Laptop and PC dual setup

[ebogga]

Hi!

I'm looking for advice on a dual PC setup where I have a Lenovo Ideapad 5 Ryzen 5800H and a PC both hooked up to one Dell Ultrasharp U2412M monitor.

I have a USB-C port on the Ideapad and HDMI output which is a problem because the Dell only has Displayport input. I'm also missing an Ethernet port since I don't want to rely on WiFi.

I'm looking for a good solution on connectivity between the two machines. I've looked at KVM docking stations and also a newer model Dell Ultrasharp U2722DE which has KVM and Ethernet built into it. But both these options seem to have some glitches from what I've read. My current Ultrasharp should have some sort of KVM built into it, but I'm unable to test the function because the lack of a Displayport output.

I'm looking to use the laptop as a main desktop workhorse and use the PC for storage, gaming and as a standalone home machine when the laptop is away with me. Peripherals include a USB video cam and and Focusrite external USB sound card.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Lutfij]

These are the inputs on your current monitor;
1 Digital Visual Interface connectors (DVI-D) with HDCP
1 DisplayPort(DP)
1 Video Graphics Array (VGA)

You could use an adapter to connect the laptop to the monitor, as well as the desktop and alternate between display source but you're going to need two sets of peripherals for two systems.

My current Ultrasharp should have some sort of KVM built into it
No, the current monitor doesn't have a KVM, Dell never had an SKU with one.

 

[ebogga]

These are the inputs on your current monitor;
1 Digital Visual Interface connectors (DVI-D) with HDCP
1 DisplayPort(DP)
1 Video Graphics Array (VGA)

You could use an adapter to connect the laptop to the monitor, as well as the desktop and alternate between display source but you're going to need two sets of peripherals for two systems.

My current Ultrasharp should have some sort of KVM built into it
No, the current monitor doesn't have a KVM, Dell never had an SKU with one.

Thanks for the reply!

My Dell Ultrasharp has USB connections in and out and from what I found out online someone was using it as sort of KVM solution. Apparently the monitor is able to switch peripherals connected to the monitor when the video input is switched from DVI to Displayport. I'm trying to find out a way to try this feature out. Two sets of keyboard+mouse is unfortunately not a working solution for me. From what I've understood, some mouses and keyboards also have built in functionality to control several different computers. Will have to look into this a bit more.

 

[Lutfij]

USB ports on a monitor don't make it a KVM switch. If that was the case, my Dell U2311H and HP LA2306x have KVM's on them but they don't.

 

[hang-the-9]

Thanks for the reply!

My Dell Ultrasharp has USB connections in and out and from what I found out online someone was using it as sort of KVM solution. Apparently the monitor is able to switch peripherals connected to the monitor when the video input is switched from DVI to Displayport. I'm trying to find out a way to try this feature out. Two sets of keyboard+mouse is unfortunately not a working solution for me. From what I've understood, some mouses and keyboards also have built in functionality to control several different computers. Will have to look into this a bit more.

It will not move USB devices when the video inputs are swapped. The monitor has a USB hub built in with a USB connection that goes to a computer. What you would need to do is connect the things you want to swap to the monitor, then move the USB cable from one computer to the other to have them be detected.