Best Power Cables and Connectors for Your PC and Laptop – A Complete Guide

When you first get your PC, getting the hang of all its ports and their purpose might be overwhelming. You can use many computer power cables for different purposes, and you need many essential cables or connectors to get your PC to run correctly. Moreover, choosing the right cables for your computer to prolong its life and improve its performance is essential.

Suppose you are anything like Henry Cavil, the actor famous for his Superman role, and you are passionate about their personal computer and want to know how they tick. In that case, you should familiarize yourself with the different types of cables and connectors. This is just one small piece of the puzzle on your journey to understanding what’s under the hood of your computer, but it is undoubtedly an essential piece.

This article will present different types of power cables and connectors you can find on your computer. We will also dive into the functions of these cables so you can better understand how these components work.

Digital Visual Interface (DVI)

DVI can be seen on older computer models. These power cables were used as audio and video transmitters. If you still have a DVI, you might be lucky, as they used to work perfectly, and you could watch anything over your PC.

Moreover, you could connect your PC to other devices, such as TVs. However, with the development in the cable-making world, other, less bulky cables took over the role of DVI’s. Nevertheless, these cables can officially be pronounced legendary.

High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)

Like its ancestors, HDMIs can transmit media from your PC to another device. These cables are an updated version of DVI’s since you can cast high-quality videos and audio over your PC.

The development in the technological world required action in the cable world. Although DVI’s were great, HDMIs are even better. Almost any household owns an HDMI and uses it to connect a PC to other devices.

Personal system connectors

Personal system connectors were made a long time ago, but their legacy still lives on. These connectors were used to connect your keyboard or your mouse to your PC. Their design is simple and doesn’t take up a lot of space.

However, there will always be something that will one-up these cables. In this case, in the modern era of technology, USB cables took over the role of personal system connectors. You can still find keyboards and mouses that work with this cable, but it will be rare.

Universal Serial Bus (USB)

USB cables are all over the place these days. If you read this article through a smart device, you probably use a USB cable daily. USB cables charge phones, connect devices and components, etc. The uses of these cables are practically infinite.

Certain types of USB cables can be used for more than one purpose. It is a good idea that someone has invented a cable you can use for multiple purposes. There are a lot of different USB cables, so let’s take a look at some of them:

USB 1.0

The first and the oldest USB to ever exist is the USB 1.0, and we can safely say that you have undoubtedly seen a USB 1.0. These USB cables are still used in our everyday lives, especially the type A USB cable.

USB 2.0

Under this type of USB cable, we have even more cables, such as type A, type B, type B micro, etc. These cables were often used as connectors, such as connecting a printer or other external devices to your computer.

On the other hand, people often use mini and micro type B USB cables for mobile devices such as phone chargers. You might have had experiences with these cables in the past few years, but the new era of USB cables has just begun.

USB 3.0

USB 3.0 is the fastest USB cable on the market. These are relatively new interventions, and the great thing about these cables is that you can use them for many devices. With previous USB cable types, you could use them for 2–3 devices maximum, but this is not the case with USB 3.0 cables.

You can connect these cables to various devices, such as keyboards, headsets, mouses, speakers, etc. They are a new generation of USB cables, and we love how inclusive they are.

3.5 mm Audio Jack

As the name suggests, 3.5 mm audio jacks are cables that transmit sound from your PC. These cables can be seen on speakers and headphones, but the Bluetooth culture has taken over. The audio jack culture is still alive, and you can still see products with this cable type.

There are two different audio jack types; 3 poles and four poles. What makes them different is that one of these (4 poles audio jack) also supports microphones. When purchasing a product with a 3.5 mm audio jack, check its type and whether it can support a microphone.

Power cords

Power cords supply your computer with the electricity it needs. Without these cables, you cannot get your computer to turn on. Because of this, you need to purchase a high-quality cable for your PC to avoid any possible dangers.

There are many types of power cords – you need to know which one you need. However, many appliances around your house use the same power cords – without them, you probably won’t have a fully functional device.

Optic cables

Optic cables are used to transmit data faster than ever before. There are certain fibers used in these cables that support faster data transmissions. You had probably heard about these cables when you were getting an internet router for your home.

These cables are connected to your PC and are mainly used for faster internet connection. Many people whose job depends on a stable internet connection use this computer power cable to get the best they can out of internet service.

