Review on 💻 StarTech.com Dual Port DisplayPort KVM Switch - 2560x1600 @60Hz - DP USB, Keyboard, Video, Mouse Switch Box with Audio for Computers and Monitors (SV231DPUA) by Joseph Willis

I was skeptical about this unit after reading the rather lukewarm reviews on this and other sites. However, I have quite a bit of experience with KVM (ranging from the small Belkin and IOGear products to the big fancy Avocent OSD models) and overall I'm very happy with StarTech, so I decided to take a chance and I did am glad i did it. The device is slightly larger than comparable models, but its body is made of steel or other metal and doesn't appear flimsy, which is definitely a plus. Plus, the slightly larger size makes managing what would otherwise be the indomitable cable octopus often associated with KVM much less of a pain. The package only includes the KVM itself, manuals and software, and a power adapter. for the power. Luckily I was able to get all but one DVI cable from my computer backyard so it didn't incur a huge additional expense. However, if you don't have direct access to this amount of redundant hardware, you will need to purchase cables to connect the consoles (two managed computers) to the KVM. Specifically: 2 x DVI Male to Male Single or Dual Link Extension Cables 2 x HD15 Analog Video Extension Cables Male to Male 2 x USB A to USB B Keyboard/Mouse/USB Cables -Hub signal 2 x microphone/speaker 3.5 cable mm All this in addition to what you currently use for your monitors, keyboard, mouse etc., since all this will be connected to the host or input side of the KVM. Also note that I don't use the audio part of KVM so it remains untested, but it seems like pretty basic functionality so I doubt this is an issue. I use a very basic 104-key standard Dell keyboard and haven't had the issues that some other reviewers have reported with backlit, wireless, or other "enhanced" keyboards packed with additional features. For what it's worth, my plain old keyboard and three-button mouse work great. As far as connection/installation goes, it couldn't be easier. It takes a little time to get all the connections where they need to be just because you're dealing with so many cables, but once I had everything I needed, everything worked right away. If it helps, I'm using two computers with the following: Dell Optiplex 380 (with video splitter) with Windows 7 Professional (32-bit) Service Pack 1 Dell Dimension 8400 Dual Display Post-Market Graphics Card NVIDIA with Ubuntu 10.10 I had to install additional nVidia software to run Ubuntu, but that wasn't a big problem. In short, I am very satisfied with this KVM. The software, while not mandatory, adds some features that are very handy and since installing it, everything has worked as I expected. If you don't see any updates in this review, assume nothing has changed.