KVMs are rare in DCs today. Most are using IPMI and/or the vendor proprietary systems like iDRAC. For the rare times that fails, usually a mobile 'crash cart' with a display and keyboard is rolled up to the server and plugged in.
I battled with this as well, and ended up buying a wireless mouse and keyboard that allows for up to 3 connections, and a monitor that has 3 video input ports. When I needed to switch, I'd just press a button on the mouse, on the keyboard, and select the correct input device on the monitor in a few button presses. Not so seamless, but still quite doable.
@@simonkaran Sure, the mouse is Logitech MX Vertical and the keyboard is Logitech MX Keys Mini. But most of the newer bluetooth peripherals should support multi device connectivity, just check it beforehand. Logitech has the additional advantage of supporting a dongle connection which (in my experience) has better latency and less signal noise.
why the DP KVM switches from Level1Techs don't even have EDID emulator built-in can be the finalist one? It's HDMI models are good, but not the DP models.
You've 100% captured the plight of enthusiasts. I just removed my dual DP1.2 KVM and dual 27" 4k monitors to use the new dell 40" Ultrawide and its built in KVM. In some cases it's better, others not so much.
You are so funny and yet very technical. I really enjoyed this video and the straightforwardness saying it is not all fun, and yet you got it to work. Hope you produce more of these videos. Take Care.
This sounds like quite the pain. I saw someone recommending Synergy and I couldn't agree more. Sure, you need an extra screen, but it gives you a seamless switching of computers as is they were one machine with more screens. Used it like that for a few years at work and it was great - one monitor PC, one monitor Mac, and I just moved my mouse between screens like it was one machine. Glorious And you retain all hardware benefits like Gsync because of the monitors being connected to the computers directly.
There is a fourth solution, not right for every situation, but could be cheaper than a high end KVM. If you attach a monitor to each computer, you can share one keyboard and mouse between them using an app like Synergy, x2x, or one of several similar tools. The software lets the mouse virtually move off the side of one monitor, and onto the next monitor, the keyboard input follows the mouse focus. This also can enable clipboard sharing between your computers.
@@tomazzaman This option has a monitor connected directly to each computer, the monitors are not shared. eg, the left monitor is always your Mac, and the right monitor is always Windows (or Linux). Synergy lets your keyboard, mouse and clipboard move between the computers as if it's one continuous desktop/workspace. You select the monitor that has the features you want for each computer/use case, Gsync, Freesync, 240Hz, HDR, any available monitor, dedicated to one computer. Only the keyboard and mouse is shared between the computers. It's not right for every use case. But depending on the requirements, the choice could be $700 in KVM/Cables, vs a second monitor at maybe less than $700.
I went through these troubles too, and I decided that it wasn't worth it anymore. I always had some kind of KVM. In the VGA years it was very easy, a cheap KVM could solve your problems without glitches... Then DVI and higher resolutions came out, and I had to change but things started getting expensive but still easy because all monitors were 60Hz max. Then HDMI and DP came out, resolutions increased again and so did the price of updated KVM. My last KVM was an Aten with 1440p/60Hz support (400€ at the time) but when I upgraded to a 4k/144Hz monitor with DP and HDMI the expensive KVM was useless again. So I chose a monitor with a built in KVM, the Gigabyte AORUS FV43U but I had a problem: the built in KVM was working only between the regular ports and the USB-C DP port for the laptop so I got a simple USB switch and even if now I have to press 2 buttons (one on the monitor remote for video input switch and one on the USB switch for keyboard and mouse) I have no problem with that... And my monitor works flawlessly and I don't have to worry about the future if and when standards change
I used to have a connect pro 3monitor kvm for switching between my personal desktop and work computers, but after a while i just got fed up with the random issues I was having and unified under a single linux system for gaming and work! Much better experience than trying to swap between systems.
I connected one.computer via HDMI, second via Display Port and I'm using Logitech keyboard that supports 3 devices. When I want to switch to another computer, I just press a key on the keyboard and pick a dofferent onput source on the monitor (Dell display, so you can custom map two buttons on front to twp input sources). Super easy and quick and absolutely no extra cost.
I have some how similar problem and I mange to resolve it by getting a monitor with nearly two of everything - USB 3 connectors compatible with Thunderbolt standard, HDMI ports and DisplayPort. The only thing that causes problem is the DisplayPort due to the initial handshake that is happening between the device and monitor. The other mild inconvenience is that I need to switch manually the USB 3 connection to start using the peripherals. I need to clarify that I am not constantly switching between active systems, just between an active and powered off one. I am not quite sure that I need a KVM, cause I only need to switch the peripherals where are connected and been able to power other devices at hands reach. Great explanation and troubleshooting! I really enjoy your videos and you even remind me of one of my cool beard-glasses colleague at work with the same smile and attitude to everything. Keep going!
I happily use a monitor with HDMI for Mac and DisplayPort for Windows. I have to manually select the input. As for the keyboard and mouse, I use a USB Switch (like Aten USB 3.2 Gen1 Peripheral Sharing Switch), so I have to switch them manually and separately from the monitor. But it's OK if it's one or two times a day. Thanks for the video!
