Well ash really regardless of the whether around the person. How do you figure that gold plated is expensive and a waste of time? The gold-plated crossover cable that i purchased that was a 22FT cable was only 15$ And im sure there wouldnt be much of a hassle going online and buying one from newegg or wherever for even LESS than i payed. Having a gold plated wire will rule out ALL interference to ever be obtained by connections and host around the area and it will be mainly an investment:
Get a gold plated wire; It lasts for more years and still provides the best quality.
Get something different like copper or CAT6; will provide some sort of quality and protection with less interference but for how long and how much more effiecient than gold plated?
Im just putting this out there from experiance with over 23 different cables in my house with about 4 different connections