Suggestions Wanted - Multi-Monitor Multi-Computer Setup

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fizzychicken

313 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2878138 3-Mar-2022 10:24

I have a rather janky setup that doesnt use a KVM. My concern was that pc gaming was hindered unless I spent crazy money on a KVM that didnt mind the high refresh rate and resolution of the gaming monitor.
so Im detailing this out just to help you understand some ways that this can be achieved without a KVM.

I have my work laptop hooked up to 2, 27" 1440p monitors via a dock. the dock goes to each monitor via DP or HDMI

My PC connects to the same monitors directly via DP or mini DP - basically which of the better ports is available on that monitor, with the other used by the laptop dock.

So switching between monitors is via the onboard controls of each monitor, which in my case is just a button on the bottom right of each....I dont mind doing this as I dont switch back and forth often, I normally do it once the working day is over.

the keyboard and mouse is a logitech m590 and k580, these are bluetooth and can switch rapidly between the laptop and PC by a single button press. I understand there are newer paired versions of these which improve on their capability.

My headset is a bose qc35 which can work easily with multiple bluetooth connections, though I ended up using a wired headset plugged into the laptop dock

My speakers are only plugged into the gaming pc and harly ever get used, the laptop has the option of using onboard speakers from itself or one of the monitors.

....

however I realised that while I prefer typing on this keyboard, I prefer the mechanical keyboard and wired mouse for gaming, so they are plugged in at all times and I just shift the bluetooth stuff out of the way if I want to play games.

https://keybase.io/fizzychicken

zespri

414 posts

Ultimate Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2878141 3-Mar-2022 10:33

toejam316:

If both PCs will be running and driving separate screens, setup Input Director - https://www.inputdirector.com/

We use that for our multi-PC setups in the office at work and it's fantastic software. If you're using it for work you may require a license.

Everyone, of course should use whatever they comfortable with and what suits their needs best and the more options to choose from the better, I just wanted to point out that there are a few different software KVMs around, and one of them, Barrier, I linked earlier. Comparing to Input Director, Barrier is free and open source, so my preference is with it. There are also a number of comercial and free projects that fill the same niche, if software KVM is what you want, there are quite a few options to look up. Input Director certainly looks more polished than Barrier.

Canuckabroad

179 posts

Master Geek

#2878150 3-Mar-2022 10:54

I appreciate all the suggestions. Software solutions probably aren't an option - work laptop is reasonably locked down and has a firewall and connects via SSL-VPN. Most of the time I'm running one computer or the other but not both (nice to have the option though) so I'm trying to weigh between a KVM for both (potentially with desktop also connected directly when gaming), a dock for the laptop and direct for PC with USB switch, or potentially going with a single widescreen 4K monitor. Checking prices on good multi-monitor KVM that does 4K + a new monitor versus just getting a bigger new monitor. My current old 1440p doesn't auto-switch inputs, but I know most now do.

fe31nz

1232 posts

Uber Geek

#2878552 4-Mar-2022 00:27

I found an interesting comment on this page:

https://www.tesmart.com/collections/dual-monitor/products/tesmart-hdmi-dual-monitor-kvm-switch4x2?variant=39302706888900

The first review says that this device does actually support his Gigabyte G34WQC 3440x1440 panel up to 100 Hz, so this or its smaller version (2 PCs) might be enough for what you need.

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