Shopping for an HDMI cable must be easy—however some cables don’t carry out as anticipated, whereas others don’t clearly point out the HDMI specs supported.
When you don’t have time to dig into the main points your self, use this information to seize the proper cable on your wants. We’ve sorted it by HDMI specification (often known as HDMI model), so you will discover an instantaneous, inexpensive match. Our picks additionally sidestep the issues you may encounter when searching by yourself, be it cheaply made cables that carry out poorly or overpriced ones that do nothing higher than cheaper alternate options.
Want a cable to make use of with a high-refresh monitor, particularly one above 144Hz? We typically suggest utilizing a DisplayPort cable as a substitute of HDMI—search for one rated for DisplayPort 1.3 or greater. Or seize certainly one of 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.
Additional studying: One of the best USB-C cables for charging and information switch
Monoprice Licensed Excessive Velocity HDMI Cable (6 Toes) – Finest premium Excessive-Velocity HDMI cable
Trying to output at 1080p/240Hz, 1440p/144Hz, or 4K/60Hz? Otherwise you want 10- or 12-bit colour assist for something below 4K/60Hz? Seize this Monoprice licensed Premium Excessive-Velocity cable. A 6-foot cable prices simply $9 (with a slim twine 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
Worth When Reviewed:
£20.29
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 possibly can 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 go over it. (Extremely Excessive Velocity cables have a bandwidth of 48Gbps.) In comparison with different established corporations like Belkin, Monoprice presents the perfect mixture of affordability and reliability.
Which cable do I would like?
You should buy an HDMI cable rated for the next spec than you want—HDMI cables are backward suitable.
HDMI cables are backward suitable, so you possibly can all the time purchase the highest-specification cable obtainable and name it a day. Even when it exceeds what your units can assist, it may turn out to be useful when upgrading to newer tech.
You don’t need to, in fact. (Our sister web site TechHive explains why on this article addressing the frequent query of “Do you want a 4K HDMI cable?”) It can save you a bit of money by skipping future-proofing.
To determine the minimal HDMI specification you want on your setup, search for the spec supported by your output system (PC, streaming system, gaming console, and many others) and your show (monitor, TV). You might even see these listed below “HDMI model” 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 buy a cable that’s rated for the decrease (older) spec, since your ultimate output shall be restricted by the system with the decrease HDMI model.
Instance: Your monitor is rated for HDMI 1.4b, however your graphics card can assist 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 colour information compression.
You should buy a cable that matches the upper specification, but it surely’s not needed. If you change the lower-HDMI-version system with a brand-new piece of substances, you’ll normally get a suitable HDMI cable within the field.
