# Which Ethernet Cable is best?



## lghtscamera (Nov 16, 2010)

I am in need of a new ethernet cable and am unsure which type to buy. I have a mid 2009 (June) Macbook Pro with 10.5 OS. I don't know if I should get a cat 5e, 5, or 6 ethernet chord and have been unable to find an answer online! Please help me out! Thanks!


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## clyde123 (Apr 10, 2008)

Certainly don't buy a Cat 5.
If you want gigabit (1000) speed on your network, get Cat 6.
Otherwise Cat 5e.
That said, I don't know Macs, but surely they can't be any different from real computers ?


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## scottsee (Feb 28, 2007)

IEEE Ethernet standards are all the same between vendors, and all use auto negotiaion for speed and duplex. So it really doesn't matter, so just get Cat6.


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## Lead3 (Jun 14, 2006)

It depends on the length of run. I am using 100ft of CAT 5e for a gigabit network and it works fine and is within the CAT 5e specs.

How long is your cable run?


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## scottsee (Feb 28, 2007)

Why? Ethernet UTP 100baseT and UTP 1000baseT all have a maximum length of 100 meters. The price difference between Cat5e and Cat6 is negligible.


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