Top 11+ popular computer cables today

Nowadays, with the demand for use as well as the development of modern and advanced science and technology, there are many different types of computers as well as different purposes of use. There are many types of computer cables on the market. Among them, there are 10 popular types of computer cables , such as: VGA cable, HDMI cable, USB cable, . Each type is transmitted through a certain interface to signal, sound, image, . Let's find out more details with TipsMake through the following article.

1. VGA cable

VGA (Video Graphics Array) cable is the standard name for computer cables that connect to monitors. Also known as D-sub, analog video cable.

Introduced to the market in 1987, VGA cables are made up of 15 connecting pins, plugged into 3 rows, each row has 5 pins at the connector. Each row corresponds to 3 different color channels: Red, blue and sky blue.

VGA is now used for 1080p video and higher. The quality of the connection depends heavily on the quality of the output signal from the PC, the cable, and the length of the cable.

2. DVI cable

DVI (Digital Visual Interface) cable was the successor to VGA when technology shifted from analog to digital. DVI is quite similar to VGA in that it has 24 pins and supports both analog and digital. The cable transmits HD video with a resolution of 1920*1200, in case of dual-link connection, DVI cable supports video transmission with a resolution of 2560*1600.

DVI has the following types:

1. DVI-A: Transmits analog signals, allowing backward compatibility with VGA, suitable for use with low quality CRT and LCD monitors
2. DVI-D is used to transmit newer digital signals.
3. DVI-I; Transmits both analog and digital signals
4. DVI can be used to connect HDMI or VGA ports by using a converter from DVI to other corresponding standards.

3. HDMI cable

HDMI or High-Definition Multimedia Interface is a high-definition multimedia interface. This is a connection standard that allows the transmission of images and sounds through a single cable to a large projection screen while still ensuring resolution.

The HDMI cable head is made up of 19 pins, each pin ensures a different task and during data transmission will comply with certain principles.

The 4 HDMI connector types are:

1. Type A is the common type with 19 pins on the male connector, compatible with single-link DVI-D connections.
2. Type B is a larger 29-pin male connector, compatible with dual DVI-D connections.
3. Type C is a 19-pin connector commonly used for portable devices, airplanes, digital cameras.
4. Type D looks similar to the micro-USB connector and has 19 pins.

HDMI cables are quite popular on the market today because they can transmit both sound and images at the same time.

4. USB cable

USB can be considered the most popular form of connection as well as the most commonly used devices on the market today. Peripheral devices such as keyboards, mice, headphones, external storage drives, etc. are all connected via USB.

There are 2 popular types of USB: USB 2.0 and USB 3.0

Uses: 

1. Storage devices: USB, external hard drive, external optical drive
2. Input devices: USB keyboard (wireless and wired); USB mouse, webcam, scanner, gamepad.
3. Output devices: Printer, multifunction office machine, USB speaker.
4. Wireless adapter: Network adapter (wifi), Bluetooth adapter, 3G adapter
5. Data and charging cables for mobile devices such as phones, tablets, music players.

USB connector types:

1. Type-A: flat, standard rectangular shape of a USB cable.
2. Type-B: A square connector, used primarily for printers and other supported devices. It is now quite difficult to see in the market as devices have migrated to the more convenient smaller connector.
3. Mini-USB: A smaller connector for mobile devices, which preceded micro-USB. Found on some cameras, PlayStation 3 controllers, Mp3 players, and similar devices.
4. Micro-USB: the modern standard for mobile and portable devices. Can be found on a number of devices such as: smartphones, tablets, USB battery packs, game controllers,.
5. Type-C: The latest USB standard. This is a reversible cable that offers high transfer speeds and is much stronger than other cables.
6. Lightning: is Apple's only connector for iPhone, iPad, Airpods and other products. Similar in size to USB-C.

USBs will typically have a standard Type-A end and some type of Type-B end. The Type-A end will be the one that supplies power to the device, and the Type-B end will be the one that connects to the power source. This is to prevent potential damage that can occur when connecting the two devices together.

USB speed standard

There are different USB standards:

1. USB 1.0/1.1 transmits data at 12 Mbps
2. USB 2.0 transmits data at 480Mbps and is compatible with older USB versions. This is currently the most popular connection type used on the market today.
3. USB 3.0 transmits data at 4.8 Gbps.

5. IDE cable (ATA cable)

IDE or Integrated Drive Electronics is used to connect storage devices to the motherboard. It can be found in many motherboards, in the form of wide flat cables like ribbons with many connectors. The connectors on an IDE cable have 40 pins, small 2.5 inch drives use 44 pin IDE.

6. SATA cable

Serial ATA or SATA is a hard drive standard created to replace parallel ATA interfaces such as IDE. In comparison, SATA has a transfer speed of about 150MB/s or 300MB/s, much higher than the previous 133MB/s.

Compared to IDE, SATA has a higher data transfer speed. The motherboard needs to be compatible, but current motherboards already support SATA.

7. eSATA cable

eSATA - external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment is a variant of the SATA interface for connecting to removable disk drives. Provides a data transfer rate of 3 Gbits/s on par with the SATA interface.

In fact, eSATA is not much different from SATA but allows connection to other devices such as external hard drives or optical drives. This is an important factor that helps eSATA have a faster speed than both FireWire and USB.

8. Firewire cable

FireWire was created for the same purpose as USB: high-speed data transfer to peripherals. High-bandwidth devices like printers and scanners will benefit from FireWire quite well.

9. Ethernet cable

Ethernet cables are similar to RJ-45 cables used to set up local networks. In most cases they are used to connect routers to modems and computers.

10. Power cable

The power cable supplies the computer's power supply, from which electricity is divided into ports that connect to other components.

3 pin laptop power cable is a type of computer power cable product, it is a 3-pin round triangle power cord that can only be plugged into an INDIA standard power outlet.

11. PS/2 Cable

This is the type of cable used on many desktop devices, connecting the mouse and keyboard to the computer.

Above is the most basic information, types of computer cables , 3 popular laptop power cables are widely used today. Hopefully it has helped readers choose the right product for their needs. If you have any questions or need advice, please contact TipsMake today so that our technical team can support you as soon as possible: 1900.1903

Marvin Fry

Update 16 January 2025