Level1 USBC KVM - How should I hook up my desktop now that 3080 doesn't have VirtualLink?

Background

I’ve been using a rather complex setup to connect my laptop and desktop to two monitors. I have both the Level1 USBC KVM and an ATEN Displayport 1.2 KVM. After some rearranging of cables, this has come out to be pretty much optimal for my use case; I use thunderbolt cables to connect my Laptop via its thunderbolt port, and my Desktop through the VirtualLink usbc port on my RTX 2080.

Issue

I am trying to get my hands on an RTX 3080, but when I do, it will not have a VirtualLink port. How should I get a USB3 5gbps + DisplayPort 1.2 signal to the Level1 USBC KVM from my desktop?

Options I have thought of:

  • Keep 2080 in a secondary slot; the 3080 might be able to copy the framebuffer to it for display out?
  • Buy a Thunderbolt 3 add-on card (would need to work on x570)
  • Some sort of unholy merge connector to inject DisplayPort into a USBC connection
  • Some weird capability of my mobo that I’m not aware of?

Hardware

  • Ryzen 9 3950x
  • ASUS Pro WS X570-ACE
  • MSI Ventus RTX 2080
  • Level1Techs 2-port USBC KVM
  • 20Gbps-rated Thunderbolt USBC cable

Would something like this enable that.

I don’t have one, I know there is a thread around here that discusses it in depth.

It has DP in and a display port connection along with 2 nebulous “USB-C” connections. Not sure exactly what it’s cabable of, or compatible with, see if it matches you needs maybe.

3 Likes

Yes the tb adapter would work. Also there is a thing called bi directional USBc adapter but not all of them will work because some want power from the USBc side which the kvm won’t give.

So it’s a bit reeeeee

And the bi directional cables often don’t have a USB facility on the dp side for hooking up usb :frowning:

Thunderbolt aic is best option for the moment

4 Likes

Agreed, reeeeee. If only HMD manufacturers actually agreed on a VirtualLink spec…

I was hoping for something less expensive than the Titan Ridge card, but it looks like this ASUS aic is Intel-mobo-specific (and maybe too old): https://www.newegg.com/asus-model-thunderboltex-3-pci-express-to-usb-card/p/2CF-000F-00002

I didn’t see that it had a DisplayPort 1.4 stream per-thunderbolt cable; this is a pretty nice feature. From the rumblings I hear about USB4 having backwards compatibility with Thunderbolt 3, hopefully the Titan Ridge aic can be a solution that lasts for 4-10 years.

1 Like

This topic was automatically closed 273 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.