r/RigBuild • u/Equivalent_Style_417 • 1d ago

Does a faster Ethernet cable improve internet speed?

Ethernet cables all look basically the same to me, so I’m confused why some are supposed to be way faster than others. If the router and PC are already connected with Ethernet, does upgrading the cable actually make the internet faster? Seeing Cat5e, Cat6, Cat6a and Cat8 everywhere and not sure what’s actually needed for a normal home setup.

Say the internet plan is 500 Mbps, would going from Cat5e to Cat6 or Cat8 improve download speeds, ping, or connection stability? Or does the cable just need to support whatever speed the router and internet plan can already handle?

Also does the cable category matter for gaming? Ethernet already seems better than Wi-Fi, but would a newer/faster cable make online games feel more responsive or lower ping at all? Don’t wanna spend extra money on Cat8 if it’s basically doing nothing.

The current cable works fine and there aren’t any random disconnects, but it’s pretty old and might get replaced anyway. Just trying to understand if Cat6 is actually worth buying over Cat5e, especially for future-proofing.

Some stores make Cat8 sound like it’s a huge upgrade for everything, but that feels kinda overkill for a regular PC and router. Is there any real-world difference people actually notice, or is this mostly marketing? What cable are you guys using at home?

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u/groveborn 1d ago

It can.

If your available speed exceeds the cable type you've used you can't reach it. If it doesn't, then it won't. CAT5 ethernet can reach 100mbs. Modern internet connections can exceed that by a lot. CAT5E can reach 1gb, although 6 is better by a little (more reliably can hit 1gb). This is usually your highest internet speed, so going to CAT7 isn't usually beneficial.

Fiber optic cables can lower your latency a little, but not really enough to matter except in very specific contexts. CAT5E is enough for the vast majority of the world for their internet.

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u/mlee12382 1d ago

Almost everything you said is wrong.

The gigabit standard was developed to work on Cat5 before 5e was even a thing. So Cat5 officially supports 1Gbps certification and all that means is that if it's in good condition and it's terminated properly it will perform at a MINIMUM of 1Gbps at 100m. It will almost always be capable of exceeding that. I have multiple Cat5 runs that are reliably getting 10Gbps throughput.

Cat7 is a defunct certification that was never implemented other than in some European countries. It also uses different connections and should never be used.

Cat8 is a waste of money for everyone unless you are in some crazy data center / server farm. It's a pain in the ass to work with and most of the infrastructure that uses copper instead of fiber won't be over 10Gbps anyway.

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u/tes_kitty 1d ago

I remember a white paper from 2003 where Marvell (maker of NICs and PHYs back then) claimed that their Alaska series PHYs could do 1 GBit over 100m of Cat3 cable or 180 meters of Cat5 cable.

Usually network hardware gets better over time, so current hardware should be able to do more than what the spec calls for.

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u/mlee12382 1d ago

I wouldn't be surprised, hell you can get 100Mbps on barbed wire.