1

I recently built my first computer and installed a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 TI which I have connected to two monitors and it works great!

Now, I also work from home some and it is a pain to switch the monitor/mouse/keyboard between the two. So I started looking into solutions and became aware of KVM switches. The question I can't seem to wrap my head around is:

If I use a KVM switch, would this bypass my GPU?

  • Would I lose video quality and introduce latency?
  • Am I overlooking a better solution?

EDIT: Sorry, should have specified I need to switch between my desktop and my laptop (both Windows 10). If someone has a recommended KVM, I'd be all ears. I use the desktop primarily for light video editing.

Improve this question
4
  • 1
    Using a KVM will not bypass your GPU. However, if you lose video quality, entirely depends on the KVM itself. As for "overlooking a better solution" that is difficult to determine without specifics. KVMs are not all created equal.
    – Ramhound
    Commented Aug 9, 2019 at 14:17
  • thank you @Ramhound ! The usual connection from computer to kvm is usb, right?
    – Josh Jay
    Commented Aug 9, 2019 at 14:42
  • switch between the two what? you've only mentioned you have 1 computer with 2 monitors. Perhaps you could explain in greater detail exactly what you are trying to switch between? KVM is only really a short distance solution - primarily used to hook up a stack of say 20 servers to one Keyboard+Video+Mouse unit (or two PCs in the same location to one set of Keyb+monitor+mouse, and having two monitors here complicates things)
    – Smock
    Commented Aug 9, 2019 at 15:11
  • @Smock added additional info. I want to be able to switch the use of both monitors and mouse/keyboard for both desktop and laptop.
    – Josh Jay
    Commented Aug 9, 2019 at 17:57

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2

Generally speaking, a KVM switch will have no affect on video quality. It simply passes data back and forth between the selected computer and your keyboard, mouse, and monitor. Essentially, the KVM is transparent in the process. There is no added latency or loss of quality.

There are a few caveats to video quality. Cable length, resolution, and refresh rates may be limited by the connection type and/or cable length on analog signals. However, this has no affect on digital signals. Any limitations would be detailed in the KVM's documentation.

Improve this answer
1
  • Thank you @Keltari, this definitely eases my mind! I was worried that the money and effort of putting in a GPU would have been wasted.
    – Josh Jay
    Commented Aug 11, 2019 at 0:27

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .