I Spent $1100 on DisplayPort Cables… for Science!

Exactly. Yes. I'd also just say this is a low information environment. Traditionally, we'd rely on the media as a line of defense. Product reviews would tell us who to trust, what the good deals are. We trusted the media to review & find problems & surface issues in the past. But those institutions have undergone enormous revenue crunch, and there's very few left who can really go in depth & do the deep, thorough, intelligent exploration we ought trust them for. Online marketplaces in the world today are bedlam, and there are few trusted authorities. This is a general world condition, but with tech it's extra bad because when things don't work, we almost ever know why/who to blame, it's all just frustrating wizard-shit that's broken & not going, & we are left bereft utterly impotent in the face of these high tech system's mysterious failures. Honestly, I'd prefer not paying for USB-IF certification on my cables, and I don't care that none of the official logos designating certain compliances are met are embossed on my cables. But I also am a geek who will go spend 3 hours to find Benson (alas no longer active) or Linus's in-depth tech reviews[1], and who doesn't mind trying some cables (buy a couple different ones at a time), finding some not working, & returning those, to save a couple bucks at some hassle. For most people: just buy certified gear. [1] [this video] [link]