Will using a USB KVM degrade keyboard / mouse reponsiveness when gaming?

[andrewrees]

I'm looking at getting a KVM to switch between my PC and work laptop when at home, so I don't have to remote desktop and so on.

Can get a KVM (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Aten-CS22U-2-Port-Cable-Switch/dp/B002NTIZCG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453376691&sr=8-1&keywords=usb+kvm) for £20ish from Amazon, but I'm wondering if this would have any negative impact on performance during things like playing games.

Anyone know?

Cheers

 

[kyzarvs]

Depends on the KVM, the bandwidth of the connections and also how it reports to the machine that doesn't have the peripherals. Basically a cheap switch is just a switch, so when you move from one position to another the machine thinks that the kb, mouse etc have been unplugged. Might make a mess during games. More expensive switches spoof a connection to all machines all the time to stop this happening. You'll also find a maximum bandwidth on the monitor side, but I've only used them for servers so don't know if it's a problem for gaming.

 

[azaran]

Well right off you're going to go to VGA instead of DVI/HDMI/Displayport, so this could create issues depending on your display.

You're introducing a device between your keyboard/mouse and your computer so this could also introduce some latency if you're a twitch gamer.

One user talks about contacting support about support for high resolution on his 23in screen and got this response
"I would like to inform you that the CS22u is a very basic switch, although the specification states it is able to support the Superior video quality - up to 2048 x 1536; DDC2B, this only applies to monitors which are sized between 17 and 19inch standard ratio. In your Case you are using a widescreen monitor which is 23inch wide, in order to overcome this issue, we recommend for users to use KVM switches which support Video Dyna Sync and also one which is able to support widescreen resolutions."

My personal experience with KVM's has always been that while they're great for productivity but if its not a powered KVM the video suffers. Even when it is a powered KVM there is some noticeable difference between its video and just a straight feed from the video card.

 

[andrewrees]

I forgot to mention that I'm only going to use it for keyboard / mouse switching. I won't use it for displays as my monitors can switch between two HDMI inputs anyway, so I'm not concerned with any display performance. I also don't think switching in the middle of a game is going to be a huge concern, as I don't think I'll be doing that. It's more the input latency I'm concerned about.

 

[kyzarvs]

Input latency exists, but it's not as bad as using a bad TV for example with lots of post-processing.

 

[R0GG]

Sorry for reviving this thread,
I just got the Iogear USB-HDMI with sound mono-monitor dual input KVM switch and using logitech wireless mouse keyboard (dedicated usb receiver for each), there is an unbearable lag in the mouse mouvements on every move of the mouse with lack of precision: used with monitor high resolution dual 1920x1200+ 2048x1536 (virtualized on 1920x1200 native) (only one monitor is shard between the 2 computers 1920x1200).
- project tests : using wireless mouse-keyboard combo ( one USB receiver instead of separate ones for mouse and keyboard)
using wired USB Keyboard and mouse.
using only one screen at 1920x1200 ( decreasing mouse travel work)
using the KVM only for mouse keyboard switching and switching monitor inputs between computers using TV remote

UPDATE: - Got lazy and decided to test with just a different set of wireless mouse keyboard (older logitech model) and no lag or slow movements of the mouse: works perfectly switching between windows 7 machine ( dual monitor setup mentioned above) and a windows 10 system - Mono-monitor, tested again with the newer logitech wireless mouse keyboard and the lag is present only with one mouse under windows 7, so I am thinking it might be a driver issue or something of that sort that I will investigate further later the Iogear switch is excellent, really seamless switching between the 2 systems. Hope this could be useful full someone experimenting same issue.