What are the best ethernet cables

who makes the best (most reliable, highest quality) cables?

That would be you if you have the time and tools to do so. But stripping the wire and crimping the connectors well takes some patience and experience.

Still, your cables will likely be better quality than the machine made stuff at the store.

There are countless companies that all claim to make the best quality cable. I have no idea how you would narrow it down to 3-4 options. Chances are, the brands that you choose are spending a lot of money on marketing and advertising, not to mention the fancy packaging, so you need to keep in mind that all those costs are all rolled into the product.

One well known brand sponsors rock concerts. I wonder how they manage to pay for them. Maybe that's the reason those cables cost more than others.

It's quite possible that a "no name" brand's product just might be as good as the "big name" product which sells for twice as much money. After all, copper wire is copper wire. But, the manufacturer's won't tell you that.

My advice would be to use CAT5e, which will allow Gigabit signals at over 300+ feet with virtually no loss. CAT6 will handle even higher speeds. Using CAT6 on the newer Mac products won't provide better performance than CAT5e, but it won't hurt either. It's up to you.

How do you define best? If cost is not really a concern, I'd recommend making your own. In the long run it's cheaper, but you do have the initial outlay of cash to buy a crimper. You can pick up a decent one on eBay affordably, along with some connectors.

The big advantage I find is that it allows you to make a cable to whatever length you desire. This really cuts down on cable clutter. Also, it's easier to run the cable through a wall if it doesn't already have a connector attached to it.

I'd also recommend sticking with CAT5e cable for most applications. If you want to run it through walls to the rest of your home, you might want to use CAT6 so you don't have to re-wire if at some point it offers better advantages over CAT5e.

If you want to run it through walls to the rest of your home, you might want to use CAT6 so you don't have to re-wire if at some point it offers better advantages over CAT5e.

Good point if one is re-wiring the house and one wants to future proof...at least in terms of cable.

CAT6 cable is somewhat stiffer than 5e, and it will not bend nearly as sharply, so you have to be careful in the tight spots and around the corners with CAT6.

I would use caution with CAT5 cabling because the specification for this type of wire is 10/100 Ethernet/Fast Ethernet. It might work over short lengths for Gigabit Ethernet.

CAT5e will handle Gigabit Ethernet as part of the specification, so it is rated for 10/100/1000 Ethernet/Fast Ethernet/Gigabit Ethernet