The connector was standardised. What runs through it was not, and that is why a drawer of identical cables behaves in six different ways.
What varies
- Power: 60W without an e-marker chip, up to 240W with one.
- Data: 480Mbps at the bottom, 80Gbps at the top — a factor of one hundred and sixty.
- Video: some cables carry DisplayPort, some do not, and the connector is identical.
How to tell
You usually cannot, which is the problem. The specification allows markings and does not require them, so almost nobody prints them.
We print the rating on the shell of both ends. It costs a fraction of a penny per cable and removes an entire category of support ticket.
A rule of thumb
If a cable came free in a box, assume 60W and 480Mbps. If it is thin and a metre and a half long, assume it is not carrying video. And if it is not marked, keep it for charging a toothbrush.
