Ethernet cables - Does new = Better?

[Intervenator]

Hi all,

I have a 20-25 foot Ethernet cable connecting my PC to my router. I have no idea how old it is - all I know is that I found it in my basement about 5 years ago and have used it ever since. Will upgrading to a new one provide me with faster Internet speeds, or do all Ethernet cables function the same and there aren't generational updates? Mind you, I found it 5 years ago... It is most likely older.

I get fairly good Internet speeds with a ping of 10-12ms, download of 50-70, and upload of 4-6 (Speedtest).

Thoughts?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Shouldn't matter.

 

[razel]

At that length, if you are not experiencing problems when you a transferring files, then it won't matter. I had a 60 foot run from my DSL modem in the garage. My dumb self bought cheap but shielded ebay Shynese cable that handled 100mbs fine, but not so good at gigabit. Easy solution was just to force 100mbps, but the correct solution eventually was to buy at least Belden cables for near permanent runs. They are not expensive for us in the U.S.

 

[Intervenator]

Thanks dudes.

 

[nerp]

Depends. I was using an old cable on a machine for some time with no issues. Suddenly one day saw link speed was 100mbit. Swapped cables. Now it's gigabit. Doink.