What is the opinion of Reddit about the TESmart 2 PCs Dual Monitor KVM Switch 4K @60Hz, Support HDCP 2.2, for 2 PCs and 2 Monitors (Black)?

A total of 7 reviews of this product on Reddit.

Here’s my setup. Its basically the same.

Work Laptop Dock -> Monitor 1 VIA HDMI

Work Laptop Dock -> Monitor 2 VIA HDMI

Gaming PC -> Monitor 1 VIA DP

Gaming PC -> Monitor 2 VIA DP

When I want to switch I Win+P on the work laptop to extend desktop then manually change the monitor input. When I want to switch back I Win+P to single screen on the work laptop. I also use two different sets of mouse+keyboard.

The reason I didnt do what you’re talking about is two reasons:

The device you want (a KVM) is expensive
Using a KVM generally limits your refresh rate which isnt good for a gaming PC

You can do what you want with something like this though:

https://www.amazon.com/TESmart-Monitor-Switch-Updated-Support/dp/B083MZSVFM

I found this one:

https://www.amazon.com/TESmart-Monitor-Switch-Updated-Support/dp/B083MZSVFM/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=BuyTESmart&qid=1633393104&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&smid=A8SSUILPTWO2C&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFHVUxJRU5RSDExN0sm…

Would this one work? The only issue I see is that my work laptop only has usb-c port, but what if I used a usb-c to hdmi cable? Would that work? Bevause this kvm switch only has hdmi ports.

My wife and I both have one of these. I recommend getting the dual hdmi and get the adapter I included for the display port output. DP to HDMI can be a passive adapter, the reverse requires an active adapter that isn’t cheap. Dual hdmi provides the most compatibility for lowest costs in case the computers ever change.

Keep in mind this is a dual monitor kvm. They do have a version with DP and HDMI, but I’ve always opted for the one below.

TESmart 2 PCs Dual Monitor KVM Switch 4K @60Hz, Support HDCP 2.2, for 2 PCs and 2 Monitors (Black) https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B083MZSVFM/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_CGAS0BSSBHJDFT5B8SSK?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

4K DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter, CLAVOOP 4K UHD Display Port DP (Source) to HDMI (Monitor) Converter Compatible DP Port Computer, Laptop to Connect HDMI Port Monitor, HDTV https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B09LYKTKHM/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_EVTW8FPTSK4XJ30RQRJJ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

So you want to connect a M1 MacBook and a gaming PC to a dual monitor setup. I am not sure if you want to use the MacBook itself as a third screen or if you are just open to it, but the main idea here would work for both.

There are a number of different ways that you can do this depending on your computers, monitors, and what hardware/software you are willing to buy, but here are a few ideas:

2-in-2-out Keyboard-Video-Mouse (KVM) Switch
1. The KVM switch allows you to plug in 2 input devices (usually via an HDMI or DisplayPort cable) to the switch in addition to a keyboard, mouse, speakers, etc., which then can then plug into 2 output devices (in this case, your monitors). If you are looking to sometimes use Monitor A with your MacBook and then Monitor B with your gaming PC (as opposed to both Monitor A & B with one input device at a time), then you’d want a KVM switch that has a “matrix” feature as well. I would suggest this one because I have used it and it worked well: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083MZSVFM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 If you get a mouse & keyboard (either 2.4 GHz wireless and/or wired) and plug them into the KVM switch, you can use your keyboard to switch between four modes:
  1. Assign both monitors and all peripherals (i.e. keyboard, mouse, webcam, etc.) to MacBook
  2. Assign both monitors and all peripherals (i.e. keyboard, mouse, webcam, etc.) to gaming PC
  3. Assign Monitor A to MacBook and Monitor B to gaming PC
  4. Assign Monitor A to gaming PC and Monitor B to MacBook
  5. … in addition, when in modes 3 & 4, you can use a different keyboard shortcut to swap which monitor are your peripheral devices will be connected to without changing which device is connected to which monitor
  6. … if you don’t get a 2.4 GHz wireless and/or wired keyboard/mouse, you won’t be able to switch between the 4 modes using your keyboard (i.e. quickly and efficiently) and will need to manually toggle the switch or use the remote that comes with it.
2. The brand I linked above has a switch that uses one HDMI and one DisplayPort if you want to do a combination as well.
Multiple HDMIs + bluetooth/2.4 GHz keyboard + bluetooth/2.4 GHz mouse
1. Plug multiple HDMIs from each laptop into each monitor and use the monitor’s input settings to switch which device is connected to each monitor.
2. Will need to get a bluetooth/2.4 GHz keyboard & bluetooth mouse which are able to easily switch between multiple devices without needing to be manually set up in bluetooth settings every time.
3. You may need to use HDMI emulators if you plan to use your devices with the lids closed (so that when you switch the input device on your monitor, the monitor does not think your laptop is not connected to it and then refuse to switch).
Honestly, the above 2 are my favorite so I’ll end there. I don’t love the software solutions as much.

Hope this helps.

This it here?

KVM or Matrix allows for multiple inputs, and sends it to the outputs you want.

It works like this:

PC sends 2 HDMI ports out to KVM.
Laptop connects to the dock and sends 2 HDMI ports out to the KVM
KVM takes Input 1 (PC) & Input 2 (laptop) and sends out video to two HDMI screens.
The KVM also connects two USB devices (keyboard & mouse) and they work on whichever input is active at the time.

The problem is and HDMI KVM is kinda pricey (VGA or DVI are a lot cheaper)– https://www.amazon.com/TESmart-Monitor-Switch-Updated-Support/dp/B083MZSVFM

You might be better off getting a 4×2 HDMI Matrix (just does video) and a USB Splitter

This is the one, zero issues as long as you use quality cables. I found out that it doesn’t play nice with freesync but I wasn’t planning on using that anyway.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083MZSVFM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_7msuFbW3HS8ZV