If you’re a gamer, then speed should be your bread and butter! And nothing is best than a wired ethernet connection for gaming-related stuff.
But there are a lot of choices of ethernet cables; they are different in speed, data transmission rate, and finally, price.
CAT 5e is one of them. There are a lot of myths about that version, so if you’re a gamer, I’ll going to clear all your doubts in this post.
So, Is CAT5e Ethernet Cable Good for Gaming?
CAT 5e Ethernet Cable is a great choice for gamers, as it serves 1Gbps of speed and it is not expensive. People often talk about high-speed ethernet, but gaming doesn’t require a lot of internet speed, so cat5e is sufficient. But, if you have a lot of high-volt power sources close to your ethernet, then shielded cat6 or cat6a would be a better option.
Also, if you’re from an area with high RF/EF interference, then at least use CAT 6 or CAT 6a, or you can also use CAT 5e STP or Shielded Twisted Pairs to reduce Electromagnetic Interference.
Moreover, CAT 5e cables are quite old, so it is also not futureproofed. Hence, it is suggested nowadays that you use CAT 6 or CAT 6a to make your setup futureproof.
Lastly, if you already have an ethernet cable, a cat 5e, and you’re stuffing with slow internet speed, you should also ensure other equipment like a router, internet pack, usage, and others, and don’t forget about electrical interference too.
Speed and Other Specs of CAT 5e
Here are the main specs of CAT 5e ethernet.
| Speed | 1000 Mbps or 1 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 100 MHz |
| PoE | NO |
These specs describe cat5e as overall an okay ethernet cable for general to high usage, and this cable is also widely popular for wiring.
Note: If you’re a normal gamer and 1gbps is enough for you and there is not much interference near you, then there will be hardly any issues with CAT 5e.
Why is CAT 5e Ethernet Cable Good or Bad for Gaming?
If you look at the specifications of CAT 5e ethernet cable, there are both good and bad. So I’ve only written a few crucial points to make it easy and helpful for you to understand and select the best cable type.
#Can Handle 1Gbps Speed
CAT 5e can handle 1000mbps or 1gbps internet speed, which can support the gigabit ethernet speed. And 1gbps is a huge speed that can easily manage most of your gaming.
Usually, normal gaming doesn’t need a lot of internet speed; you can play most high-end online games with just 20-30 Mbps internet speed.
Hence, after calculating other internet usages of your house, if you are confident that 1gbps or less than that is enough, then go with it.
So if you’re a passionate gamer, you can go with CAT 5e; the bandwidth of cat5e cables is 100 MHz, which is, again, okay.
#Inexpensive
The biggest advantage of CAT 5e ethernet cables is it is inexpensive compared to other categories of ethernet.
Thus, if you’re running Cat5e in your house, it will save a lot of your money. You can get 1000ft cat5e ethernet cables for bulk use just for $99 from here on Monoprice.
In comparison, Cat 6 and Cat 6a bulk ethernet cables can cost you more than $200. So you can understand how cheap it is.
#Not Futureproof
Futureproofing is a big thing when it comes to the fact of house wiring. Especially if the house structure is quite difficult to replace old cables, you have to be more careful about the cables and wiring.
And the way internet is growing, we are having more internet speed day by day, so looking at this thing, you may find cat5e ethernet cables are a bit old and not futureproofed.
Thus nowadays, most people prefer using CAT 6 or even more powerful CAT 6a to make their internet wiring futureproof.
CAT6 has a higher speed and bandwidth rate than CAT 5e. Although there are higher versions like CAT 7 and CAT 8, they might be overkill.
#Low EMI Eliminating Capability
Ethernet cables are always subject to electromagnetic interferences, thus, with every upgrade, we see more shielding, but cat5e is not that great for eliminating the EMI.
So if there is a lot of electromagnetic interference, it will affect your latency and reduce the speed; thus, you’ll end up with a bad gaming experience.
Here is a post about ethernet shielding so you can check it out. However, you can use STP CAT 5e or Shielded Twisted Pairs CAT5e to eliminate EMI.
For high interference spaces, CAT6 or CAT 6a is recommended; here are a few great CAT 6a ethernet cables that you can check on amazon.
Is CAT 5e Good for Gaming Consoles?
YES! CAT 5e works perfectly with gaming consoles like Xbox, PS4, PS5, and others. And the cat5e can also serve a good internet speed for your consistent gaming skills. It is also less expensive.
Consoles don’t use a lot of internet speed like PC gaming, but again, if you have EMI near you, it can affect latency; thus, it is better and bitter to say that CAT 6 or CAT 6a should be the best choice nowadays.
It is also suggested before buying the cable, you should also check your device’s compatibility and other stuff as well.
