KVM Recommendations for Mac and PC?

March 16, 2005 3:28 PM

Can anyone recommend a good KVM that will allow me to share my SVGA monitor, USB keyboard and mouse between a Mac Mini and PC?
posted by kickerofelves to computers & internet (11 comments total)

This one is pretty cool, but a bit pricey.

You could go with a cheap ($20-$30) 2 port KVM and get a ps2/usb adapter for the mac mini. Either way, Belkin is a good choice.
posted by zerokey at 3:51 PM on March 16, 2005

I use an Iogear USB KVM and it's great. I would recommend it, in fact I have before. Check it out.
posted by knave at 3:53 PM on March 16, 2005

This isn't as appropriate for you, since you've indicated only one monitor, but I have been pleasantly surprised with Synergy. It's not feature-complete on OS X yet, but it's a great little app. I plop my Powerbook on my desk, run the client, and I can use my PC keyboard and mouse on it seamlessly. Even has a shared clipboard (though this is one of the things that's flaky on the mac client).
posted by socratic at 4:00 PM on March 16, 2005

I use an Aten Masterview CS114A and it is excellent, but PS/2. But I'd recommend an Aten if you can spend a little more.

I used to have a Belkin but the video quality was noticably subpar. This was a couple years ago, so they may have gotten better.
posted by cmm at 4:55 PM on March 16, 2005

I'm using the Belkin one that zerokey linked to for this very purpose. It works well enough with no ghosting or other problems at 1280+ resolution.

One problem with a USB KVM is that there's a lengthy delay compared to a PS/2 one. After you push the button, it takes 5-10 seconds for the computer to realize there's a new mouse and keyboard attached. (The video switches instantly.) Unfortunately, I don't think there's any way to avoid this on a USB-only system like the mini.

Another less-obvious problem with a USB KVM is that it is powered off of the USB. Most computers nowadays, including the Mac mini, power-down the USB bus when they go into Sleep mode. If the KVM is currently pointing to the mini when it goes to sleep, the KVM will reset and switch back to the PC. This is rather annoying. I "solved" it by not having the mini go to sleep at all, but that's not a great solution.

The IOGear was the other option for me, with about the same price for the same features and drawbacks. I couldn't find it at retail though which was essential at the time.
posted by smackfu at 5:14 PM on March 16, 2005

I second the iogear option. I bought the 4-port version this one. I love how it also handles audio and USB device switching (even separately, if you want). You can use the pushbuttons to switch, or keyboard commands.
posted by pmbuko at 5:22 PM on March 16, 2005

FYI, the Iogear KVM I linked to above does not suffer from any of the problems smackfu mentioned. It is self-powered, so you don't need to worry about letting your Mac sleep, and switching btw the Mac and PC is instantaneous. No delays whatsoever.
posted by pmbuko at 9:29 PM on March 16, 2005

Re: USB transition delay (for me, about 3 seconds, with Windows being slower than Linux to recognize the mouse/kb). It's a trade-off. On PS/2 switches, the mouse sucks, period. There is a layer of mouse emulation inside the hardware that never comes close to being good. So even if you have a nice mouse, it ends up feeling like a cheapo $5 mouse. I love the USB switch.
posted by knave at 9:37 PM on March 16, 2005

I have been exploring a VNC solution for this, using OSXvnc & Real VNC. If you can get round the speed issues it may be worth considering.
posted by kenchie at 4:22 AM on March 17, 2005

I have been using This model of IOGear MiniView since 1999 and it's been terrific. My only complaint is that the cycle button has gotten a little mechanically sticky.
posted by plinth at 6:12 AM on March 17, 2005

kenchie, Apple offers a VNC-compatible solution that works better (for me) than OSXvnc. Just download their Remote Desktop Client 2.1 software and configure it via the Sharing control panel.
posted by pmbuko at 1:32 PM on March 17, 2005