Yeah, I was doing that for a while as well, but since I've started working on the router, I now need to switch like 10-15 times a day, and for that I prefer the double middle mouse click now :)
Datacentres I’ve worked in tend to have a trolley with a monitor, keyboard and mouse on them which gets plugged in when needed. Most of the time it’s iLo or iRac etc
Hey, I love your channel. I am sorry to break it up for you - we nonlonger use KVM in data centers. Majority of modern servers have either Ilo for hp, iDrac fir Dell, BMC IPMI for supermicro, etc. which allo in parallel full diagnostic and remote console. Today there is also a Raspberry pi based pcie card which allows remote console for a plain pc. I still love your content! Greetings from Serbia
@@tomazzaman i am really a magnet to things like this. my wife always calls this "sunspot-problems" (as this problems seem so random, they must have been caused by sunpsots or space-background-noise or something...). my current hate-problem of choice is the 10g-aquantia-chip in my asus-x670e-ProArt. the NIC just drops out randomly (BUT only in ~1 of 10 occurrences it really "looses" the link). this state does not recover by itself, so you really have to rmmod/modprobe the kernel module to bring up the interface again. this is driving my crazy. i am pretty sure this is a hardware-issue (or at least a firmware-issue), as others with the same mainboard (regardless of the OS) have similar problems.
Ha! I'm actually building a new PC for embedded development (and gaming, of course) these days, and I did plan to use the Aquantia chip as well (one that came with the Zimaboard). I guess I now have to be careful about that as well :D
@@tomazzaman every experience i had with these, were quite awful. i guess there is a reason why in enterprise-land everyone goes with intel-nics. debugging crappy networks cards is really not fun. maybe this is dependent on the specific implementation, but i won't be buying Aqantia-chipsets again, when you can get 10g-cards for
I can't spend that kind of money just for the ease of switching computers, but I'd really like to. Currently I have a desktop and a MacBook connected directly to 2 monitors on different inputs. So when I need to switch, I have to change source input on monitor 1, change source input on monitor 2, change device connection on keyboard and change device connection on the mouse. Lots of button presses. I still have a headphone for each computer. I haven't figured out how to share one without having to physically unplug and plug it.
Thanks for the video! I've been suffering with this for too long now. I'm at the stage where I realized the cable that I bought was 1.2 DP. I'm waiting for the 1.4 ones to arrive to see if the monitor finally stops flickering
I had a while ago KVM and it was not that bulky and worked very well... In the modern time, if you need 2 computers only - you can use 2 keyboards and 2 mouses and connect displays to different ports on the monitor, or use HDMI switch. Or you can do "remote desktop". A lot of options today compared to 90s....AND I have many (MANY) LG monitors and had no any problems so ever. Not bendy one though 🤣
I have two LG monitors and they do indeed exhibit seemingly crazy behaviour. I am not a gamer nor do I use high res or refresh rates. Just jumping between Mac, windows and linux on a KVM switch is enough to make the monitors crap themselves sometimes but not all the time!
Thank you for the video! Could you clarify how many cables are connected to your Mac Studio? At 8:00, it sounds like you're connecting the Mac Studio to the Thunderbolt dock with a single cable (and then connecting the Thunderbolt dock to the KVM switch with two cables). However, the diagram at the end of the video shows two cables connected to the Mac Studio. I was really hoping to be able to use just one cable to connect a macOS device.
I'm certain that without any VFR technology the GPU doesn't just send frames to the monitor at the "game" framerate, instead the scanout for generating the display signal(HDMI, DisplayPort, etc.) simply iterates over a memory range to generate a signal, and tearing happens because the memory content is changed during the scanout.
Or 4. Use a Software based KVM. Key press between computers or show both computers at same time. GSync not needed. Haven't used hardware KVM in years even though test bench has it.
i'm here because it crossed my mind to make a similar setup and i had a feeling it would be an expensive shit show. sure enough... it is! 😂 thanks for saving me the trouble, i'm not ready to go through this, at least for now 😆
There's also a possible fourth option. A USB docking station that one conntects all the peripherals to, and then only has to reconnect that docking station to the desired computer. This works really well with laptops, not sure if it would work with desktops though.
@@tomazzaman True, and granted, you have quite a specific set of requirements you need a KVM to fulfill, but for anyone else, especially if the budget is an issue, a simple docking station could solve a lot of problems.
Yeah, I currently use the all the ports on both my monitors to switch directly and use a USB switch for my USB devices...but, every so often, my audio does not properly switch and I find out on my next meeting after lunch switching from my personal PC or my audio drops oddly when somebody switches on the bathroom light (guessing the power peak kills my usb audio)
You mentioned that only the one you got supported variable refresh rate... that is/was one of the main selling points of the Lvl 1 techs KVM.... I think you may have had some wires crossed there.
@tomazzaman to quote Wendell from the forums "the kvm is real dumb, it just passes through signal. its not gsync vertified ofc but it happily passes through the signal as it should  it doesn’t even have a repeater. looks just like a cable from the point of view of the gpu."
Kvm needs to be expanded to Video, Usb, sound. Macs have issues when you switch usb devices. My mixer and sound both have to be switched off and on after switching. Same thing happens occasionally with the logitech dongle. Both manyfacturers have pointed that is a mac issue, which is frustrating.
I stream my screen from the "other" machine with sunshine + moonlight (Works also for MacOS). Other than that, I just use the plain old RDP for simple stuff.
So it's not just me. Expecting my 2nd KVM switch in the post today: HDMI KVM 8K@60Hz EDID 2 computers, 3 Monitors. I have already sent one back because 4K@60Hz didn't cover Dual QHD ultrawide, which actually has fewer pixels than 4K. The 2nd is significantly cheaper, coming from Aliexpress instead of Amazon. If it works, it will be a big win for just 80 GBP, although I may yet have to budget for some better cables.
You forgot the extra option: get a USB switch (I use a UGreen USB 3.0 switch with 2 button-switchable ports for the hosts and 4 ports to devices) and 2 extra HDMI/DisplayPort cables (and maybe some adapters as needed, as my laptop has only one HDMI out and 2 mini-DisplayPort outs, so one miniDP-HDMI adapter and since my second monitor has only 1 HDMI and 1 DVI/VGA inputs, +1 HDMI-DVI adapter), then everytime you want to switch, just press the button on the USB switch and the Input buttons on both monitors... Unless any of your monitors only has one input, then you're SOL... Seems a lot faster than unplugging and re-plugging everything, and a lot less frustrating than dealing with the problems created by the KVM switch and the host OSes not keeping the previous 'display configuration' (because the KVM switch physically disconnects all screens, unless it does active switching and mirroring, and even then you'll have problems with anything out of the KVM's supported specs like me with 21:9 monitors) - and also enables you to have two screens, something that I'm not aware of any built-in-KVM-monitors being capable of 🙃
DCs mostly use IPMI of some sort now a day, but if you want a good KVM, Wendell over at level1Techs has his line of KVMs, L1Techs HDMI 2.1/DP 1.4 KVM among some others.
...Or, if you have monitors on both PCs, you can use Synergy, a software-only solution for Mac, Linux and Windows. I haven't tried 2k or 4k, but I've never had any noticeable lag, so far. It's very useful if you have a second streaming PC, but you can use your m&k across a bunch of PCs if you want. I'm just a user, but wanted to share, since it wasn't mentioned.
Don't get me started on LG monitors, somehow they can be a real P.I.T.A ! From 2-lane USB-C support instead of 4-lane on some monitors to flickering screens in the radio studio (changed cables, resolution, refresh rates etc) to the issues you run into with testing KVM switches :)
Hello, thanks for nice video. Unfortunatelly my 2nd Windows PC has only 1 DP and 1 HDMI graphic card output. And I want to use 2 DP monitors. Is there any solution for me?
i went for a "cheaper" solution that uses a 4x2 KVM switch for screens only, powered(!) USB(c) switch and a docking station so i can use my laptop over usb (c) only for.. everything with 2x2k @60hz and pc with theoretically 2x4k. i would have preferred this method though
In case of Windows, one can also use „Mouse without Borders“ to share keyboard and mouse across two different devices on different monitors. It works fine too, just not sharing video of course
I love weird setups. my pc is in a rack ~40m away from my desk. it took me forever and a day to find the only fiber usb extender available, which is apparently sold only by 3 companies on this planet. ahh and it costs $1.3k. ofc i could have my pc next to the desk but when you can avoid that. Raven 3124 for those of you as crazy as me
aint no way switching from mac to pc is that fluent. I have been battling with mac/pc usage for years now as I use the same setup for both my home pc (windows) and work laptop (mac). I really wanna test this solution. But id also need a new dock, as my current only has one Displayport connection. But also having to buy and run 6 display cables is kinda a turn off for me tbh.
4th Option just buy a USB Switch and Plugin Booth Computers in the Monitor, using this setup since covid and it works flawless and it was just 20€ for the switch
When I switch from PC 1 to PC 2 sometimes PC 1 just bluescreens with SYSTEM Thread not handled... seems to be the GTX 1080 or it's drivers... Yes I DDU the system and reinstall the drivers.
Hello Tomaz, I had similar problems, and here is how I fixed my issues. I use a large Samsung Odyssey Ark 55" curved monitor as my main daily driver, along with four smaller 28" BenQ displays for TH-cam, Discord, Spotify, web pages, and similar tasks. I have three PCs connected to these via a KVM switch: my main gaming rig, my laptop, and an AOC cable connected to my rack KVM (I kind of have a data center in my living room-it’s in a separate room). I also experienced issues with Windows and my main monitor, which I later traced to Windows settings and the monitor’s crappy software. With the Samsung, I had to go into the NVIDIA control panel and manually set it to a 4K 165Hz HDR with 12-bit color depth. Windows would always default first to no HDR, 60Hz, and 10-bit color, causing the monitor to refuse to work correctly. It would display an image for one second, go black for four seconds, or turn fully green or white with approximately 5cm-spaced diagonal blue lines. This would happen about five or six times before it fully disconnected and showed no active connection.
For me, I played with nvidia control panel as well (same settings like bit depth and color space) until I got the optic cables - with them, the issue went away, luckily.
Not sure if you want an oled monitor if gaming isn't your primary use case Still has issues with burn in and text readability because of the subpixel layout
My setup is kinda like yours but with one more stupid addition. I needed something that could do matrix switching for the displays which does not exist so I had to get 2 kvm switches and have to remember combinations of presses to make mine work
1. Hdmi switcher + usb switcher would cost less than 200$ 2. Connecting mac with hdmi, windows with DP + usb switcher would cost less than 100 $ ... nah, 1000$ and bunch of hours for troubleshoothing is too much for me 😂😜
@@tangodown2721 I am in the market for a KVM in the next few weeks. The more I look the more I am looking at the Tesmart 2 computer/3 display port version. Expensive but will suit my needs nicely.
