StarTech MXT101MMHQ50 50-Foot High-Quality VGA Monitor Cable

Overview

The StarTech MXT101MMHQ50 is a 50-foot (15.2 m) VGA-to-VGA cable built for installations where display signal integrity over longer runs actually matters. Analog video degrades with distance — poor shielding and off-spec impedance are the root causes of the ghosting, color bleed, and noise that plague cheap VGA runs. StarTech addresses both with a 75-ohm coaxial construction, aluminum-mylar foil combined with a braid shield, and a single ferrite core. The result is a cable you can run across a control room, server rack area, or conference space without the image artifacts that push installers to add signal amplifiers they shouldn't need.

For any deployment where a VGA display cable needs to span 50 feet cleanly — digital signage controllers, analog CCTV monitors, KVM console runs, or legacy video wall inputs — this cable is worth specifying over unbranded alternatives.

Key Features

• 75-Ohm Impedance per Conductor: VGA signals are designed around 75-ohm coaxial video lines. A cable that deviates causes impedance mismatch reflections, visible as ghosting or soft edges on screen — especially noticeable at higher resolutions. Matching impedance at 75 ohms keeps the signal waveform clean across the full 50-foot run.
• Aluminum-Mylar Foil + Braid Shield: Double shielding is what separates a professional cable from a commodity one on longer runs. The foil layer covers 100% of the conductor surface to block high-frequency EMI; the braid adds mechanical durability and handles lower-frequency noise. In environments with power cabling, motors, or fluorescent lighting running parallel, this combination is not optional — it's the difference between a stable image and a rolling interference pattern.
• Single Ferrite Core: The ferrite bead suppresses common-mode noise that gets induced along the cable run — particularly relevant when the cable passes near switching power supplies, uninterruptible power supplies, or other EMI sources common in IT closets and control rooms. One ferrite is included; you won't need to source one separately.
• 28 AWG Wire Gauge: 28 AWG is the correct gauge for a 50-foot VGA run — fine enough to stay flexible for routing through conduit or cable management arms, but heavy enough to maintain signal fidelity over the distance. Cheaper cables use thinner conductors that increase resistance and degrade image quality at this length.
• 14 Conductors: The full VGA pinout requires 14 active conductors — 5 coaxial lines for the three RGB video signals plus horizontal and vertical sync, plus 9 additional lines for DDC, power, and ground. This cable carries all 14, so monitor EDID communication (the handshake that tells the source what resolutions the display supports) works correctly. Cables with fewer conductors can cause plug-and-play detection failures or force you to manually set resolution.
• 9mm Cable OD / PVC Jacket: The 0.4-inch outer diameter is manageable through standard cable management channels and conduit — not so thin it feels fragile, not so thick it fights with other cables in a bundle. The PVC jacket handles the 0–60°C operating range and resists the abrasion common in floor-routed or wall-chased installations.
• CMG Fire Rating (UL2919): CMG (Communications Multipurpose Cable, General Use) is a UL-listed fire rating required in many commercial building codes for cables run inside walls, through plenum ceilings, or in conduit. The UL2919 listing means this cable can be specified into commercial construction projects without triggering a code violation or a costly rip-and-replace during inspection.
• Nickel-Plated Connectors: Nickel plating on the 15-pin HD D-Sub connectors resists oxidation better than bare copper. On a cable that may stay connected for years in a fixed installation, connector corrosion is a real failure mode — nickel plating extends service life without the cost of gold plating.
• Operating Range 0–60°C / Storage -20–80°C: The operating temperature range covers any reasonable indoor environment. The storage range means this cable can be warehoused in an unconditioned space or shipped during summer without compromising the jacket or insulation integrity before installation.
• 3.1 lb (1.4 kg) Cable Weight: At 50 feet, cable weight matters for overhead routing. 3.1 lbs is light enough to suspend from a cable tray without additional strain relief, but plan for support points every 5–6 feet if routing along a ceiling or through a cable arm — unsupported weight over long horizontal spans stresses the connectors.

Integration and Compatibility

The MXT101MMHQ50 uses standard 15-pin HD D-Sub (DE-15) connectors on both ends, compatible with virtually any VGA source or display manufactured in the last 25 years — graphics cards, KVM switches, video matrix outputs, analog CCTV DVR outputs, projectors, and monitors. The full 14-conductor construction ensures compatibility with DDC/CI and EDID monitor communication protocols, so automatic resolution detection works as expected.

