A cable, also known as a cord, plug, or connector transmits power or data between devices or positions, which is covered in plastic by one or more wires. A power cable and data cable are the primary types of computer cables. The cable that creates communication between devices is known as a data cable. For instance, DVI, HDMI, or VGA are all the data cables that are used to attach to the computer monitor and enable it to display an image or picture on the computer monitor. The USB>/a>, SATA, CAT5, and IDE/EIDE cables are other popular examples of data cables. A cable that powers the device is known as a power cable. For instance, inside the computer, a Molex-style cable and the power cord that attaches to computer.

Types of Computer Cables

There are multiple parts available in the computer that is associated with the system, which is either connected directly or needs some cable to connect computer parts to the system. The parts in the computer system can be mice, Digital cameras, hard drives, or others. There are several types of cables available in the market with a different purpose; these cables are computer power cord cable, Ethernet cable, DVI cable, HDMI cable, PS/2 cable, USB cable, 3.5 mm audio cable, and VGA cable. Below is a list that contains the most common kinds of computer cables:

HDMI cable

HDMI is a type of computer cable that has the potential to transmit audio and video signal with the original quality of images. It stands for High Definition Multimedia Interface, which can send crystal clear images. The use of HDMI cable is to connect electronic devices such as TVs, cable boxes, HDTV, Projector, media streamers, DVD players, and more. HDMI cable, one standard cable, can be used to connect all types of Av devices. Additionally, it has the ability to transmit audio and video signals in one go. The below picture is of an HDMI cable.

DVI cable

DVI cable is a video display interface, which is used to connect the video card and LCD monitor and stands for Digital Visual Interface. Without having any disturbance, users can see pictures of high quality with the help of using this cable. It is able to transmit video content to display devices at high resolutions, 2560 x 1600 resolutions and is mostly used in CRT monitors, which have a VGA connection. The primary intention to develop it was to be an industry standard for transmitting digital and analog signals to the computer system.

Due to some DVI cables that can only transmit audio signals, HDMI is more common to use with TVs, but DVI even widely be used with some TVs. On the basis of the supported signals, one of the three names may be included in DVI connector: DVI-I (both digital and analog), DVI-D (digital only), or DVI-A (analog only). It is very easy to differentiate DVI cable is analog or digital. If only a flat pin present on the cable, it is known as DVI digital. If there is a flat pin and a pin contains four pins around, it is called as a DVI analog.

VGA cable

Another kind of computer cable is VGA cable that is developed by IBM and introduced in 1987. It stands for Video Graphics Array or Video Graphics Adapter, which is used to link the monitor and the CPU of a computer and transfer video signals. HD televisions also use the VGA cable, 256 colors are shown if the resolution is lowered to 320 x 200; however, it offers 640 x 480 resolution color display screens. In modern times, it is common to find VGA cable and connector with computers, even TVs, and projectors. However, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort cable, and connector are becoming the reason to replace VGA cable. The picture of the VGA cable is shown below.

Ethernet Cable

The Ethernet cable is generally used for a wired network, and the quality of the connection is described by the length and durability of the Ethernet cable. It can be used to connect the devices such as PCs, routers, and switches within a LAN, and the quality of the connection will not be best if the cable is not durable and too long. This may create a problem sometimes; therefore, there are several kinds of Ethernet cable available that you can buy easily from the market. The Ethernet port is presented on the motherboard, which is used to plug Ethernet cable. This cable looks similar to a phone cable, but it has more wires as compared to a phone. Additionally, users can buy Ethernet cable in different colors, and it contains eight wires. The below image is of an Ethernet cable.

PS/2 Cable

The PS/2 cable is a standard cable, which contain a round connector and a total of 6 pins, and generally, two sizes of PS/2 cable are available on the market. It is used to attach the mouse and keyboard to the computer system, and its length is long enough. It stands for Personal System/2 that was developing by IBM. The most common cable is the smaller size, but there are some adaptors available that can be used to increase its size. But USB cables are replacing them because they can be easily plugged and are universal cables. The example of PS/2 cable is given below:

5mm Audio Cable

The 3.5mm audio cables are the type of computer cable that are simply used to connect earphones and headphones to the system. Commonly, they are used for connecting mini-stereo audio device, a PC sound card, or any portable CD player to any multimedia speaker.

USB cables

The USB cable is a popular, standard cable that enables a computer device to interact with peripheral and other devices. It stands for Universal Serial Bus, and there are various devices that are connected through USB cable, such as keyboards and mice, music players and flash drives, etc. Its first version, 1.0, was released in January 1996, which was later adopted by companies like Microsoft, Compaq, Intel, and others. The USB ports are presented on the computer system, which is used to connect USB cables. For example, mice and keyboards have a USB cable that is connected to the computer. Whenever the device is connected through the USB cable, and you need to remove the USB cable while the device is running, first you should eject safely, and then you can remove it from the system. The below picture is an example of a USB cable.

