The picture below is a light blue patch cable with a booted end. The boot extends around the RJ45 jack on the end which helps reduce the chances of the end becoming seperated to a small degree. The boot however, also tends to make unplugging the cable cumersome and will not guarantee the sheilding will not separate from the plug. I tend to avoid the booted covers.
The picture is a grey patch cable with a molded end. The price difference is usually no more than a dollar booted patch cable and well worth the $1 difference in price. I highly recommend getting the molded patch cables in either cat5e or Cat6 when purchasing new patch cables. The molded or snagless molded patch cables are easier to untangle when they get mixed together and they ensure the highspeed throughput at which the cable is rated.
USB
Many of today’s current peripherals such as printers, scanners, keyboards, some mice, wireless dongles for keyboards and mice, some external hard drives, cell phones, cameras and even microphones are usually connected with USB cables. The rectangular connection on the right side of the picture below is the end that connects to your computer. The other end varies in shape and size depending on the peripheral to which it is connecting. In this case it is designed to connect to a printer. USB cables can be purchased in lengths up to 15’, so if the cable you got with your device is too short, you can always buy a longer one. Once you exceed 15’ you may experience issues.
USB Dongles
Many people prefer wireless keyboards and mice for greater freedom. The mouse and/or keyboard require a dongle to connect to the computer if the computer does not have built in radio or Bluetooth wireless connectivity. The dongles vary in size and shape.
Power cable
Power cables for most computers and many monitors tend to look like the one below. Make sure to plug your computer into a good power strip rated for 1100 joules or more or a UPS (uninterruptable power supply) to protect your equipment from power spikes such as those caused by lightning spikes and brownouts.
Sound cable
Your speakers or headphones are typically connected with 1 slim jack. The diameter for the jack is typically 3.5 mm. Headphones and speakers are typically plugged into a green jack on the back of the computer. Microphones typically get plugged into a red jack.
Monitor connections
There are several connectors available for monitors: VGA, DVI, HDMI and Display port.
VGA
Older monitors tend to use VGA (Video Graphics Array) cables. VGA cables typically have blue ends and 15 pins in the connectors. VGA cables are fine for older systems but do not offer the same video quality capabilities of newer DVI, HDMI or Display port cables. If you have a newer monitor (such as most flat panel screens) with an option for any of these and your computer also has a newer connection you should probably use a DVI, HDMI or a display port cable.
DVI
DVI (Digital Visual Interface) cables are excellent and found on many systems. If your computer came with a 6’ cable and you need more slack, you can replace it with a cable up to 15’. 15’ is as long of a DVI cable as you want to use if your computer screen is set for a higher resolution.
The Dual Link connectors are for very high resolution screens and for splitting a link between two monitors. For most people with two monitors you are better off using two cables if possible. The connectors on both video cards and monitors varies for DVI, so make sure you check how many pins or holes each end has.
HDMI
HDMI or High Definition Multimedia Interface has many of the advantages of DVI and you can get an adapter to go from HDMI to DVI or from DVI to HDMI. HDMI can carry sound as well as video as well as networking. So if your HDMI cable is carrying sound, you can’t use the DVI adapter if. A quality cable can go nearly 50’; however degradation can occur even with a quality cable if the source isn’t capable of supporting that length. A length of 18’ is a good standard.
Display Port
Not many devices use a display port yet you may see it on some newer monitors and video cards. If you look at the HDMI connector, you can see both sides of the connector have an obtuse and acute angle. The display differs; one side of the display port connection is square and one side has an acute and obtuse angle. Display port does not carry sound like HDMI but it does display greater depth and resolution than HDMI. Currently, the improved picture quality available with display port degrades with cables greater than 6’.
ESATA
Some newer computers include ESATA connectors. If you want to plug in an external hard drive, and the drive supports an ESATA connection, this will give you your best speed. ESATA connectors typically require a power source for the drive as well.
Firewire
Firewire is more typically used for Macs than PCs but allows for faster throughput than the older USB standard for some devices such as video cameras and external hard drives. Firewire is not of significant benefit if your computer has USB 3.0 ports.
Older Computer Cables
PS/2
PS/2 or Personal System 2 ports are used for some older keyboards and mice. Green connectors are typically for mice and purple ends for keyboards. The PS/2 Connectors are round. If your mouse still uses a PS/2 connector it might be time to consider upgrading your mouse and/or PC (if the PC is as old as your mouse).
Serial Cable
Serial connectors have 9 pins and were used for some modems and mice. If you are using a modem or mouse that uses a serial connector it is definitely time for a new system (and mouse). Modern computers do not have serial connectors.
Parallel Cable
Parallel cables were once used to connect printers. If you are using a parallel printer, it is time to replace your printer and computer. Modern printers and computers don’t have parallel interfaces. Modern printers use USB, network cables or wireless connections.
Modem
Old dial up modems use phone lines for connectivity. The dial up modems use regular RJ11 phone connectors. Some people still use these for faxing to their PC. If you are using a dial up modem to connect to the internet, you might want to consider FIOS (if available), cable modems or DSL modems for much faster access to the Internet.
SCSI
Older scanners used SCSI or Small Computer System Interface cables to connect the scanner to their computer. Chances are if you are still using a SCSI cable to connect to your scanner you may need to upgrade your scanner and/or your computer.
Organizing
An excellent way of organizing your cables is with Velcro. Velcro allows you to easily gather the cables and untie them should you need to move a cable or replace one.
Labeler
While you can buy an expensive labeler specially made for labeling cables, I would get a standard multipurpose brother p-touch for labeling your cables. You can get one for anywhere from $10 on sale to $120. If you label the end of the cable that goes to your computer, you won’t have to trace the cable to find out what it connects to the computer.
Set Up Tips 
