22
submitted 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) by inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world to c/pcgaming@lemmy.world

So recently had the ability to work from home a bit more than usual so I'm in the market for a KVM or USB switch to go between my PC and work laptop. Anyone have suggestions?

ETA. Thanks for all of the useful feedback, appreciate it!

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] catloaf@lemm.ee 6 points 6 months ago

What's your budget and feature requirements? You can get a cheap USB switch for like $12, or a 4k multi-display KVM for like $2000.

[-] inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 5 points 6 months ago

Sure. Sub $200 is what I'm looking at. Something that can handle multiple 1440p ultrawides with good USB 3.0 support.

[-] NedPool@eviltoast.org 9 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

As someone that works in AV for exactly your type of scenario.. you unfortunately won't find anything that supports >1080p60 for under $500. That type of video bandwidth is at a premium for switching on KVMs, matrixes, eg. Good USB 3 support is unfortunately expensive, too.

Expect lots of noticeable lag, too. Switches aren't engineered for gaming yet.

[-] inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

That's a shame. I was thinking that I could get along with just a USB switch for the mouse and keyboard and manually switching displays when needed as the bare minimum. I can't imagine a simple USB switch would have that much delay in response time for peripherals but who knows.

Either way thanks for the great input.

multiple 1440p ultrawides

Yeah that won't be cheap. https://www.store.level1techs.com/products/p/14-kvm-switch-dual-monitor-2computer-z5erd-n6mbj

Might I suggest a USB switcher, a hub, and just changing inputs on the monitor?

[-] inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago

Yeah, as I keep looking that's what it seems like it's the best choice to continue to game and be productive, which is fine by me, not that hard to switch inputs on a monitor.

[-] astrsk@piefed.social 4 points 6 months ago

Check out ddcutil and setting keyboard shortcuts. At a single press you can switch monitor inputs easily so no need to fiddle with monitor buttons. Combined with a USB switcher you’re down to just 2 button presses to swap machines like this.

[-] catloaf@lemm.ee 3 points 6 months ago

You're not gonna get that for under $200.

https://www.kvm-switches-online.com/cs1942dp.html

If you can verify you can use MST or displayport passthrough, you can get one for a bit over $200: https://www.kvm-switches-online.com/cs1922.html

I would verify your video and USB bandwidth requirements will work with those before purchasing. You may need to go up a model level if you're going to be pushing a lot of data.

this post was submitted on 30 Apr 2024
22 points (95.8% liked)

PCGaming

6497 readers
2 users here now

Rule 0: Be civil

Rule #1: No spam, porn, or facilitating piracy

Rule #2: No advertisements

Rule #3: No memes, PCMR language, or low-effort posts/comments

Rule #4: No tech support or game help questions

Rule #5: No questions about building/buying computers, hardware, peripherals, furniture, etc.

Rule #6: No game suggestions, friend requests, surveys, or begging.

Rule #7: No Let's Plays, streams, highlight reels/montages, random videos or shorts

Rule #8: No off-topic posts/comments

Rule #9: Use the original source, no editorialized titles, no duplicates

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS