Conventional wisdom tells us that death and taxes are unavoidable, but if you own any type of computer, home theatre equipment or gadgets of any kind, there’s another that should be added to that list: Cables! We all need them and nobody likes paying extra for them, so let’s take a look at shopping for the best deal and how to avoid paying too much for brand names.
Mini DisplayPort. FireWire 800. USB 2.0. Minijack in/out. Gigabit Ethernet. SP/DIF. HDMI. Thunderbolt. These are the connections found on most modern Macintosh computers, and each one of them requires a different cable (or in some cases, adapter) to connect to your external display, storage, audio devices, network or other peripheral.
If you’ve owned a Mac for some time, you’ve no doubt collected a wide array of such cables, and maybe even have some ghosts from the past still hanging around in a box somewhere, including SCSI, DVI, FireWire 400 or maybe proprietary cables so long forgotten you can’t even remember what to plug them into. Regardless of what you need to make the connection, there are a few simple guidelines for buying cables -- especially if you don’t want to break the bank in the process.
Unless you’re stuck with no other alternative -- a pressing deadline or perhaps overwhelming impatience to play with a new toy -- avoid buying cables at a traditional brick and mortar retail store at all costs. And yes, that generally includes Apple Stores, where Cupertino is enjoying a healthy markup for the convenience of having common cables and adapters handy when you pick up a new Mac. (There are a few exceptions, stay tuned.)
Among the worst offenders for cable markup are big-box retailers such as Staples or Best Buy, who offer a wide variety of cables for both current and past technologies, many sold by their own Dynex brand. Something like a six-foot AC power cable might not seem like such a bad deal at $12.99 before sales tax -- that is, until you compare pricing for the same item online, where such items can be had for a little over one dollar (or even less if you need more than one). How much profit does one company need to make, anyway? (Staples is an even worse offender at $13.79 for their own branded AC power cable.)
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. Cable buyers on the U.S. West Coast have long enjoyed the spoils of small chains such as Fry’s Electronics, who keep an insane variety of cables in stock at reasonable prices compared to their bigger rivals. It also pays to do a Google search in your area for local companies specializing in electronics -- many cities across the country have hidden gems such as Philcap Electronics, an Ohio vendor who mostly plies in the security trade, but has a wide variety of connections for other needs as well, with prices that often beat big box stores.
If your cabling needs aren’t urgent, you can save a crazy amount of cash buying online. While that applies to bigger e-tailers such as Amazon.com and NewEgg, it often pays to go straight to the folks who specialize in the low margin, high volume cable and accessories business.
Among the companies that turn up in a Google search for “computer cables” are CablesToGo.com, ComputerCableStore.com, PCCables.com and many others, as well as the highly recommended MonoPrice.com (more on them in a moment). Prices and service will vary from place to place, so it does pay to shop around, depending on what you’re looking for on a given day.
Finally, there’s Meritline, an online shop specializing in blank optical media, flash memory, ink and toner as well as accessories like cables and adapters. The company offers dirt cheap prices, often with free standard shipping, and daily deals sent straight to your email inbox to save even more with coupon codes. Meritline also features sections dedicated to Apple devices including the iPhone, iPad and iPod lines.
The reigning king of low-priced cables has to be MonoPrice.com, based out of Rancho Cucamonga, California. Founded in 2002, what started as a small home-based operation has quickly grown into a huge enterprise with more than 150 employees and thousands of rabid fans who flock to the company’s quality offerings sold at extremely reasonable prices.
Price isn’t the only reason to shop Monoprice -- the company also offers reasonable shipping prices, a 30-day money back guarantee, easy returns with no restocking fees and free lifetime tech support on everything they sell. Monoprice also ships to Canada and 26 other countries, making them a good candidate for our international readers.
Remember that $12.99 six-foot AC cable sold by Best Buy? You can get the same item from Monoprice for a mere $1.17 plus a reasonable $2.22 USPS shipping to the East Coast -- buy in bulk and you’ll save even more, meaning you could get a handful of the same item and still save money over shopping retail.
Finally, a word about so-called “brand names” in the cable racket. You’ve probably heard of Monster, a company specializing in cable solutions for home theatre, computer, mobile devices, gaming and even headphones. Maybe you’ve even picked up a Monster cable or two throughout the years, lured in by the company’s claims of quality and “you get what you pay for” mentality, despite the higher price.
While we can’t vouch for everyone, in our experience Monster Cables are no better (or worse) than the no-name brands we’ve picked up on Amazon, Monoprice, Meritline or other resellers. Even taking Monster’s claims of using higher quality materials at face value, the bottom line is, we’ve never been able to see or hear the difference, which in our eyes means they’re just not worth it for most situations. When in doubt, buy both from a vendor with a generous return policy (such as Amazon), use each for a bit to compare and find out for yourself -- you’ll likely send back the Monster product and pocket the extra cash.
Last but not least, there’s Apple -- another company known for inflating cable prices when plenty of cheaper options exist. To be fair, it’s often convenient to grab these cables at the same time as your computer and what’s a few more bucks after spending upwards of a grand or two on a new computer, right?
That said, most anything involving recent iOS devices and the dock connector are still probably best purchased from Apple or a licensed third-party manufacturer -- look for the “Made for iPod/iPhone/iPad” branding to help identify those. This is due to Apple clamping down on accessories that connect to their devices, although many unbranded options used only for power charging may still work just fine.
Oh, and if you have a new Thunderbolt Mac, Apple's got a hold of you for the time being -- their two-meter, $49 Apple Thunderbolt Cable is the only game in time for connecting your Mac to available peripherals, mostly because of the tiny electronics at each end of the cable which have yet to be available in a third-party option. At least that looks like a bargain compared to the days of the $100 HDMI cable, doesn’t it?
Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
Clint007
August 25, 2011 at 4:44pm
Your article would be a greater interest by mentioning what type of cable do the Mac owner need.
You don't mention if there is cables better then others; Quality of cables, quality of connectors.
They look the same but the real quality is hide under the plastic.Many time cheap store sell cheap quality but nice price.
Did you know the Mercedes is superior quality then GM?
datoyshop
August 23, 2011 at 4:55pm
I've been shopping at cyberguys.com for nearly 4 years now and it's where I make all my cable purchases. Sure, they are not the cheapest game in town, but also not the most expensive. Why I shop with them is customer service, reliability and quality.
Three important factors when shopping for electronics and technology. I've had minimal issues with Cyberguys over the years but once when an order didn't ship out with all my items they over nighted the last item and it arrived as promised. Best of all their products are not cheap. They may be low in cost, many are not brand names but their cables are made WELL.
Same cannot be said for others, but that helps keep costs down I'm sure. Lot's of choices for computer cables but I shop on more than just a low price.
