[sek929]

Its been so long since I've been here but once I started to embark on my new project my head starting swimming and the only place I could think of for some straight answers is right here. You fine nerds have never steered me wrong before!

The Plan

Build a modern computer desk workstation from the ground up, getting rid of my old desk and old computers in the process. Replace with one large screen and one keyboard/mouse to control everything.

The Moving Parts

My partner got a big promotion (hooray) and will also be working from home a lot more (also hooray) but her new position has put a strain on our cluttered and inefficient workspace. I have a 2012 27" iMac, backup drive, printer, usb-c dock for her windows laptop, second screen for said laptop and second mouse and keyboard for said laptop. this all sucks.

The New Kids

I've settled on replacing my iMac with an M2 Mac Mini, my computer needs are few (I cut wood for a living) but we need a family machine that will serve as the anchor for years and years. I've also decided to get an Uplift electric desk so my s/o can have a comfortable area to work while she is doing things around the house or settling in for a long zoom meeting. this is another area i dont mind shelling out some bucks. Lastly the focal point will ideally be a 27-31.5 inch display that will serve both her work laptop and the Mac Mini.

The Problem

It's been a long goddamned time since I've kept up with technology and reviewing my options for simple connectivity is making me feel very, very old. At first I was convinced the only way to achieve my vision is with a KVM switch but now I'm not so sure. Most monitors have a plethora of inputs, including USB-C (thunderbolt?) So it would appear on the surface that i don't need to switch video inputs but rather just merge one keyboard and mouse to both machines? Past that I'm unsure whether i should shoot for HDMI, Display Port, or simply USBc for my monitor connections. Can monitors accept multiple inputs and switch between them? Gaming is not a huge concern to me but id like to keep the resolution at a minimum of 1440p, no curve either. My biggest concern is some weird compatibility issues between sharing one monitor with a mac and a pc.

I've got a bunch of stuff bookmarked but as i started to diagram my connections I realized I really didn't know what the hell I was doing, hence this post. This place has been such a great destination for me over the years when i have tech questions and thank you all for the current and past help you have given me.

[subego]

Unfortunately, my experience is limited to the LG 27MD5KL-B. Practically speaking, it’s the 27” Retina Apple Thunderbolt Display that Apple never brought to market. A solid contender only if it’s all Macs.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by subego 

Unfortunately, my experience is limited to the LG 27MD5KL-B. Practically speaking, it’s the 27” Retina Apple Thunderbolt Display that Apple never brought to market. A solid contender only if it’s all Macs.

Unfortunately the second machine is an old-ish windows laptop provided by her company

[reader50]

In general, 3rd party monitors have more ports as they get more expensive. IPS displays are almost standard on monitors today - everything but the very cheapest, and a few oddballs with something different, like OLED. Note that it's become common for audio to be output through the monitor cable, so you now get stereo sound via your DisplayPort / HDMI / USB-C connection. 4K monitors are also cheap, used for Retina resolutions. Don't buy a 1440p monitor - Retina looks better, the higher the base resolution.

You should be fine with a decent monitor, switching inputs between Mac and PC. I'd expect the audio source to switch along with the video, but it's possible the audio source would need switching separately via the monitor menu. That's the only possible gotcha that comes to mind. Check the monitor connections panel(s) before buying. The specs online don't always list everything. Like if you have a legacy DVI port (for hooking up an older computer to reach old apps or games) or if the USB-C port supports TB. From the jack panel, you can see if the lightning-bolt TB logo is present.

note: TB 3 or 4 over USB-C is an extra feature. Some USB-C connections only do USB, while others do USB + TB. For monitor use, this will affect the cable. Make sure it supports TB too.

[Laminar]

A KVM is probably your best bet for a partner-friendly one-touch switch to swap a single mouse/keyboard/monitor between two PCs.

Maybe something like this one that expressly claims Mac compatibility and can charge the laptop through USB-C so it's only a one cable connection to each device.

https://www.amazon.com/MLEEDA-Comput...A3PG7Y5OYBDW90

Note that the M2 Macs can't run Windows natively like the Intels could, so your gaming options are limited to what you can run in Mac OS or how much you want to fuss with Windows virtualization.

I've never run into the 8GB limit of my M1 Mini but if you're going for a decade of use you might as well get the full-bore 16GB version.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by reader50 

You should be fine with a decent monitor, switching inputs between Mac and PC. I'd expect the audio source to switch along with the video, but it's possible the audio source would need switching separately via the monitor menu. That's the only possible gotcha that comes to mind. Check the monitor connections panel(s) before buying. The specs online don't always list everything. Like if you have a legacy DVI port (for hooking up an older computer to reach old apps or games) or if the USB-C port supports TB. From the jack panel, you can see if the lightning-bolt TB logo is present.

note: TB 3 or 4 over USB-C is an extra feature. Some USB-C connections only do USB, while others do USB + TB. For monitor use, this will affect the cable. Make sure it supports TB too.

Good stuff, thanks, any recommendations for a ~30" display that doesn't break the bank?

Originally Posted by Laminar 

A KVM is probably your best bet for a partner-friendly one-touch switch to swap a single mouse/keyboard/monitor between two PCs.

Maybe something like this one that expressly claims Mac compatibility and can charge the laptop through USB-C so it's only a one cable connection to each device.

https://www.amazon.com/MLEEDA-Comput...A3PG7Y5OYBDW90

Note that the M2 Macs can't run Windows natively like the Intels could, so your gaming options are limited to what you can run in Mac OS or how much you want to fuss with Windows virtualization.

I've never run into the 8GB limit of my M1 Mini but if you're going for a decade of use you might as well get the full-bore 16GB version.