MIDI

MIDI is a simple procedure to connect two different musical components of different brands; it was first developed in the 1980s. It stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, which can carry panning, music data, event messages, vibrato, and more. Generally, it is a standard that acts as a remote control for the music gear and digitally representing and transmitting sounds. On the sound module, users can use a keyboard and change the tempo, pitch, and volume of a note. A MIDI cable provides more control over the other equipment as it does not transfer the audio signal and transfer the messages in the form of data.

There are many earlier computer systems in which sound cards contain MIDI port that connects electronic musical instruments and computers. The devices like a MIDI keyboard or a synthesizer can be connected to the computer through a MIDI cable.

Molex

It is a power cable that is used inside the computer. Molex is not the cable name. It is the name of the company that develops computers and other related equipment. It is also referred to as a 4-pin connector or Molex power connector, which is used to attach DC power to the drives and devices inside the computer. Inside the computer, a Molex connector is used by almost all devices. The common devices are a Video card, Hard drive, and Disc drive (e.g., CD-ROM, DVD, Blu-ray).

SATA

SATA is an interface that is developed to replace parallel ATA interface used in IBM compatible computers, which is also known as 'Serial ATA.' It is an interface used with hard drives and its first version 1.0, was released in August 2001. It provides a small, thin cable solution that transfer rates start at 150MBps. It is backward-compatible with ATAPI and ATA devices, and as compared to the earlier ribbon cables, it gives better airflow in the computer. As compared to the dated PATA standard, it is a more efficient and better interface.

SCSI

SCSI is pronounced as "Scuzzy" and stands for Small Computer Systems Interface, which has the potantial to support eight devices or sixteen devices with Wide SCSI. It was first completed in 1982 and designed to connect devices to a computer. It is commonly used with the disc, hard, and tape drives and all devices are "daisy-chained" together and connect to a central bus as it is a bus technology.

 

On the basis of the location of the SCSI bus, its requirements are dependent, and a SCSI connector is either external or internal. Three different signaling types are used by the SCSI, such as LVD (low-voltage differential), Single-Ended (SE), and Differential, which may be HVD or high-voltage differential. Furthermore, SCSI connections may also be available on a more advanced motherboard.

Thunderbolt

Thunderbolt is a relatively new technology that is used to connect peripheral devices to a computer and is primarily used with Apple displays and devices. It offers users the benefit of adding several devices to their computers through a daisy chain of cords. By using one port with a cable, it allows users to use one cable to access high-resolution and high-speed media that can access both PCI Express and DisplayPort. Thunderbolt is a fairly new peripheral connection technology that was developed by Apple and Intel.

Some other common types of computer cable

  • Serial (RS-232): An asynchronous port on the computer that is used with a mouse and Modem and capable of transmitting one bit at a time.
  • S/PDIF: It transmits digital audio between home theater systems and audio equipment and transmits signals in a compressed form. It is commonly used with DVD and surround sound, which stands for Sony and Phillips Digital Interconnect Format.
  • Firewire (IEEE-1394): Firewire was first developed by Apple in 1995, which supports PnP (plug and play) devices. The devices digital cameras and external drives commonly use this cable that is also known as IEEE-1394.
  • Mini plug: A Mini Plug is a 3.5mm male connector, widely used speaker, microphones, and headphones. The location of the Mini Plug on the sound card is determined by the device you are using. For example, a computer speakers and microphone jack plug into the sound out jack, and a headset plugs into the line out.
  • Coaxial: A Coaxial cable contains high transmission and bandwidth capacity and widely use with TV and projectors. This cable is also used in network, and to connect TVs to a cable TV service by most users.
  • Composite: It is primarily used with TV, projectors, and comes with yellow, red, and white connectors on each end. The devices like gaming systems, VCRs, DVD players, or other audio/video devices are connected to TV through a composite cable.
  • DisplayPort: It is a digital audio and video interface, which comes with two different connections; the smaller Mini DisplayPort and standard DisplayPort. But both connection varieties transmit identical signals.

Advantages of Computer Cables

The cables are very important for a computer to connect several devices inside or outside the computer system. For performing different operations, computer cables are used to transmit the digital and analog signals. Like USB cables, some of the computer cables have the ability to transmit electric power. Users can also do many more things by using computer cables, such as listen to music, watch movies, play games, and more.