Buy Computer Cables - How To Ensure Correct Connection

Although many computer users dislike, even despise, the snarl of "spaghetti" that are the cables for computer, TV or other electronic equipment, the cables are the connecting link between your hardware. How to purchase cables for computer equipment? Let's take a look at the language of computer data cables so that you can make smart purchases, protect your data and purchase the correct accessories and products for your equipment.

We all understand that computers come with a specific number of ports, yet we rarely consider that the individual port offers a connection point, generally via cable, of one piece of hardware to another. Take the PS/2 port, for example, which connects a mouse or keyboard to the computer. The cable may be flexible, have gold connectors, and be specially treated with foil and braid shielding to lower EMI/RFI interference, which can impair the mouse's ability to work properly.

Another port that demands a connecting cable is the VGA port. This port joins the computer to the monitor and lets the operator to actually see the output. The cable needed to connect this device is a male to male extension and high resolution monitor cable with ferrite core to reduce interference.

However, while computer cables used to connect printers, monitors, keyboards, etc. to the CPU are a pretty similar, the more exotic uses of cables are still not known to many computer users. Consider the multimedia cable kits needed to hook up the average notebook computer to a television set in order to create home entertainment systems. The cabling needed for this use includes an RCA (Composite Video) cable which offers direct connection ability to the RCA connector at the television itself. Also needed in this kit would be an S-Video cable as a secondary backup, in case the television allows for the S-Video hook-up. The last cable in this kit is the S/PDIF digital audio cable which will serve as the connection for a digital audio device to create top quality sound.

Another creative use of cabling is the construction of a joining between a projector and a computer. A clean video signal must be transferred to produce a clear, highly defined, and natural looking image on a projector, which is very difficult. Cables applied in this application are designed especially to eliminate signal degradation and video noise that very often produces a hazy, poorly defined picture image, which will foul the integrity of even the best picture presentation. The cables produced for this application are made from UL 2919 certified 30 AWG materials with double shielded braid.

When you buy cables for computer equipment, decide first and foremost for proper connectivity. A cable with a serial port connector will be worthless for a USB port and vice versa. Thus, in order to ensure adequate connection of all hardware, please be certain to refer often to the user's manual that accompanied your computer and any new peripherals you may purchase along the way. In addition to the foregoing, it is best to choose high-end cabling for new additions to the system you may wish to purchase at a later date. Cabling is not that expensive, and you truly will get what you pay for. Or course, many a component will already come pre-packaged with a cable or two, and many of these cables claim to be the best possible solution for connectivity, but is this true? Usually, it is best to invest a little extra money and purchase another set of cables, to ensure the highest quality output (or input) possible. Please remember, it is not a good idea to buy a high power graphics card or sound card, and then skimp on the selection of the cable and not get the full benefit of the upgrade. In this case, a higher price could mean higher quality.

Finally, while most written materials will point the user to the appropriate cable selection, the addition of peripherals will often require you to do a little bit more investigation to choose the most workable peripherals. When you buy cables for computer equipment or cables for computer, TV or other digital media, be sure to investigate the complexities of compatibility. Check the reliability of the manufacturer. Remember that a computer system is only as secure as it's weakest cable!

For more info, check out the articles at Build Your Own Computer or Homemade Computer. Ron King is a web developer; visit his website Authoring Articles.

Copyright 2008 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact and the links live.