Are generic component cables equal to OEM component cables?

Are the generic component cables equal to official OEM cables? I remember on the Gamecube, you had to buy OEM component cables because of some chip in the cable.

If you need some high quality component cables for much cheaper than OEM, go to monoprice.com They have almost everything available. You shouldn't be let down

I love monoprice, but the Wii component cables I got from them back in 2006 were defective (lots of pixelization and lines in the picture), as were the replacements. Probably just a bad batch though. After the 2nd bad set I just got a refund and bought the first party ones. But I've had great look with HDMI cables, optical cables etc. from the, so that's probably the best and cheapest option for decent cables. And I just had bad luck with their first batch of Wii cables back in the day.

Similarly, when I rebought a Wii in November I went with an off brand from best buy that was $5 cheaper and though the picture looked a little soft. End up returning those and getting the Nintendo ones. Did seem a bit better, but think it was mostly that the new Zelda just looks like ass on my HDTV.

[quote name='iamsobroke']If you need some high quality component cables for much cheaper than OEM, go to monoprice.com They have almost everything available. You shouldn't be let down[/QUOTE]

I really wish people would stop mentioning mono cable when they don't know what OP is asking. And yes for gamecube you need the official cable

[quote name='62t']I really wish people would stop mentioning mono cable when they don't know what OP is asking. And yes for gamecube you need the official cable[/QUOTE]

I know for the Gamecube you need official cables but it sounds like for the Wii you dont.

I ended up going with some $6 cables from Amazon. Over 300 reviews, 4.5 stars average.

[quote name='62t']I really wish people would stop mentioning mono cable when they don't know what OP is asking. And yes for gamecube you need the official cable[/QUOTE]

Huh? Monoprice makes a component cable for the Wii, and that's what the OP was asking for. At least I assume since this is the Wii forum.

It goes for. $2.72 currently.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10830&cs_id=1083007&p_id=6499&seq=1&format=2

oops I accidently read that he was looking for gamecube cable.

Quality does matter for component since they're analog cables. HDMI is digital and bits are bits so it doesn't matter what ones you buy, they're all the same as long as they work. So, don't just buy the cheapest component cables, find something that's well reviewed like the ones mentioned above from Amazon.

Monoprice stuff is very cheap, but usually very good quality. Just cheap as they don't advertise really or sell in stores etc.

Point being, don't be deterred by their low prices. And if you have bad luck like I did, their customer service is very good.

Not everything monoprice is good. I bought an Xbox VGA cable from them a few years back and it was pretty horrendously bad. After I switched to the official microsoft cable I got great results. Having said that, the monoprice Wii component cable I recommended to my nephews seems to work fine. So I think you're fine with it.

Maybe you just had bad luck and got a bad one like I did with my Wii component cables?

I have the monoprice Wii cables and they work just fine on my HDTV. However I bought a A/V cord from them and it was horrible, I had it exchanged once and the same problems occured with the second one. Then I found some A/V cords for $3 at a store here which are working fine.

I got component cables from Deal Extreme and they were pretty good. Just throwing that option out there

Monoprice is another import company, for what it's worth. They sell cheaply made imported goods from Hong Kong, redistributed through their offices in Rancho Cucamanga, CA. Their payroll only consists of 50-99 people, and their execs are Sean and Jong Lee.

Yes they are another import company, there are many of these these days, dealextreme, ebay, meritline just to name a few but they seem to have better customer service and you get your stuff faster than ordering directly from a chinese online retailer like dealextreme. The stuff in the retail stores is still made in china, and honestly its the same goods in a fancy packaging for a lot of things (not everything though). Do I want to pay a 80% markup on cables to a big box retailer that does not give a care and just wants to charge me more or do I get them from monoprice for less, the cables from monoprice work just as good if not better than the ones sold in retail stores. Monoprice is doing a better job of keeping my business than most B&M retailers in the USA. They also seem to have some quality control amongst their products moreso than other import websites.

Monoprice has also managed to produce an apple synch/charge cable that actually does not tear and costs wayyy less than the official apple one. The official apple cables tear in a month or 2 and cost $20 each but monoprice has managed to produce a superior product that works BETTER than the original. Now I don't know if monoprice currently has them in stock since I bought mine a few months ago but the one I have is a black one with the monoprice logo on it.

Yeah, I don't care about import or not. I'm not patriotic in any way, shape or form. And as Sara noted, everything like cables are made in China anyway, regardless of where you buy from. So why pay more for the same quality cables marked up with somebrand name slapped on them? Especially for things like HDMI where cable quality doesn't matter since it's digital signal that either gets through or doesn't?

Other than the Wii component cables, all the cables I've got from Monoprice have worked great, been cheap as hell and shipped fast. And the customer service was very good when I had problems with the Wii cables.

I agree, lots of stuff is made in China and suffers from heinous mark-up. I just do research, and I try to buy US-based products exclusively to help our failing economy. To each his/her own.

I'm going to check out their iPhone cables. I could use a new one. I have a couple that are getting frayed. Might as well give the Monoprice ones a shot.

EDIT: yep they have them in stock. Ordered a couple. $10.40 shipped for two! They even have 6' and 10' cables.

[quote name='62t']oops I accidently read that he was looking for gamecube cable.[/QUOTE]


Still wish a company would make a 3rd party component cable for the Gamecube. Maybe reverse engineer a Wii component cable to work with a Gamecube. (

You can get an extension cable from monoprice that will make any apple cable longer, of course most of you guys probably know this but that was just me finding yet another use for USB extension cables which seem to be an incredibly handy cable to have around the house. The cable still charges normally even with the extension.

Audio cables seem to vary in quality, I just somehow tore that $3 cable I mentioned above (it started to static), but I went back to the same store and they had audio cords for 1.79 each so I stocked up! That makes 2 audio cords that have stopped working on me due to static.