Cables and adapters

Buying guide

Three things decide which cable you need: the connector at each end, the length, and what it carries – just a signal, or power as well. USB-C today can carry video, data and charging at once, but that depends on the cable itself, not the shape of the connector. For a monitor, HDMI and DisplayPort can stand in for each other, though DisplayPort copes better with high refresh rates. If you need to connect lots of devices to a laptop through a single cable, a docking station or USB hub beats a bundle of separate cables.