New hdmi cords keep dying (Desktop PC)

[B8rad88]

Hi. I had an HDMI cord for my PC for over a year and it started flickering one day. It would turn black for a sec or 2 and then resume. It started happening frequently and then just died. I tested the cable on multiple things to my TV and confirmed the cable was shot. I just bought a new cable and its happening again after like a month, turning the screen black for a couple of seconds randomly throughout the day. I have even reformatted my PC. Why would this happen? Is my video card going out or shorting out? I don’t have any sound going to or through the monitor so I don’t know what else it would be or why this would happen? What should I do?

 

[Archaic59]

Look for bent pins in the sockets.

 

[Uberragen21]

Don't buy cheap ass cables/parts... We all look for deals when it comes to electronics and some of those "deals" look awesome, but... I've come across many instances of cheap ass power supplies (for laptops) and iPads/iPhones that absolutely kill the battery. Cheap cables/adapters often go bad very quickly. Many of these inferior parts are made in Asia where quality control is non-existent. When a cable or adapter fails after a few weeks or months and you keep buying cheap ass replacements you will start to wonder if you could have saved money by buying the OEM cable to begin with.

Take it from an IT professional and bite the bullet. Spend a little more money on a brand name or better brand part/cable and you will often be rewarded with years of trouble-free operation.

 

[B8rad88]

Look for bent pins in the sockets.

Thanks for the suggestion, but after inspecting all of the sockets on the monitor, New cable, Old cable, and video card they appear to not be damaged at all. I'm actually using one of the cables right now; as the flickering is random, and not too frequent (yet). So I don't think it is a bent pin or a loose connection since even if I'm reading at my desk and nothing moves I have seen it go off for a sec and back to normal a couple times in a row.

 

[B8rad88]

Don't buy cheap ass cables/parts... We all look for deals when it comes to electronics and some of those "deals" look awesome, but... I've come across many instances of cheap ass power supplies (for laptops) and iPads/iPhones that absolutely kill the battery. Cheap cables/adapters often go bad very quickly. Many of these inferior parts are made in Asia where quality control is non-existent. When a cable or adapter fails after a few weeks or months and you keep buying cheap ass replacements you will start to wonder if you could have saved money by buying the OEM cable to begin with.

Take it from an IT professional and bite the bullet. Spend a little more money on a brand name or better brand part/cable and you will often be rewarded with years of trouble-free operation.

Thanks for the advice. My first cable was a Sony OEM HDMI cable from a PS3 and my second is a GE HDMI cable that wasn't to cheap. Any suggestions to a better cable? I watched the Linus tech tips episode on HDMI cables and he said that quality rarely matters in these cables? So I know you think I should buy an expensive cable but if it not the cables fault and it dies again because of something else I'm gonna be pretty sad. I don't think this one should be doing the same thing after a month regardless of quality so that's just why I ask.

 

[Uberragen21]

The Sony HDMI cable is surprising to hear it failed, but not surprising about the GE cable. GE often brands their stuff on cheap parts in partnership with other manufacturers. You don't have to pay out the nose to get quality, just be picky about who you buy from. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. Also be suspicious of falsely advertised "brand name" products online selling for cheap. 10 to 1 it's a knockoff.