I don’t throw out or sell an older personal computer. I usually upgrade it and pass it along to another member of the family that wants it, donate it to a local charity, or find a useful purpose for it here.¬ At the moment I have three working desktop computers in my office (see below).
I don’t have the space or money for separate monitors, keyboards, mice and other accessories.¬ I use a KVM switch to access these three computers from one monitor, keyboard, and mouse.¬ The one I’ve found seems to work extremely well.
The model I use is the ATEN Master View DVI/KVMP CS-1764.¬ It’s a four port model that can control up to four individual computers.¬ It supports high resolution DVI switch that works with USB keyboards and mice.
You can switch between computers by either using the buttons on the front of the unit or by keyboard control.¬ I switch by pressing <Control> twice, then the number of the computer I want to switch to <1-4>, and then the <Return> key.¬ My LCD native resolution is 1920×1200 and I get a crystal clear picture on all machines.
A feature I haven’t used much yet is one that allows you to switch different ports separately.¬ For example, if I was listening to music on Computer 1 and wanted to switch to Computer 2¬ I could switch just the Keyboard, Mouse, and Monitor to Computer 2 leaving Computer 1 playing music over either the audio or USB ports. This would be done by an unique keyboard sequence.
Connecting the CS-1764 is a simple matter of connecting the provided cables to each computer and the KVM switch (see diagram below).¬ While you may think that this would make for a cable nightmare it actually is less so then if you were using a separate monitor, keyboard, and mice for each computer. This is¬ due to the provided cables being all-in-one cables with separate connectors at each end.
This switch will work with Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows operating systems.¬ I find it a pleasure to be able to quickly switch between each of my computers with only a quick keyboard shortcut.
I would highly recommend this switch to others.
Highly Recommend: ¬
Technorati Tags: aten, computers, kvm, review, switch