It's funny, I've never had these kinda issues with the old KVM switch I have. It's a 2012-ish IOGear Mac Mini style KVM I found at a thrift store for $10. It takes USB, 3.5mm Aux, and VGA and it just works. I have to adapt one of DisplayPort plugs from my desktop to it, but it's very seamless nonetheless Edit: Oh, and the company is pretty cool too. I was trying to track down the custom KVM cables to connect a third and fourth computer and I couldn't find them online, so I called them to see what the model number was and they just sent me two for free. It's like $40 worth of cables they just sent me Express
switching every few minutes between pc and mac. why ? isn't it better value to get a monitor with dual type c. cheaper way is to get a mouse and keyboard that can do multi device if youre okay with membrane keyboards.
I'm not okay with membrane keyboards. 😅 And as to why - I use MacOS for day to day stuff and I want to keep it that way. But I use PC for development of embedded devices (Linux) and gaming (Windows). So while the Linux is compiling, for example, I can work on other stuff on the Mac.
@@tomazzaman I don't see why Gsync wouldn't work. The KVM software just shares input over the network from one host acting as the server to the other acting as a client. The video output from each host still goes to each of the 2 monitors via HDMI/DP (so you need 2 inputs), and you use ddcutil to switch on demand the Input Source of the monitors. You can also hot-key both actions to a single button, depending on the OS of the server host.
I had a similar solution (but with two keyboards... I didn't like the Logitech one). Because I was using a Samsung Odyssey G9 57", I was using two inputs (DP for Windows, HDMI for Mac) and the Logitech software to move the mouse between the two hosts. Sometimes I was also using the PIP (Picture in Picture), which was very useful for this setup. (The display has a KVM, but I have a high-polling keyboard with Thunderbolt pass-through on the Windows side, so this wasn't an option.) In any case, take a look at a software mouse-sharing solution, similar to Logitech's, as it will allow you to also move your clipboard and files seamlessly.
@@mp5neo okay, I've spend a bit of time on this, and unfortunately, it doesn't work; Neither of my two monitors supports switching inputs through ddcutil. From what I've seen on github, LG ultrawide are especially notorious for their issues and/or incompatibility with this kind of stuff. So, it's not a total cost of 0 because you have to have a monitor that supports it in the first place. But thanks for the comment, I learned something new!
As someone who uses multiple computers i really dont have a problem having few keyboards and mices of course more importantly i dont use the teribleness that is mac i rather stick to linux or or few occasions windows but thanks to dual boot i ahve little troible with switching devices
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KVMs are rare in DCs today. Most are using IPMI and/or the vendor proprietary systems like iDRAC. For the rare times that fails, usually a mobile 'crash cart' with a display and keyboard is rolled up to the server and plugged in.
I battled with this as well, and ended up buying a wireless mouse and keyboard that allows for up to 3 connections, and a monitor that has 3 video input ports. When I needed to switch, I'd just press a button on the mouse, on the keyboard, and select the correct input device on the monitor in a few button presses. Not so seamless, but still quite doable.
Can you share what mouse / keyboard you got?
@@simonkaran Sure, the mouse is Logitech MX Vertical and the keyboard is Logitech MX Keys Mini. But most of the newer bluetooth peripherals should support multi device connectivity, just check it beforehand. Logitech has the additional advantage of supporting a dongle connection which (in my experience) has better latency and less signal noise.
As usual, another informative video! Good to hear that Level1Techs/Wendell's KVM made the finalist.
why the DP KVM switches from Level1Techs don't even have EDID emulator built-in can be the finalist one? It's HDMI models are good, but not the DP models.
@@rexwu168 Cost if you wanted anything specific wendell can pretty much make it happen
Love the timing of this post, I was literally planning out an entire thunderbolt KVM build yesterday. Guess I need to accept the headaches to come😅
Good luck and I'm sorry 😂
You've 100% captured the plight of enthusiasts. I just removed my dual DP1.2 KVM and dual 27" 4k monitors to use the new dell 40" Ultrawide and its built in KVM. In some cases it's better, others not so much.
You are so funny and yet very technical. I really enjoyed this video and the straightforwardness saying it is not all fun, and yet you got it to work. Hope you produce more of these videos. Take Care.
This sounds like quite the pain. I saw someone recommending Synergy and I couldn't agree more.
Sure, you need an extra screen, but it gives you a seamless switching of computers as is they were one machine with more screens.
Used it like that for a few years at work and it was great - one monitor PC, one monitor Mac, and I just moved my mouse between screens like it was one machine. Glorious
And you retain all hardware benefits like Gsync because of the monitors being connected to the computers directly.
Glad someone else mentioned option number 4...in the right environment it's glorious!
The feeling of "it works but I have no idea why" is way too real. I have so much stuff that just works for no reason and I'm too scared to touch it
I'm happy to see it's not just me hahah
There is a fourth solution, not right for every situation, but could be cheaper than a high end KVM. If you attach a monitor to each computer, you can share one keyboard and mouse between them using an app like Synergy, x2x, or one of several similar tools. The software lets the mouse virtually move off the side of one monitor, and onto the next monitor, the keyboard input follows the mouse focus. This also can enable clipboard sharing between your computers.
No Gsync :/
No freesync
@@tomazzaman This option has a monitor connected directly to each computer, the monitors are not shared. eg, the left monitor is always your Mac, and the right monitor is always Windows (or Linux). Synergy lets your keyboard, mouse and clipboard move between the computers as if it's one continuous desktop/workspace. You select the monitor that has the features you want for each computer/use case, Gsync, Freesync, 240Hz, HDR, any available monitor, dedicated to one computer.
Only the keyboard and mouse is shared between the computers.
It's not right for every use case. But depending on the requirements, the choice could be $700 in KVM/Cables, vs a second monitor at maybe less than $700.
I went through these troubles too, and I decided that it wasn't worth it anymore. I always had some kind of KVM. In the VGA years it was very easy, a cheap KVM could solve your problems without glitches... Then DVI and higher resolutions came out, and I had to change but things started getting expensive but still easy because all monitors were 60Hz max. Then HDMI and DP came out, resolutions increased again and so did the price of updated KVM. My last KVM was an Aten with 1440p/60Hz support (400€ at the time) but when I upgraded to a 4k/144Hz monitor with DP and HDMI the expensive KVM was useless again. So I chose a monitor with a built in KVM, the Gigabyte AORUS FV43U but I had a problem: the built in KVM was working only between the regular ports and the USB-C DP port for the laptop so I got a simple USB switch and even if now I have to press 2 buttons (one on the monitor remote for video input switch and one on the USB switch for keyboard and mouse) I have no problem with that... And my monitor works flawlessly and I don't have to worry about the future if and when standards change
I used to have a connect pro 3monitor kvm for switching between my personal desktop and work computers, but after a while i just got fed up with the random issues I was having and unified under a single linux system for gaming and work! Much better experience than trying to swap between systems.
I connected one.computer via HDMI, second via Display Port and I'm using Logitech keyboard that supports 3 devices. When I want to switch to another computer, I just press a key on the keyboard and pick a dofferent onput source on the monitor (Dell display, so you can custom map two buttons on front to twp input sources). Super easy and quick and absolutely no extra cost.
How can I custom map two buttons on myu monitor (acer predator and HP) or in my logitech to switch the monitores / pc? Thanks in advance
@Guilhermeasfreitas monitor should have custom button option in osd menu. Most monitors have it. And for Logitech, there is Logi options app.
I have some how similar problem and I mange to resolve it by getting a monitor with nearly two of everything - USB 3 connectors compatible with Thunderbolt standard, HDMI ports and DisplayPort. The only thing that causes problem is the DisplayPort due to the initial handshake that is happening between the device and monitor. The other mild inconvenience is that I need to switch manually the USB 3 connection to start using the peripherals. I need to clarify that I am not constantly switching between active systems, just between an active and powered off one. I am not quite sure that I need a KVM, cause I only need to switch the peripherals where are connected and been able to power other devices at hands reach.
Great explanation and troubleshooting! I really enjoy your videos and you even remind me of one of my cool beard-glasses colleague at work with the same smile and attitude to everything. Keep going!
I happily use a monitor with HDMI for Mac and DisplayPort for Windows. I have to manually select the input. As for the keyboard and mouse, I use a USB Switch (like Aten USB 3.2 Gen1 Peripheral Sharing Switch), so I have to switch them manually and separately from the monitor. But it's OK if it's one or two times a day. Thanks for the video!
Yeah, I was doing that for a while as well, but since I've started working on the router, I now need to switch like 10-15 times a day, and for that I prefer the double middle mouse click now :)
Thank you for the explaination regarding EDID, I now am looking for a device with this capability
Datacentres I’ve worked in tend to have a trolley with a monitor, keyboard and mouse on them which gets plugged in when needed. Most of the time it’s iLo or iRac etc
Hey, I love your channel. I am sorry to break it up for you - we nonlonger use KVM in data centers. Majority of modern servers have either Ilo for hp, iDrac fir Dell, BMC IPMI for supermicro, etc. which allo in parallel full diagnostic and remote console.
Today there is also a Raspberry pi based pcie card which allows remote console for a plain pc.
I still love your content! Greetings from Serbia
Thank you! And thanks for letting me know. I have two devices in my rack (the router and the server), both of which have ipmi :)
@@tomazzamanexactly ;)
I just use ssh
thats exactly why level1techs made KVM's :D theyre awesome!!
After you said the thing cost $800, I was disappointed you didn't say "so I built my own for $30k."
Hahaha, unfortunately, my day only has so many hours, so I have to pick my battles :D
i totally feel you. problems like this hit me literally all the time.
It's like we're cursed! 🤣
@@tomazzaman i am really a magnet to things like this. my wife always calls this "sunspot-problems" (as this problems seem so random, they must have been caused by sunpsots or space-background-noise or something...).
my current hate-problem of choice is the 10g-aquantia-chip in my asus-x670e-ProArt. the NIC just drops out randomly (BUT only in ~1 of 10 occurrences it really "looses" the link). this state does not recover by itself, so you really have to rmmod/modprobe the kernel module to bring up the interface again. this is driving my crazy. i am pretty sure this is a hardware-issue (or at least a firmware-issue), as others with the same mainboard (regardless of the OS) have similar problems.
Ha! I'm actually building a new PC for embedded development (and gaming, of course) these days, and I did plan to use the Aquantia chip as well (one that came with the Zimaboard). I guess I now have to be careful about that as well :D
@@tomazzaman every experience i had with these, were quite awful. i guess there is a reason why in enterprise-land everyone goes with intel-nics. debugging crappy networks cards is really not fun. maybe this is dependent on the specific implementation, but i won't be buying Aqantia-chipsets again, when you can get 10g-cards for
I can't spend that kind of money just for the ease of switching computers, but I'd really like to. Currently I have a desktop and a MacBook connected directly to 2 monitors on different inputs. So when I need to switch, I have to change source input on monitor 1, change source input on monitor 2, change device connection on keyboard and change device connection on the mouse. Lots of button presses. I still have a headphone for each computer. I haven't figured out how to share one without having to physically unplug and plug it.
I LOVE these nerdy videos. Must be why I watch level1 tech as well
Thanks for the video! I've been suffering with this for too long now. I'm at the stage where I realized the cable that I bought was 1.2 DP. I'm waiting for the 1.4 ones to arrive to see if the monitor finally stops flickering
I had a while ago KVM and it was not that bulky and worked very well... In the modern time, if you need 2 computers only - you can use 2 keyboards and 2 mouses and connect displays to different ports on the monitor, or use HDMI switch. Or you can do "remote desktop". A lot of options today compared to 90s....AND I have many (MANY) LG monitors and had no any problems so ever. Not bendy one though 🤣
I have two LG monitors and they do indeed exhibit seemingly crazy behaviour. I am not a gamer nor do I use high res or refresh rates. Just jumping between Mac, windows and linux on a KVM switch is enough to make the monitors crap themselves sometimes but not all the time!
Lol that did my head in 🤯 Great video and very informative and i think the ASUS ROG monitor will be an early Christmas gift..
Thank you for the video! Could you clarify how many cables are connected to your Mac Studio? At 8:00, it sounds like you're connecting the Mac Studio to the Thunderbolt dock with a single cable (and then connecting the Thunderbolt dock to the KVM switch with two cables). However, the diagram at the end of the video shows two cables connected to the Mac Studio. I was really hoping to be able to use just one cable to connect a macOS device.
I'm certain that without any VFR technology the GPU doesn't just send frames to the monitor at the "game" framerate, instead the scanout for generating the display signal(HDMI, DisplayPort, etc.) simply iterates over a memory range to generate a signal, and tearing happens because the memory content is changed during the scanout.
Or 4. Use a Software based KVM. Key press between computers or show both computers at same time. GSync not needed.
Haven't used hardware KVM in years even though test bench has it.
i'm here because it crossed my mind to make a similar setup and i had a feeling it would be an expensive shit show. sure enough... it is! 😂 thanks for saving me the trouble, i'm not ready to go through this, at least for now 😆
Great video, seems this is the kvm we've needed. Is there any noticeable input lag?
There's also a possible fourth option. A USB docking station that one conntects all the peripherals to, and then only has to reconnect that docking station to the desired computer. This works really well with laptops, not sure if it would work with desktops though.
It probably would, but docking stations don't support Gsync.
@@tomazzaman True, and granted, you have quite a specific set of requirements you need a KVM to fulfill, but for anyone else, especially if the budget is an issue, a simple docking station could solve a lot of problems.
I have an M27Q, very happy with it.
Yeah, I currently use the all the ports on both my monitors to switch directly and use a USB switch for my USB devices...but, every so often, my audio does not properly switch and I find out on my next meeting after lunch switching from my personal PC or my audio drops oddly when somebody switches on the bathroom light (guessing the power peak kills my usb audio)
You mentioned that only the one you got supported variable refresh rate... that is/was one of the main selling points of the Lvl 1 techs KVM.... I think you may have had some wires crossed there.
I haven't found any mention of VRR on the product page of their 2-system, 2-monitor KVM switch?
@tomazzaman to quote Wendell from the forums "the kvm is real dumb, it just passes through signal. its not gsync vertified ofc but it happily passes through the signal as it should 
it doesn’t even have a repeater. looks just like a cable from the point of view of the gpu."
Please consider designing a KVM after the router .
Hahaha, unlikely, but thank you for the vote of confidence :D
option 4 is to have two sets of mice and keyboards on your desk. I have done that many times.
Would RDP not work as a substitute? Just remote into the other machine to use the software that doesn't run on your main OS?
Kvm needs to be expanded to Video, Usb, sound.
Macs have issues when you switch usb devices. My mixer and sound both have to be switched off and on after switching.
Same thing happens occasionally with the logitech dongle.
Both manyfacturers have pointed that is a mac issue, which is frustrating.
I stream my screen from the "other" machine with sunshine + moonlight (Works also for MacOS). Other than that, I just use the plain old RDP for simple stuff.
Amazing video by the way. Does it support HDR?
So it's not just me. Expecting my 2nd KVM switch in the post today: HDMI KVM 8K@60Hz EDID 2 computers, 3 Monitors. I have already sent one back because 4K@60Hz didn't cover Dual QHD ultrawide, which actually has fewer pixels than 4K. The 2nd is significantly cheaper, coming from Aliexpress instead of Amazon. If it works, it will be a big win for just 80 GBP, although I may yet have to budget for some better cables.
What about Proxmox and two monitors as an alternative? By the way, is that a hackintosh on the shelf behind you? Best regards.
You forgot the extra option: get a USB switch (I use a UGreen USB 3.0 switch with 2 button-switchable ports for the hosts and 4 ports to devices) and 2 extra HDMI/DisplayPort cables (and maybe some adapters as needed, as my laptop has only one HDMI out and 2 mini-DisplayPort outs, so one miniDP-HDMI adapter and since my second monitor has only 1 HDMI and 1 DVI/VGA inputs, +1 HDMI-DVI adapter), then everytime you want to switch, just press the button on the USB switch and the Input buttons on both monitors... Unless any of your monitors only has one input, then you're SOL...
Seems a lot faster than unplugging and re-plugging everything, and a lot less frustrating than dealing with the problems created by the KVM switch and the host OSes not keeping the previous 'display configuration' (because the KVM switch physically disconnects all screens, unless it does active switching and mirroring, and even then you'll have problems with anything out of the KVM's supported specs like me with 21:9 monitors) - and also enables you to have two screens, something that I'm not aware of any built-in-KVM-monitors being capable of 🙃
DCs mostly use IPMI of some sort now a day, but if you want a good KVM, Wendell over at level1Techs has his line of KVMs, L1Techs HDMI 2.1/DP 1.4 KVM among some others.
...Or, if you have monitors on both PCs, you can use Synergy, a software-only solution for Mac, Linux and Windows. I haven't tried 2k or 4k, but I've never had any noticeable lag, so far. It's very useful if you have a second streaming PC, but you can use your m&k across a bunch of PCs if you want. I'm just a user, but wanted to share, since it wasn't mentioned.
Don't get me started on LG monitors, somehow they can be a real P.I.T.A ! From 2-lane USB-C support instead of 4-lane on some monitors to flickering screens in the radio studio (changed cables, resolution, refresh rates etc) to the issues you run into with testing KVM switches :)
Hello, thanks for nice video. Unfortunatelly my 2nd Windows PC has only 1 DP and 1 HDMI graphic card output. And I want to use 2 DP monitors. Is there any solution for me?
I'm afraid the only solution is to have a GPU that has two DP ports.
i went for a "cheaper" solution that uses a 4x2 KVM switch for screens only, powered(!) USB(c) switch and a docking station so i can use my laptop over usb (c) only for.. everything with 2x2k @60hz and pc with theoretically 2x4k. i would have preferred this method though
In case of Windows, one can also use „Mouse without Borders“ to share keyboard and mouse across two different devices on different monitors. It works fine too, just not sharing video of course
Thank you so mutch for this learning content, im a bit smarter now
If you have more than enough monitors you can just use a software like synergy/barrier/other input sharing applications.
What I use is just a simple 20$ USB KVM for my peripherals and have monitors on auto detect input, cheap and painless.
Perfect, if that works for you!
I love weird setups. my pc is in a rack ~40m away from my desk. it took me forever and a day to find the only fiber usb extender available, which is apparently sold only by 3 companies on this planet. ahh and it costs $1.3k. ofc i could have my pc next to the desk but when you can avoid that. Raven 3124 for those of you as crazy as me
Now you're kinda tempting me to just move the PC into the basement! :D
aint no way switching from mac to pc is that fluent. I have been battling with mac/pc usage for years now as I use the same setup for both my home pc (windows) and work laptop (mac). I really wanna test this solution. But id also need a new dock, as my current only has one Displayport connection. But also having to buy and run 6 display cables is kinda a turn off for me tbh.
Yeah, 6 cables, especially when some of them are 10m long, is quite annoying to manage.
4th Option just buy a USB Switch and Plugin Booth Computers in the Monitor, using this setup since covid and it works flawless and it was just 20€ for the switch
Switching both monitors between two PCs every couple of minutes (when necessary) isn't really something I wanted to do.
When I switch from PC 1 to PC 2 sometimes PC 1 just bluescreens with SYSTEM Thread not handled... seems to be the GTX 1080 or it's drivers... Yes I DDU the system and reinstall the drivers.
Kvm switches arent used in datacenters anymore, most of the time they just use the IPMI
I have dreamt of this….
It is sometimes a Problem with the different mass of the devices. (power supply desing)
Or buy a multi device mouse and keyboard and a 2 HDMI or HDMI + DP monitor and call it a day. I'm having this setup for ages and it's great
Two Apple macs side by side do this automagically. (Gotta be logged under same iCloud ID on both.)
Yep, that I am used to, because I constantly switch between my Mac Studio, iPad and iPhone. It's seamless and I love it.
Wish connect pro had hdmi 2.1 options. Dp1.4 has been unreliable for me when pushing the max bandwidth limits. If they had dp 2.1 switches then np.
Hello Tomaz,
I had similar problems, and here is how I fixed my issues.
I use a large Samsung Odyssey Ark 55" curved monitor as my main daily driver, along with four smaller 28" BenQ displays for TH-cam, Discord, Spotify, web pages, and similar tasks. I have three PCs connected to these via a KVM switch: my main gaming rig, my laptop, and an AOC cable connected to my rack KVM (I kind of have a data center in my living room-it’s in a separate room).
I also experienced issues with Windows and my main monitor, which I later traced to Windows settings and the monitor’s crappy software. With the Samsung, I had to go into the NVIDIA control panel and manually set it to a 4K 165Hz HDR with 12-bit color depth. Windows would always default first to no HDR, 60Hz, and 10-bit color, causing the monitor to refuse to work correctly. It would display an image for one second, go black for four seconds, or turn fully green or white with approximately 5cm-spaced diagonal blue lines. This would happen about five or six times before it fully disconnected and showed no active connection.
For me, I played with nvidia control panel as well (same settings like bit depth and color space) until I got the optic cables - with them, the issue went away, luckily.
