The Best Ethernet Cable for Gaming [2022]

With the popularity of the Internet, people’s requirements for the network have gradually increased. Internet speed and network accessories such as routers , ethernet cables and connectors are the things people pay more attention to.People are most likely to feel that the network speed is too slow when playing competitive games.Therefore, they may look for the best Ethernet cable for gaming. In this article, we will take how to choose the best Ethernet cable for gaming as an example.

Build the Fastest Network for Gaming

Have you ever met staying on the login screen for a long time? Have you ever encountered network delays during critical moments in your game? Have you ever had a lag when communicating with others online? Network latency and lags not only affect the outcome but also the feeling of your game experience. In this article, we will talk about how to build the fastest network for gaming from choosing the suitable equipments.

To build the fastest network for gaming, we need to identify the components of the network first. In general, except Ethernet cables, the components of WIRED LAN also include routers and connectors. In order to create the best network environment for gaming, we should deal with different components of the network.

Before selecting different equipments of the network, you need to be clear about the type of wiring. You should decide whether the cable system need to be shielded or not. When you install a shielded cable system, the whole link must be shielded, including the cables and connectors, using the shielded information module. Make sure that you choose the suitable equipment.

Choose A Stable Router

Our Recommendations for Gaming Routers

TOP 1 ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AC5300

TOP 2 TP-Link Archer AX11000

Top 3 Linksys WRT32X

(If you want to learn more about router, please refer to https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-gaming-routers)

Choose A Suitable Ethernet Cable

There are many factors that need to be considered when choosing an Ethernet Cable such as cables’ category, type and shape. And we will focus on the category of cable first.

Which Category to choose?

In order to meet people’s growing demand for the network, there are various types of Ethernet Cables ( If you want to learn more about different category of Ethernet Cable, please refer to “Ethernet Cable:Cat 1/2/3/4/5/5E/6/6A/7/8-What & How”) on the market. Common cable types include Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a, Cat7, Cat8. Which one is more suitable for you in these different categories. The following is a data comparison chart of different categories of Ethernet cables.

	Transmission Rate	Frequency
Cat 5e	1000Mbps	100Mhz
Cat 6	1000Mbps	250Mhz
Cat 6a	10Gbps	500Mhz
Cat 7	10Gbps	600Mhz
Cat 8	25-40Gbps	2000MHz

When choosing Ethernet cables, you should consider the purpose of the network. If you use your network just for watching TV, playing low configuration games or any other activities which have no strict requirements for the network, you don’t have to choose a cable with high transmission rate and frequency.  

Which one to go for?

Another factor you need to consider before buying Ethernet cables is the type of the cable. Depending on whether there is a shielding layer and the distribution of the shielding material, Ethernet cables generally can be divided into four types: UTP, FTP, STP and SFTP.

In general, shielded cables are mostly used in environments with strong interference such as military, intelligence, embassies, and government departments such as the Audit office and the Ministry of Finance. And unshielded cables are mostly used in home, school or other places where there is no strict requirement for confidentiality of information. As for price, the price of shielded cable is higher than that of unshielded cable due to the addition of shielding layers.

Another thing to note is that shielding cables need to be grounded when wiring. And this increases the difficulties of wiring to some extent. Shielded cables are generally thicker than unshielded cables. It is difficult to make the cable completely stick to the ground, but if the cable is not completely stuck to the ground, the transmission effect will be greatly influenced.

Therefore, when choosing the type of the Ethernet cable, it is crucial of you to think about the cost, the difficulties of wiring and whether you need shielding layers. If your wiring environment is not very complex, and there is not a lot of electromagnetic or other signal interference, then the shielded cable is not necessary for you.

Which shape to go for?

At present, there are two main network cable shapes on the market. One is round cable and the other is flat cable. They have different appearances and internal structures. They have their own advantages and disadvantages.

In a word, the round cables perform better in terms of performance and flat cables are more flexible in wiring. For gaming, the round cables can satisfy your needs better than flat cables.

Choose A Correct Network Interface

Network Interface ,here we refers to RJ45 connectors. According to the shielding performance, connectors can be divided into unshielded module and shielded module. So when you choose the connectors, you need to consider the type of wiring you choose, shielded or unshielded and choose the connectors which are compatible with the cables. For gaming, unshielded connectors can meet the basic needs.

Which one works best for you?

From the above, you may have a general idea about how to choose the suitable equipment. In order to choose the most suitable Ethernet cable, here we take the comparison between Cat6a and Cat8 as an example. The reason for choosing the two types of cables is that they represent the best performance they can achieve with shielded and unshielded cables respectively

	Cat6a	Cat8
Maximum Distance	100m	30m
Cable type	UTP/STP	STP
Connector Type	RJ45	Class I: RJ45Class II: Non-RJ45
Wiring Type	Non-grounded	Grounded
Price	USD 10.99/25ft	USD16.69/25ft

According to the table, we can learn the comparison of the data in various aspects intuitively. Cat8 performs better than Cat6a in transmission rate and frequency. But Cat6a has better performance in maximum distance and is more cost-effective when compared with Cat8. The differences between them mainly in the cable type and wiring type. Shielded cables need to be grounded when wiring. Otherwise, the shielding ability of the cable not only cannot be used well, but also affects the ability of the cable itself to transmit data.