Component cables

You probably saw this type of connector in older generations of computers when you were younger. The primary purpose of these cables was to transmit audio and video from one device or component to another. The new generations of PCs don’t use these cables. However, you can still find them on other external devices.

These cables are characteristic because of their three-color ends. All these ends serve a purpose; two transmit sound, and one transmits video. However, they offer a slower data flow than some of the newer options.

Composite cables

Composite cables are even more straightforward than the ones previously mentioned. These cables are used for audio transmission and are rarely seen on the market today. However, these cables used to be way ahead of their time.

With these cables, you could transmit high-quality sound from one component to another. Many PCs and laptops had this connector, but modern culture took over and created even better audio-transmission options, such as USB cables.

Ethernet cables

Ethernet cables are ancestors of optical fiber cables and are only used for internet connections. Often, when you connect your internet router to your PC directly, you will have a faster internet connection than you would via WiFi.

However, when it comes to laptops, not many of them have an ethernet cable port. Laptop makers wanted to create desktops that are as simple as possible, and ethernet cables can often be bulky and uncomfortable to work around.

Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA)

SATA connectors are used to connect your motherboard to your hard drive. These cables offer high-quality connections and can be used to transmit data fast from one component to another. It is essential to use high-quality SATA’s to avoid overheating.

Advanced versions of this cable, called eSATA cables (External Serial Advanced Technology Attachment), offer even more support and power to your PC than the standard SATA cable. However, SATA cables work just fine – you don’t need to go a step further regarding this cable.

DisplayPort cables

DisplayPort cables have been around for some time now. These are the successors of DVI’s and are mainly used to connect your monitor(s) to your computer. Almost every PC has a DisplayPort cable; without them, you wouldn’t be able to see what is happening on your computer.

When purchasing this cable, you must make sure that you buy a DisplayPort of newer generations because it may enhance performance. You will enjoy the best possible picture on your monitor.

4-Pin Power

This power cable comes with any PC you see. These are some of the essential power cords for your computer – without them, your PC will not work. The purpose of 4-pin power cables is to provide power to your PC’s components.

Moreover, you can use these cables to connect many things simultaneously, and you will often find more than one of these connectors in your PC setup.

Thunderbolt cable

Not all PCs and laptops are the same; the cables used for a PC usually depend on its manufacturer. In this case, thunderbolt cables are used for Apple devices only, such as Macbooks.

These cables are designed to connect two Apple devices and transmit data from one to another. They are not compatible with other devices and are limited to Apple devices only. However, these cables allow you to access data fast and transmit it accordingly.

Parallel cable

Unfortunately, parallel cables are nowhere to be seen these days. Still, these cables were the most favorable ones in their heyday, and you can instantly recognize their bulky design.

People used parallel cables to connect their PC to various external components, primarily for printers. However, they transmitted data slowly, so they had to be replaced by newer solutions.

Firewire cables

Firewire cables are used for data transmission and are similar to USB cables. However, these cables can hold and transmit more information than a normal USB cable can. Moreover, these cables are made to work faster than USB cables.

We recommend using firewire cables if you need to transmit data from one device to another fast. These are also universal and can be used to connect a variety of devices. However, you must know that it might be challenging to find a firewire cable today.

Serial cables

Serial cables used to be the most widely used for transferring data, and they were doing their job perfectly. The design of these cables is bulky and heavy, just like any other outdated cable. These cables were a manifesto for modern USB cables.

Many serial cables were used in the past, depending on the device you used them for. If the thought of using a different cable for each device sounds impractical, it’s because it was. Luckily, USB cables don’t have such a problem – you can use one for more than one device.

In conclusion

Understanding all the cables and connectors in your PC or laptop may be difficult, but we have mentioned some of the most important and the best cables and connectors in history. Some of these cables and connectors are not used in the modern era of technology, but you need to understand their impact on the cable-making world.

These cables have different purposes and are connected to your PC differently. Some provide power, others transmit data, and some transfer sound and videos. However, these cables are crucial because they will complete your PC setup.

It is important to note that you should use cables and connectors of newer manufacture dates because we all know that cables can be tricky. You need to protect yourself from possible dangers by using up-to-date cables.

And finally, please be sure to pay attention to safety. When handling cables, make sure that they are properly insulated. If you see a damaged line, disconnect the device from the power socket and find or purchase a different product. Your safety, and the safety of the people around you, should be your number one concern when dealing with electricity.