Not sure if you want an oled monitor if gaming isn't your primary use case
Still has issues with burn in and text readability because of the subpixel layout
Burn in hasn't been an issue for years now. I have an OLED tv and it works great.
My setup is kinda like yours but with one more stupid addition. I needed something that could do matrix switching for the displays which does not exist so I had to get 2 kvm switches and have to remember combinations of presses to make mine work
Oh wow, so there are even more convoluted setups than mine! 😅
1. Hdmi switcher + usb switcher would cost less than 200$ 2. Connecting mac with hdmi, windows with DP + usb switcher would cost less than 100 $ ... nah, 1000$ and bunch of hours for troubleshoothing is too much for me 😂😜
Why not use parsec?
Have you tried synergy?
I need G-Sync.
Are you saying none of the Tesmart KVMs meet your requirements?
Yea confused on that also. The Tesmart has better specs then this and features.
@@tangodown2721 I am in the market for a KVM in the next few weeks. The more I look the more I am looking at the Tesmart 2 computer/3 display port version. Expensive but will suit my needs nicely.
with what software did you make that diagram at 13:55
draw.io
It's funny, I've never had these kinda issues with the old KVM switch I have. It's a 2012-ish IOGear Mac Mini style KVM I found at a thrift store for $10. It takes USB, 3.5mm Aux, and VGA and it just works. I have to adapt one of DisplayPort plugs from my desktop to it, but it's very seamless nonetheless
Edit: Oh, and the company is pretty cool too. I was trying to track down the custom KVM cables to connect a third and fourth computer and I couldn't find them online, so I called them to see what the model number was and they just sent me two for free. It's like $40 worth of cables they just sent me Express
Or 4th: synergy/barrier
Indeed get the p1 kvm
Or use RealVNC or any other VNC program? Ah, gaming is mentioned… you need speed.
best option is to use hdmi and use a hdmi splitter stripps hdcp.
Hi guys
Maybe it would have been cheaper to build a new room with everything.
Hahaha, well you're not wrong! :D
Wooow! For that kind of $ I would hope you get at least 4 inputs.
Actually, the price is pretty much in the same ballpark as other devices with the same amount if inputs
I favor Samsung but ASUS has some impressive monitors when it comes to price and refresh rate.
Agreed!
custom $400 KVM design incoming
Hahahah, nope. Not this time :)
switching every few minutes between pc and mac. why ?
isn't it better value to get a monitor with dual type c. cheaper way is to get a mouse and keyboard that can do multi device if youre okay with membrane keyboards.
I'm not okay with membrane keyboards. 😅
And as to why - I use MacOS for day to day stuff and I want to keep it that way. But I use PC for development of embedded devices (Linux) and gaming (Windows). So while the Linux is compiling, for example, I can work on other stuff on the Mac.
Dash, not minus.
That works too 😜
OSX has a software KVM built in. You can seamlessly move your mouse/keyboard between both using handoff. (But both have to be running OSX)
Another option would be to use a software kvm like Input Leap/Barrier and software monitor input switcher like ddcutil. Total cost: 0.
No Gsync though.
@@tomazzaman I don't see why Gsync wouldn't work. The KVM software just shares input over the network from one host acting as the server to the other acting as a client. The video output from each host still goes to each of the 2 monitors via HDMI/DP (so you need 2 inputs), and you use ddcutil to switch on demand the Input Source of the monitors. You can also hot-key both actions to a single button, depending on the OS of the server host.
Wow, interesting, I wasn't aware these tools exist. Now you piqued my interest! Will investigate further. Thanks!
I had a similar solution (but with two keyboards... I didn't like the Logitech one).
Because I was using a Samsung Odyssey G9 57", I was using two inputs (DP for Windows, HDMI for Mac) and the Logitech software to move the mouse between the two hosts.
Sometimes I was also using the PIP (Picture in Picture), which was very useful for this setup.
(The display has a KVM, but I have a high-polling keyboard with Thunderbolt pass-through on the Windows side, so this wasn't an option.)
In any case, take a look at a software mouse-sharing solution, similar to Logitech's, as it will allow you to also move your clipboard and files seamlessly.
@@mp5neo okay, I've spend a bit of time on this, and unfortunately, it doesn't work; Neither of my two monitors supports switching inputs through ddcutil. From what I've seen on github, LG ultrawide are especially notorious for their issues and/or incompatibility with this kind of stuff. So, it's not a total cost of 0 because you have to have a monitor that supports it in the first place. But thanks for the comment, I learned something new!
Some are still stuck at 1080 60 and you are thinking of replacing a perfectly good display - horrors of internet part infiniry
As someone who uses multiple computers i really dont have a problem having few keyboards and mices of course more importantly i dont use the teribleness that is mac i rather stick to linux or or few occasions windows but thanks to dual boot i ahve little troible with switching devices
1.4 DP is old tech.
If it ain’t broke don’t did it
Just RDP
You can't have Gsync with RDP
I forgot RDP is just compatible with Gstring.
@@pixaim69 We're all compatible with Gstring.
MAC and PC is the same thing... You should say MacOS, Windows, Linux. You will be disapointed if everybody would say switch on Your router
just buy a used cheap 1080p monitor from ur local marketplace. thats it (ofc if you need a second monitor for obs and chat.. etc)
I don't use 1080p anymore. Pixel density is just too bad.