Easily the Cheapest Techie Item Ever
November 3, 2009 by Rico Mossesgeld
Filed under Peripherals, Tricks
Geekiness is quite an expensive passion, but not all gadgets and accompanying accessories require a serious look at finances before purchase. You’ve got the cheap stuff, and you have the really cheap stuff. Case in point: cables.
Whether you need an HDMI cable to hook up that player to your HDTV, or a way to make full use of your computer’s USB port, the general rule when it comes to cables is to take the time and look for the cheapest alternative. For what is a cable, but a bunch of wires providing the bridge between standard ports? Standard means mainstream, mainstream usually means mass-produced, and mass-produced usually means razor-thin margins and really low prices.
That’s why stories like a Radio Shack salesman trying to sell a $24 cable depress me. I do understand salesmen are under a lot of pressure to make as much money as possible for their employers, but what about unsuspecting buyers who eagerly pay that much for a mini USB cable that was eventually bought for $1.05 at a nearby store?
Granted, there are times when it’s worth paying good money, like for really long HDMI cables, because you are paying to retain signal strength over a significant length. And of course, some of those cheap cables are faulty, especially if they come from no-name manufacturers (literally) looking for a quick buck. But be warned, dear readers! Before buying that cable, take the time to shop around for cheaper alternatives—just like you would for any other geek-related item.
Good points! Premium cables like those at the Shack or Monster cables are usually overpriced and don’t necessarily give a better signal.
In the old days of composite cables for video, or RCA cables for audio, a cheap cable could have subtle degredation of the signal that the audiophiles/videophiles would get picky about.
In the days of digital signals (like USB or HDMI cables), they typically either work, or they don’t. You don’t get a slightly fuzzy screen, you get big blocks of garbled video. Go as cheap as you can without seeing problems!