Does the quality of an Ethernet Cable make a difference?

[DesignExplosion]

I was wondering whether or not there were any certain Ethernet cables which had any advantages over standard ones? (what about SATA cables?)

[deadpass]

I'm just guessing here, but for CAT 5 cable, it's only gonna matter for long distances where resistance and line drop are a problem, but that's just a guess.

[DesignExplosion]

Originally Posted by deadpass

I'm just guessing here, but for CAT 5 cable, it's only gonna matter for long distances where resistance and line drop are a problem, but that's just a guess.

Would there be any difference if you used CAT 6 cables for your network, instead of CAT 5 ?

[Turtile]

Cat 6 is ten times the speed as Cat 5. Cat 6 is twisted much more so that it does not receive as much interference.

[Odanez]

for general use cat5e will suffice easily, but for gigabit lan or long distance lan you should use cat6

[g-REttER]

there is no reason at all to be buying cat6. cat5e handles gigabit just fine without costing too much. 10gigabit, 802.3ae, is not even able to go on cat6 because wiring isn't fast enough. if you want to start spending money on a network, get ready for fiber optic. thats way too expensive so just buy cat5e.
Cat6 is for those who think they need the best of everything and have no real clue what they are talking about.

as for long distance, there is not enough difference in ability to go far distance. yes it has a higher mhz but the extra twisting causes you to lose most of the speed anyway.

[Dngrsone]

I agree, CAT 5e is the way to go. The connections are what's going to kill you, be sure you don't unravel too much wire at the RJ-45s and try to minimize the number of connections you have in the run.

[indigo]

Also if you intend to have gigabit speeds on 5e be sure to follow the cat6 guidelines for no sharp bends aand how far it should be from other wiring.

[AntiNazi]

Originally Posted by Turtile

Cat 6 is ten times the speed as Cat 5. Cat 6 is twisted much more so that it does not receive as much interference.

it also is bonded twists so that it wont untwist and has a plastic guide in the middle so it doesnt bend past the radius.

its not that better cable will speed you up, its that ****ty cable can slow you down.