So I need to start working from home soon. I want to be able to switch from my work laptop to my personal laptop. However, I also want to use my desktop. I have two monitors, and looking to get a larger third one. But I will only ever be using two at a time. My two monitors are daisy chained and connected to the monitor’s usb-c upstream port via usb-c cable to the laptop. My external wired keyboard and mouse are also connected to the usb ports on the monitors.
I am willing to manually switch out one or two cables if they are within easy reach, if that would avoid having to buy a KVM switch or dock.
Switching between laptops is no problem. I understand that. Just unplug the usb-c cable from one laptop and plug it into the other.
What I’m confused about is how to add my desktop into the mix. Could I just disconnect the usb-c cable between my monitor and laptop, and have a second usb-c cable ready, running from my desktop to plug into the monitor usb-c upstream port? [EDIT] just realized I wouldn’t be able to use my discreet GPU that way.
A KVM will definitely be the easier way to do this, and a docking station definitely makes things easier on the laptop front, but that stuff costs money.
Can you use video cables out from the desktop to the monitors, and a USB-c extension cord for the peripherals?
So if you switch off the machines not in use, then the monitors with KB+mouse daisy chained all plug into laptop #1 via USB-c
To change to Laptop #2 you only need to move the USB-c cable, and it uses the screens and KB+mouse.
To switch to the Desktop, unplug USB-c, turn on desktop, when monitors autoswitch, then plug the USB-c cable into the extension lead?
If they sell USB-a male to USB-c female cables. (All seem male to male)
I have one for charging, from the Pihut, but not sure if it does data
Not sure I understand. Without a KVM or a dock, I would need to somehow connect the desktop (with its discreet GPU) and the laptop (s) to the monitors. … as well as my external wired keyboard and mouse (which I also want to use with my laptop) . Is there a way of making use of the hub on the monitor? Only one of my monitors has a built-in hub. Would it work if my second monitor also had a hub?
I switch between a desktop, two laptops, and a Nuc with one cable and a bunch of periferals, includding two monitors, connected to a Thunderbolt docking station.
I wish there was Thunderbolt switch available, so I did not have to yank the cable all the time; but it works and it is just one cable to connect everything.
I mean, if both monitors, and peripherals are daisy chained, and you only need to move one cable to connect everything to either laptop, then you could also connect peripherals to the desktop the same way?
To get dektop GPU output, might require directly wiring the cables to the desktop output
So the USB-c cable used for video+interface devices for either laptop, but only for hub connected interface devices for desktop.
If the monitors have multiple connections, one connection can be used to daisy chain, and rhe other connection direct to PC?
Right, I know connecting 2 laptops with 2 daisy-chained monitors is straightforward. My monitors don’t have KVM if that’s what you mean by auto-switching (?) My monitors do have MST.
Incidentally… I’m new here and just registered on this forum. I am using the quote function when replying to others, however, the quotes are not appearing on screen for me. I’ve tried different browsers. Is there something else I need to do to get the reply quotes to show up?
My desktop has integrated GPU, but in case I put a discrete GPU in, there is a DisplayPort In connector to route the discrete GPU’s output through Thunderbolt.
If the motherboard has bult-in Thunderbolt, then on the Motherboard. If the motherboard has Thunderbolt header, then on the Thunderbolt add-on card.
I may be mistaken, but if you have both integrated and discrete GPU, you can use the discrete GPU for compute and the integrated one for video output. But I do not know how well that works in practice…
So, this should work for motherboards that have Thunderbolt or USB4 with DisplayPort routed, but not sure about earlier USB versions. My motherboard has two USB 4 ports with DisplayPort routed to them, and one can be switched in the BIOS to ether uze integrated GPU or the DisplayPort In port for a discrete GPU pass-through.