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3 ways to avoid getting burned by bad USB cables
Recently, I needed a high-speed USB-A cable. I wanted to save video footage from my camera to an SSD (to avoid the exorbitant cost of Cfast cards) that required some pretty fast write speeds.
I jumped onto Amazon (because finding such a thing in the smallish metro city of Louisville, Kentucky, isn't easy) and came up with a Kondor Blue USB C 3.1 Gen 2 10 Gb/s 100W Braided Cable for 8K Data and Power Delivery. From the description, it looked to be exactly what I needed. 10 Gb/s and 8K data? Sign me up.
Also: My favorite USB-C cable is unbelievably flexible and delivers 240W of power
When the cable arrived, I opened it, plugged it in, and was greeted with the same warning I had with the other cables in my collection. It read as USB 2, which meant it was too slow.
That's right. A cable listed as USB 3.1 read as USB 2 and wasn't up to the task.
Why did this happen?
Not all cables are created equal, and the adage that you get what you paid for very much holds.
Now, for average, daily usage, most cables will do the job. If you simply need to charge your phone or connect a USB drive to your laptop (for things like backups or saving documents/photos), you'd be fine with such a cable. But when you need very fast data transfer or fast charging, you have to be careful; otherwise, you'll wind up in the same situation I found myself in.
How do you avoid this? Let's chat.
1. Pay the price
If you drop $5 for a cable that claims to reach 10 Gb/s data transfer, you're probably going to find yourself in a pickle. If you're looking for the fastest possible data transfer rates, you're looking at cables quadruple in price. After my first debacle, I wound up dropping more than $20 on a 12-inch cable that worked like a charm.
Also: Traveling soon? 5 gadgets I can't live without on work or personal trips now
The moral of this story: If you need serious data transfer rates (and reliable performance), you need to pay the price. Don't expect a $5 cable to do the job of a $20 cable because you will be disappointed.
2. Stick to reliable brands
Along the same lines, the brand you choose does matter. If you go the generic route, it's a crap shoot as to whether or not the cable will deliver on its promises. Here are a few brands that can be trusted:
Whenever I need a cable, these are the brands I stick to.
Also: The best network-attached storage devices you can buy: Expert tested
3. Know the standards
As far as high-speed data transfer and fast charging, there are two standards you should look for:
- USB4
- Thunderbolt 4
Both of these standards are USB Type-C, capable of speeds up to 40 Gbps, and support video and power passthrough. Thunderbolt 4 is four times faster than USB 3.2 Gen 1 and is compatible with PCIe, DisplayPort, and USB4. Thunderbolt 4 is also backward compatible with older Thunderbolt iterations.
Also: What is Thunderbolt, and how is it different from USB-C?
Because USB4 is based on the Thunderbolt 4 protocol, it can match the latter's speeds. USB4 supports DisplayPort 2.0 and can output 8K video, 16k resolution at a 60 Hz refresh rate.
Thunderbolt 4 has a minimum 15W power requirement whereas USB4 has only a 7.5 W minimum power requirement. On top of that, some USB4 devices can have a minimum of 20 Gbps link speed, whereas Thunderbolt 4 has a minimum of 32 Gbps. In other words, with Thunderbolt 4, you'll always get a minimum of 32 Gbps and 15 W; with USB4, you'll always get a minimum of 20 Gbps and 7.5 W.
That's an important distinction. If your device supports Thunderbolt 4 and you need the fastest possible data transfer speeds, go with Thunderbolt 4.
If you're looking at a cable that is neither USB4 nor Thunderbolt 4 and you expect it to transfer data (or power) at a very high rate, put that cable back (or remove it from your shopping cart) and keep looking.
Also: How to watch the 2024 Summer Olympics without cable
But, again, you must ensure that whatever device you'll be using supports either the Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 protocols; otherwise, you'll wind up spending money for nothing.
You shouldn't have to pay an exorbitant price for a cable. At the same time, don't think you can skimp on cost when you need serious data transfer speeds.
Curious about which cable ended up working for me? It was this Cable Matter Thunderbolt 4.
Choose wisely and that cable will not let you down.