely Excessive-Velocity HDMI cables, however we don’t suggest it, particularly given the quantity of knowledge you’ll doubtless move over it. (Extremely Excessive Velocity cables have a bandwidth of 48Gbps.) In comparison with different established firms like Belkin, Monoprice gives the very best mixture of affordability and reliability.
Which cable do I want?
You should purchase an HDMI cable rated for the next spec than you want—HDMI cables are backward suitable.
HDMI cables are backward suitable, so you may all the time purchase the highest-specification cable obtainable and name it a day. Even when it exceeds what your units can help, it may turn out to be useful when upgrading to newer tech.
You don’t should, after all. (Our sister web site TechHive explains why on this article addressing the frequent query of “Do you need a 4K HDMI cable?”) It can save you a little bit money by skipping future-proofing.
To determine the minimal HDMI specification you want to your setup, lookup the spec supported by your output gadget (PC, streaming gadget, gaming console, and so on) and your show (monitor, TV). You might even see these listed below “HDMI version” within the product info.
If the 2 match, merely purchase an HDMI cable rated for that specification. In the event that they don’t match, you should purchase a cable that’s rated for the decrease (older) spec, since your remaining output shall be restricted by the gadget with the decrease HDMI model.
Instance: Your monitor is rated for HDMI 1.4b, however your graphics card can help HDMI 2.0. You’ll solely ever get the utmost decision and body charges of HDMI 1.4b, that are 1080p/144fps and 1440p/75Hz, plus as much as 4K/60fps relying on the extent of coloration knowledge compression.
You should purchase a cable that matches the upper specification, but it surely’s not vital. If you change the lower-HDMI-version gadget with a brand-new piece of drugs, you’ll often get a suitable HDMI cable within the field.
