The Cat6 cable is installed correctly.
The Cat6 cable is installed correctly.
Viewing from above (the side with the metal contacts), the wires should run in this order: White-Orange Orange White-Green Blue White-Blue Green White-Brown Brown. If you used the "EZ RJ" style connectors, ensure the cuts are precise and the ends are smooth. A dull or misaligned blade may push the wires together instead of cutting them cleanly, causing them to overlap. The connector appears acceptable. Does the main board receive a full Gigabit Ethernet link with this cable, or is it limited to 100 meg? This might indicate a problem since Gigabit requires all four pairs while 10/100 only needs two. Does the faulty board connect properly with another cable? *Yes, I’m familiar with the A standard, which reverses the orange and green pairs.*
I completely stopped using those pass-through connectors. They seem simpler but cause issues. The wiring problems you mentioned are real. I’ve also run into jacks that don’t fit properly—hard to tell which part is the problem. Everything works fine with the standard ends. @DSD27 I’m not sure if you own a cable tester, but these are affordable. They’re not flawless; you might still get a poor connection and pass them, but they help check if your wires are connected correctly and show continuity. You can find them for around $10. I’ve been using a budget model for years to test the cables I quickly make before installation.
The device also functions with a different connection. The particular setup doesn't support it. This cable fits an ASRock Fatal1ty B450 Gaming K4 but isn't recognized by a Maximus VI Hero, which is an older model. It seems this might just be a coincidence and the cable failed right when I swapped the PCs.
Discovered the issue. The cable snaps into position, but it must be pushed inward by about one millimeter for a proper connection. Asus boards tend to reject these bigger plastic connectors.
Are those the connection points? (The parts where the wires exit clearly.) I’ve discovered these cause issues, like this one. I’ve stopped using them. There are also connectors that simply don’t fit.
From your photos it's tricky to tell, but they likely are pass-through connectors. You can identify them by checking the end where the wires meet inside the connector. If you see or can touch the exposed copper or insulation, it’s a pass-through. When the plastic is completely sealed, it’s a non-pass-through. I usually go for pass-throughs (EZs) now, but some RJ45 sockets seem to reject them for a reason. The small bump near the end probably causes the problem.