The world of gaming has evolved enormously in recent years. Every tech related to gaming has improved performance-wise to provide people with the ultimate experience.
Network speed for gaming is not considered by many gamers. But nowadays, games require high storage and are mostly available as downloadable content (DLC).
It requires a superfast internet connection which needs the best accessories like ethernet cable. While there are many ethernet cables, cat 8 cables are the latest and best available. But is cat 8 the best ethernet cable for gaming?
Is cat 8 the best ethernet cable for gaming?
Yes, When it comes to gaming cables, Cat8 is often regarded as one of the finest. CAT 8 cables are well-known for their strength and capacity to sustain high-speed internet connections. You can also consider CAT 7, 6, and 5 to get a better gaming experience. Most people use CAT 7 and 6 for high-definition streaming games online. Let us understand what a cat 8 ethernet cable means and how it is good for gaming.
Why Cat 8 Ethernet Cable is good for Gaming?
- Cat 8 is one of the fastest and most durable cables for high-speed internet. It was designed to handle high-speed data transfer rates, and it works well with both wired and wireless networks.
- A CAT 8 cable can handle speeds up to 40Gbps, which is twice as fast as a cat 6 cable. This means that you can use them for gaming purposes and other high-speed tasks.
Alright, What is a Cat 8 Cable?
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has a standard for every component that works under electrical and electronics influence.
Likewise, the standard for ethernet cables is named Category ‘n’ Cables. The Cat stands for the category and the ‘n’ stands for the version.
Also, read these posts:
- How to use MHL Micro USB to HDMI cable?
- Are DVI cables better than HDMI?
- How to Add Thunderbolt 4 to PC?
How these cables are categorized?
These cables differ majorly in three different specifications:
- Frequency
- Data Transfer rate
- Maximum Length
Apart from this classification, the cables are also categorized as shielded and non-shielded. You can see the cable specification as STP (Shielded Twisted Pair) or UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair) or FTP (Foiled Twisted Pair) or SSTP (Screen Shielded Twisted Pair).
These parameters vary for each type of cat cable and it influences the choice of usage. There are about 11 types of cables in the history of ethernet cables. Each of them was used for a certain purpose and eventually, some got out of scope due to technological advances.
If we look at the cat 8 cables, it is having the highest frequency or bandwidth as well as the highest data transfer rate in the history of ethernet cables. This gives you higher network speeds with which you can easily download games, Livestream gameplays, and do much more.
Many of the earlier cat cables from cat 1 to cat 4 are not in use right now and have become out of standard usage. They are not recognized by many organizations today.
Among the available categories, cat 8 has around twice the bandwidth and four times higher data transfer rate. This cable is now in demand with the data management companies which require such high spec cables to maintain their servers.
What about Shielding CAT 8
These cat 8 cables have shielding over every twisted pair of cables and this helps in reducing the attenuation.
The shielding is done using a foil for every pair of wires in the cable, which helps in lowering the electromagnetic interference.
This enables seamless data transfer at higher speeds which is favorable for gaming and other tasks that require high network speeds.
How fast is Cat 8 ethernet cable?
Cat 8 cable has a data transfer rate of 40 Gbps which is the highest speed available in the entire cable category. This speed is more than enough for gaming because this kind of speed is usually preferred on servers. Therefore, the cat 8 cable provides the fastest data transfer when compared to other cables.
How does cat 8 differ from other cat cables?
Let’s see what are the list of Cat Cables and their parameters
| Category | Frequency | Data Transfer Rate | Maximum Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category 1 | 0.4 MHz | 1 Mbps | – |
| Category 2 | 4 MHz | 4 Mbps | – |
| Category 3 | 16 MHz | 10 Mbps | 100 m |
| Category 4 | 20 MHz | 16 Mbps | 100 m |
| Category 5 | 100 MHz | 100 Mbps | 100 m |
| Category 5e | 100 MHz | 1 Gbps | 100 m |
| Category 6 | 250 MHz | 1 Gbps | 100 m |
| Category 6a | 500 MHz | 10 Gbps | 100 m |
| Category 7 | 600 MHz | 10 Gbps | 100 m |
| Category 7a | 1000 MHz | 10 Gbps | 100 m |
| Category 8 | 2000 MHz | 40 Gbps | 30 m |
Cat 8 cables have the largest bandwidth and the highest data transfer rate over a length of 30m. While other cables have a larger cable length, cat 8 cables provide less than that. But this is not an issue for gamers because they usually have their computer system near to the network cable and don’t require a lengthy one.
The above table provides you with all the necessary information about the major parameters of the entire cable categories ever manufactured.
Apart from these parameters, the Cat 8 cable has foil shielding in every twisted pair which reduces interference exceptionally. This is also a deciding factor on how fast the data transfer would be.
Therefore, cat 8 is the best available ethernet cable type you can get in the market right now.
Conclusion
You might think that gamers don’t need to concentrate on ethernet cables. But the current trend in gaming demands a faster internet speed and efficient data transfer capacities to have the best gaming experience.
In order to achieve that, it is very important to select a good network provider and good network accessories. Similar to routers and modems, ethernet cables also play a major role in deciding the network speeds and cat 8 is the best one right now.
