KVM Switch Questions

I'm planning to buy one of these soon, and I wanted to hear the pros & cons from experienced users of these devices before making a decision.

Both of my PCs have USB capability, but the board on one is about 12 years old. I assume any motherboard with USB ports would have legacy support in case I had to reinstall an operating system since I will not be using any PS2 mice or keyboards?

 

Used to use them all the time when repairing PC's. Could work on 2 of them at the same time without moving everything around.

 

Any problem with refresh settings, flickering, etc.?

 

No problems with the refresh or flickering.

 

I'll be getting one soon, then.

Thanks for input all. It'll be nice reclaim some desktop space.

 

I have used many KVM type switches throughout the years and there is one constant I have found to be true: cheap switches/cables are likely to yield problems, quality switches/cables are more likely to yield satisfactory results. To ensure the best results, buy the best switch you can afford. I have never had one be 100% problem free every time - not because of the switch, but because the connected computer fails to see (or let go) of the connected device.

So with that, I hesitate to say even a quality switch will serve you well here. USB connectivity can be flakey even with constantly connected devices on new motherboards. On a 12 year old board? I would not be surprised if you have to reboot every time you flip the switch, and even then, I suspect connectivity issues will haunt you.

 

Thanks, Bill.

I will probably buy one from NewEgg with favorable ratings (hopefully a well-known name-brand model).

 

Good luck.

 

I have been using a 4 port Belkin PS2 for over 10 years now, has never failed, but I don't use the VGA part, I use a separate HDMI switch for Video.

 

I've heard that Belkin products work very well although I'll have to use the VGA version.

I have a Belkin powered USB hub that still works after 10 years.