Do I need a new HDMI cable?

[Sonikku]

For 4k gaming at 60hz. I have a 1060 6gb gpu and a Vizio e65-e1. (I know 1060 isn't super ideal for 4k performance wise but it's fine for my mmo's) I'm hearing a lot of "HDMI cables are all the same" at the same time I'm hearing "You need high bandwidth hdmi for 4k 60hz".

 

[ConsoleLover]

HDMI 2.0 and above cable is different from HDMI 1.1 or lower. In fact even HDMI 2.1 cable is going to be different from 2.0b.

 

[Despoiler]

There is no such thing as a "high bandwidth HDMI" cable. What you need to look for is "premium certified" and "high speed" with the orange logo. Like the below cables.

http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=15428

 

[Sonikku]

There is no such thing as a "high bandwidth HDMI" cable. What you need to look for is "premium certified" and "high speed" with the orange logo. Like the below cables.

http://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=15428

What do they do different?

 

[Bacon1]

What do they do different?

Not sure why he worded it that way, when the difference is that yes, those cables do in fact offer the "high bandwidth" required by HDMI 2

From the product description:

Capable of delivering 18Gbps bandwidth

But yes, you will need an HDMI 2 cable since HDMI 1 cables don't offer the bandwidth required for 4k60.

To this end, the main change in HDMI 2.0 is improving the per-channel bandwidth from 3.4Gbps to 6Gbps, allowing for higher-resolution audio and video to be transferred.

There are 3 channels which equals increase from 10.2 -> 16gbps

 

[VirtualLarry]

HDMI 2.0 and above cable is different from HDMI 1.1 or lower. In fact even HDMI 2.1 cable is going to be different from 2.0b.

There's no difference between an HDMI 2.0(a/b) "high speed" cable and an HDMI 1.3/1.4(a) "high speed" cable. They both should be capable of 18Gbit/sec signalling.

There IS a new HDMI 2.1 cable, for 48Gbit/sec signalling, which is backwards-compatible with HDMI 2.0 and HDMI 1.4 devices.

Edit: Oh, and I'm using "generic" HDMI 1.3 "high speed" cables (6'), with my HDMI2.0 UHD TV, and a DP-to-HDMI2.0 adapter, at 4K60, with audio. No issues.

 

[Rifter]

spec version is of no consequence, you do however need a high speed cable for 4k.

 

[Sonikku]

Does it matter if I use the display port connector or hdmi connector out of my 1060?

 

[Despoiler]

Not sure why he worded it that way, when the difference is that yes, those cables do in fact offer the "high bandwidth" required by HDMI 2

I word it that way because that is the exact marketing terminology in the spec. If you are looking for legit cables then you need to look for the appropriate word usage. There are a gazillion cables out there and most of them have made up their own BS marketing to claim supporting various things. eg 4k high bandwidth cable. High speed premium certified is the most capable and highest quality cable you can currently attain.

Does it matter if I use the display port connector or hdmi connector out of my 1060?

Ahh if you are buying an HDMI cable you use the HDMI port....

 

[Ancalagon44]

I word it that way because that is the exact marketing terminology in the spec. If you are looking for legit cables then you need to look for the appropriate word usage. There are a gazillion cables out there and most of them have made up their own BS marketing to claim supporting various things. eg 4k high bandwidth cable. High speed premium certified is the most capable and highest quality cable you can currently attain.



Ahh if you are buying an HDMI cable you use the HDMI port....

Sorry I call BS. If they needed to be 2.0a cables in addition to being "High speed premium certified", then "high speed premium certified" would need to be its own standard. Like 2.0ax or something. Because high speed premium certified is not a standard endorsed by the HDMI standards body, we can safely that high speed premium certified is in fact one of those BS marketing things you have just mentioned.

A cable is either a 2.0a cable or it isn't. It's either a 2.1 cable or it isnt. There isn't a 2.0a and a 2.0a high speed premium certified.

EDIT: Also look at the bandwidth requirement in the spec for 2.0. 18 GBit/s. In other words, for a cable to be rated 2.0 at all, it must be capable of 18 GBit/s bandwidth.

EDIT 2: Interestingly, I was wrong, and high speed premium certified cables do exist:
http://www.hdmi.org/manufacturer/premiumcable/faq.aspx

However, reading that site, it is clear that the certification program is anti counterfeiting, nothing else. A high speed premium certified cable is no better than a standard cable. It is just certified to be what it says on the label - nothing else.

 

[Despoiler]

Sorry I call BS. If they needed to be 2.0a cables in addition to being "High speed premium certified", then "high speed premium certified" would need to be its own standard. Like 2.0ax or something. Because high speed premium certified is not a standard endorsed by the HDMI standards body, we can safely that high speed premium certified is in fact one of those BS marketing things you have just mentioned.

A cable is either a 2.0a cable or it isn't. It's either a 2.1 cable or it isnt. There isn't a 2.0a and a 2.0a high speed premium certified.

EDIT: Also look at the bandwidth requirement in the spec for 2.0. 18 GBit/s. In other words, for a cable to be rated 2.0 at all, it must be capable of 18 GBit/s bandwidth.

EDIT 2: Interestingly, I was wrong, and high speed premium certified cables do exist:
http://www.hdmi.org/manufacturer/premiumcable/faq.aspx

However, reading that site, it is clear that the certification program is anti counterfeiting, nothing else. A high speed premium certified cable is no better than a standard cable. It is just certified to be what it says on the label - nothing else.

The reason they dropped the 1.3/1.4/2.0/2.0a and bandwidth numbers from the marketing descriptions was specifically at the behest of the cable manufacturers. They wanted to simplify the marketing so it was easy for customers to know what to buy. After all the cables are backwards compatible.

The orange logo is what you look for. If you don't get a certified cable you are rolling the dice. The AVS Forums are full of posts of people having HDMI handshake issues. They swap the cable to a certified cable and no more problems. We go through this same thing on these forums with DP cables. There are certified vendors. Non-certified cables are the culprit in 95% of the cases of display issues. There is no reason to not buy a certified cable. Monoprice certified cables are a $1 more than the non-certified (6ft). I believe they warranty all of their cables for lifetime, but do you really want to get a bad cable and then ship it back on your own dime?