What KVM switch for PC and laptop

Question

I have a PC setup and I want to add a laptop in such a way that I can switch between the two and use my existing keyboard, monitors etc. But I'm not sure what KVM switch to get. I will use both for work (no gaming) and not likely to extend it to include any more devices.

PC: standard custom build PC with standard ports and I can add more.

Laptop: Dell Precision 5566 2x Thunderbolt 4 (Power/Delivery) USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C SD Card Headphone jack

My setup includes 2 monitors (HDMI) Speakers (sound out port) Wired keyboard (USB) Wired mouse (USB) Network cable

I want to get something that just meets my needs. What KVM switch would you recommend?

Answer 1

There are two routes for it, since the laptop has very limited types of I/O ports on it.

1. Single TB cable solution: put a Thunderbolt 4 dock or mini dock between the laptop and the KVM switch. just one TB 4 cable connected from the dock to the laptop and the dock can provide video output + USB A-B output to the KVM switch. With this solution, the single TB 4 cable can also provide power delivery to the laptop via the Thunderbolt 4 dock's power supply.
2. Connect video cable and USB B output cable directly from one TB4 port on the laptop. One Type-C-to-DP active converting cable and one USB A to USB B cable will be required. This solution will use up one TB4 port of the laptop for single monitor sharing and will use all 2 TB4 ports of the laptop for dual monitor sharing. Also, you need to have the original power plug plugged in all the time. Disregards, of which route you go, your gaming desktop will be connected directly to the KVM switch via its video port(s) and USB A port. There is no need for any docking station for the gaming desktop.

• reminder: For the best video performance to ensure stable 4K144hz video output, short fiber optic DisplayPort 1.4 cables are recommended.
• since the DisplayPort 1.4 KVM switch will also be used as an USB sharing dock besides sharing keyboard and mouse (low-speed USB devices). High-speed USB devices, such as USB webcam or USB SSD drive ...etc. can be also connected to the KVM switch for sharing between your gaming PC and laptop. So, the DP 1.4 KVM switch should at least support USB 3.0 for the USB connections.