Funny I felt compelled to go 24gb upgrade just for shits because I know everything is set in stone and can't be upgraded, But if 16 is fine then ill spend that money elsewhere, Thanks for the link to the thunderbolt kvm, that definitely seems like the easiest way to get everybody set up. Elminating HDMI or DP cables wasn't something I was aware of until recently hah.

[ghporter]

I am using a DP KVM for my two Linux desktops, and I’m quite happy with it. I chose this one because I only needed USB 2 and it has separate connections for DisplayPort and a number of USB devices. The only issue (if you can call it that) is that DisplayPort audio through my monitor’s speaker jack sounds bad. But I use a USB soundbar anyway, so that’s not a big deal. A Thunderbolt KVM will be slicker and much simpler for the kind of equipment you’ll be using.

My setup went from a thrown together mess to something a lot more structured in December when I added a second machine. I planned it out for the network stuff and the two computers to be close together and be accessible from behind, so connecting it was easy. I have them both connected to the network via Ethernet, and having true gigabit internal networking is great.

My bottom line is this: think out what you want ahead of time, compare options, then take your time putting things together. I can’t tell you how much better it is to have “cables to computer #1” all bundled together, and not mixed up with “cables to computer #2”. When you set up things on the fly, it’s hard to keep them structured, maintainable, and neat.

[reader50]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

I can’t tell you how much better it is to have “cables to computer #1” all bundled together, and not mixed up with “cables to computer #2”. When you set up things on the fly, it’s hard to keep them structured, maintainable, and neat.

On that note, I've taken to using a label printer. Put labels on each cable, near the ends. Designating what they're for. Makes it much easier to disconnect the right cable, as well as plug everything back in if a component gets pulled for service or upgrade.

[subego]

It’s been awhile, but when I last tried this with P-Touch tape it would slowly but surely unstick from itself.

[ghporter]

Yep, P-Touch is not a great, long term solution. Because they are laminated thermal tape, the outer layer separates, then the printed layer comes unstuck, and it falls off. I even tried adding clear packing tape over the P-Touch tape…no dice, they still came off and left the cable sticky.

I bought laser-printable cable labels to address this. These look like they’ll work well. I haven’t printed any of them yet, but it seems like it’ll be pretty straightforward to print them (or use the included marker to label them) and apply them. I’ve finalized all of my cabling, so the labeling process is part of my plans for the upcoming week.

The package includes labels in 9 colors, so color-coding can be a thing as well. The vendor offers a Word template for the labels, but it didn’t look like it actually aligned with the labels on the page. Fortunately they also offer an editable PDF template that seems to line up properly. Too bad they don’t have a Pages template…

[Waragainstsleep]

You could plug the monitor, keyboard and mouse into a USB-C dock of some kind, then you just switch the USB-C cable between the Mini and the laptop. A switch would be more elegant but this takes the keyboard and mouse with it and means you don't need a KVM.

[reader50]

Switching physical cables on a regular basis is bad. Ports are rated for only a certain number of insertions.

[subego]

USB-C is supposedly rated for 10K cycles. At two per day it would take more than 10 years to reach that.

[ghporter]

“Supposedly rated” is anything from the QC folks verifying some large percentage of a product actually tests to failure past 10k cycles, to the maker having tested at least one specimen to survive somewhere close to 10k cycles.

The combination of wear on the shell, the contacts, the strain relief, and the cable itself is a not-good thing to bet on. Which does not address the ports’ wear patterns; cables are cheap, ports not so much.

I’d go with a KVM just to avoid the chore of changing what’s plugged into what, but from an electronics technician perspective (I actually did that gig for over 25 years), accumulating connector cycles is just plain bad.

Sek, what KVM I’d recommend depends on the inputs to the monitor you wind up with. Primarily it comes down to what inputs the monitor has

[subego]

Obviously, it would be best to avoid cable shuffling.

If that’s not possible for whatever reason and one is concerned about the duty cycle (totally reasonable BTW), a good solution is to plug and unplug from a sacrificial coupler. I’m forced to do this on occasion with HDMI.

[ghporter]

My previous reply sounds almost preachy, which was not my intent.

I have to admit that I am extremely biased against cable shuffling, and I'm extremely cynical about "rated cycles", but not without reason.

For a while when my duty assignment was to maintain Air Traffic Control equipment, we had a very rough time because the controllers would get bored and twirl their hand microphones, like this one:


The coiled cord was rated for many thousands of stretches, but the cord would fail very quickly when that heavy mic pulled on it while being twirled by the cord. The replacement cords were expensive, and they were also a royal pain to replace.*

So I am skeptical of a duty cycle rating without also having access to how this was tested. And I have a healthy respect for how real-world use of something can (and often does) vary from its designed functional envelope.

*The management fix for this situation was stellar. The squadron bought each controller a Plantronics headset like this:

Expensive and spacey, the controllers loved them. The catch was that each individual was responsible for his or her own headset, and if they broke it, they bought it. "Boredom" problems essentially disappeared after this.

[subego]

I’m completely with you. HDMI is rated for 10K. Don’t buy that for a second, hence the coupler solution if shuffling is required.

HDMI is such a shit design though. I trust USB-C a little more.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

Sek, what KVM I’d recommend depends on the inputs to the monitor you wind up with. Primarily it comes down to what inputs the monitor has

We went to a physical store today so my partner could visualize monitor sizes, we settled on 27" so 4k resolution is definitely within the budget now, I'm currently on newegg with those filters applied (also thunderbolt) and seeing a wide variety of brands and prices. Any recommendations from the hive-mind would be appreciated. refresh rate isn't much of a concern since this will primarily be for browsing and excel.

Swapping cables would be annoying, I'm really interested in having everything be thunderbolt if possible, i assume the KVM would also be able to distribute one ethernet input through thunderbolt to both machines?