In most families, the pre-embedded Ethernet cable might be Cat5e. Due to the limited space in the pre-embedded pipes, replacing the original cable with a much thicker Cat8 Ethernet cable is difficult. Besides, wiring in the existing pipe, it is very likely that the shielded cable will not be installed entirely on the ground and affects the performance of the cable itself.

Therefore, for home use, Cat6a could be a better choice. It is more cost-effective and can provide ideal network speed to meet your daily network requirements. Besides, it offers the option of UTP, you may confront less trouble when wiring. But as for commercial use, such as wiring in strong electromagnetic interference environments like enterprises or data centers, Cat8 may be a more suitable choice. It has an excellent performance in information confidentiality and has a more faster transmission speed.

Cat6a can be the best ethernet cable for gaming in terms of cost performance,wiring and other metrics. The direct connection between the ethernet cable and device is more stable for ps4 than connecting to WIFI. Cat6a ethernet cables generally can meet your basic network needs in your home, as long as your accessories are matched.

Conclusion

From what has been discussed above, to build the fastest Ethernet cable for gaming you should realize it in three ways including routers, Ethernet cable and connectors. According to your need, you choose the suitable router, cable category, cable type, cable shape and connectors.

Apart from these network equipments, the configuration of gaming equipments such as CPU and graphics cards are also of great importance. Make sure that all the accessories are matched with each other to reach the best performance.

Q&A

How to Connect PS 4 to the Internet by Ethernet Cable?

To connect PS4 to the Internet with an Ethernet cable, you first need to make sure that both your router and your PS4 are on. Then insert one end of the Ethernet cable into your router and the other end into your PS4 console. Select ‘Settings’ on your PS4 home page. Select ‘Network’—– ‘Set Up Internet Connection’—– ‘Use a LAN Cable’—– ‘Easy’—– ‘Test Internet Connection’. After the data is set automatically, you can use it.

Ethernet Cable VS WIFI, Which One is Better?

Generally speaking, devices connect directly to Ethernet cables are faster than WIFI. The speed of the cable is only affected by the size of the broadband, the switch, and the cable itself. However, the speed of WIFI is mainly influenced by wireless routers. Besides, the wireless signal emitted by the wireless router will be interfered by various electromagnetic signals in the process of air transmission, resulting in weak signal. And the farther the distance is, the weaker the signal will be.

On the other hand, the stability of the cable is much better than that of WIFI. Ethernet cable is wired transmission with less loss of rate and no dropped phenomenon. While WIFI is subject to wireless routers, which is more likely to cause speed ups and downs, or intermittent drops. In terms of security, Ethernet cables connect directly to the device are better than WIFI. WIFI is a wireless signal and easy to be cracked by others which is not conducive to information confidentiality.

How to Assemble the Ethernet Cable and the Connectors?

You may not be buying an all-in-one cable. Then you need to assemble the Ethernet cable and the connectors yourself. How to assemble might be a big challenge for you. Here is the operating instructions for you and it applies to RJ 45 connectors and T568B.

Prepare the materials needed for installation including RJ 45 plug, cable cap and Ethernet cable. Thread the cable cap into the Ethernet cable. Put the Ethernet cable into stripper tool and cut, leaving the end with 3cm. Arrange the wires and cut them in oblique angle. Put the wires into the load bar in turn. ( The order of the line is orange+ white / orange / green + white / blue / blue + white / green / brown + white / brown) Cut the wires horizontally,leaving the end with 1~3 cm.

Assemble the plug. Make sure that the wires are pushed to the end of the plug’s holes. Put the plug into the crimping tool then crimp the plug. Make the clip and braiding shield, drain wire fully contacted. Crimp the plug again then insert the cable cap into the RJ 45 plug. After assembly, do not forget to test the signal.

Differences Between Modem and Router

Modem is short for modulator and demodulator. It is an electronic device capable of performing the modulation and demodulator functions required for communication. And router is a device to connect LAN and WAN in the Internet.

They work differently. Modem is mainly used to receive network signals and computers need the modem to dial up the Internet. However, routers are mainly used for extending signals to other devices that need network connection. Modem is something that pulls in a phone line and converts it into a network signal, and a router is something that can branch out several signals at a time. Therefore, a router without a modem can’t access the Internet.

What’s the difference between RJ45 and RJ11 connectors.

RJ45 (If you want to learn more about RJ45 connectors, please refer to “What Types of RJ45 Connectors I Need?” ) is mainly used in Ethernet, where “RJ” represents the registered jack and “45” represents the serial number of the interface standard. RJ45 connectors are usually connected with Ethernet line. They are used to connect to a variety of network devices, such as computers, routers, switches, etc. But RJ11 is mainly used to connect the modems in the computer system and telephones.

RJ45 connectors have 8 positions and 8 contacts (8P8C), while RJ11 only have 6 positions and 4 contacts (6P4C). Therefore, the volume of RJ45 is larger than that of RJ11. Besides, they are different in wiring sequences. The line sequence of RJ11 is fixed. But RJ45 has two kinds of wiring sequence: T-568A and T-568B. Through using different wiring sequences, the final production of the network cable has two types: straight and cross. Due to differences in size, wiring standards and application range, RJ45 and RJ11 are not interoperable.