This cable is not an active extender and carries no signal amplification. At 50 feet with proper 75-ohm construction and the included shielding, passive performance is adequate for standard VGA resolutions up to 1920×1200 in typical environments. For runs beyond 50 feet, or environments with extreme EMI, pair this with a VGA signal extender. If you are specifying display connectivity for a new installation, also consider reviewing your video cable options — HDMI or DisplayPort may be more appropriate for sources that support digital output.

For control room and security monitoring environments specifically, integrators often specify this alongside KVM switches and video distribution amplifiers — keeping the analog signal path consistent from source to display without introducing additional conversion stages.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will the MXT101MMHQ50 support full 1920×1200 resolution at 50 feet?

A: Yes, in most standard environments. The 75-ohm impedance-matched construction and dual shielding (aluminum-mylar foil + braid) are specifically designed to maintain signal integrity over longer analog runs. Actual performance depends on the quality of the source and display, and the presence of nearby EMI sources — the included ferrite core helps mitigate common noise sources.

Q: Is the MXT101MMHQ50 safe to run inside walls or through conduit in a commercial building?

A: The cable carries a CMG (Communications Multipurpose Cable, General Use) fire rating and is UL2919 listed, which satisfies general-use commercial building wiring requirements in most jurisdictions. Verify with your local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) if your installation requires a higher rating such as CMP (plenum-rated).

Q: Does this cable support monitor plug-and-play / EDID communication?

A: Yes. The MXT101MMHQ50 includes all 14 conductors required by the full VGA pinout, including the DDC lines that carry EDID data between display and source. This allows the source device to automatically detect supported resolutions — cables with fewer conductors can break this handshake.

Q: Is this cable suitable for outdoor use?

A: No. The PVC jacket and 0–60°C operating temperature range are specified for indoor commercial use. The cable is not rated for direct UV exposure, moisture, or temperature extremes typical of outdoor environments.

Q: What is the outer diameter of the MXT101MMHQ50, and will it fit standard cable management?

A: The cable OD is 0.4 inches (9mm), which fits standard cable management channels, D-rings, and most conduit used in commercial AV and IT installations.

Ted Perry

I get asked to specify VGA cables for legacy display runs more often than you'd expect — CCTV monitor walls, analog DVR outputs, and KVM console stations that aren't getting replaced anytime soon. The MXT101MMHQ50 is the cable I reach for when the run is 50 feet and image quality actually matters. The 75-ohm impedance spec is what separates it from generic VGA cables — at this length, impedance mismatch shows up as a visible ghost image offset to the right of text and edges, and you'll spend more time troubleshooting it than the cable is worth.

Technical Highlights:

• Dual Shielding (Foil + Braid): The aluminum-mylar foil handles high-frequency EMI with 100% coverage; the braid layer handles low-frequency interference and physical flex cycles. For runs near power distribution panels or fluorescent lighting — common in server rooms and control rooms — this combination eliminates the rolling interference you get from single-shield cables.
• 14-Conductor Construction: All VGA DDC/EDID lines are present, so monitor auto-detection works without manual resolution forcing. Cables that cut corners drop some of these conductors, which breaks plug-and-play and causes headaches during setup that are easy to avoid by specifying correctly.
• CMG / UL2919 Rating: If you are running this inside a wall or through conduit in a commercial building, the UL2919 listing is what keeps this cable compliant with general-use NEC requirements. It is not plenum-rated — if you are above a drop ceiling in a shared air-handling space, you need CMP, not CMG.

Deployment Considerations:

• At 3.1 lbs over 50 feet, plan support points every 5–6 feet on overhead horizontal runs — unsupported cable weight stresses the connector shells at both ends and is the most common failure mode on longer runs in ceiling cable trays.
• This is a passive cable — no signal amplification. At exactly 50 feet in a clean environment, performance is solid. If your run is longer, or if the cable path passes through a dense EMI zone (UPS room, motor control panel), budget for a VGA signal extender rather than pushing the cable beyond its passive design range.

For a fixed 50-foot VGA run from a KVM switch or DVR output to a dedicated monitor station in a control room or security operations center, the MXT101MMHQ50 is the right passive cable to specify — full conductor count, proper shielding, code-compliant fire rating, and impedance-matched construction that keeps the image stable without amplification.