Question 1

Love it. Works great...not one issue from 1st use but just one question. 
Is it ok to leave this powered on all the time? I have it for home use and I regularly shutdown both pc's at night. Should I put the power adapter on a switch?

Accepted Answer

Jim:

To power down or not is a matter of preference.  I leave my KVM on continuously and have not had any concerns about doing so.  The power consumption of the device is negligible so leaving it on will consume minimal electricity.  If it gives you peace of mind to shutdown then by all means go for it, but it is not necessary.

Having stated that, there are different schools of thought on powering down daily versus leaving devices continuously running.  You may want to search the web about it.  There are pros and cons for both.

Question 2

I realize that the switch only supports single-link DVI throughput/resolutions, but would it work with dual-link DVI cables? I've found some cheap DVI cables, but they all seem to be dual-link.

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can use dual-link DVI cables.  I have them hooked up to my monitors and the same KVM box and they are running fine.

The switch has three DVI-I (29 pin) female connectors, two for the host connectors (out from the switch) and one for the console interface (input to the switch).  These will accept a cable with a male connector containing any number of pins.

The tech specs state the box will only support single-link DVI up to a resolution of 1920 x 1200.  This simply means it will not transmit a signal to the middle six pins of the connector and thus will not send a signal that will allow a resolution higher than 1920 x 1200.  If you have monitors with higher resolution and you want to take advantage of that, you may want to get a better switch.  If you are ok with 1920 x 1200 or less then this switch should work well.

Here is my caveat about this particular model.  I would agree, to an extent, with some of the reviews saying the switch is buggy.  The first one I ordered from NewEgg had a USB port stop working after about two weeks, so I had to return and exchange for another.  The second switch has been working for almost a year now without any issues.  NewEgg was good... they traded out the boxes for me, no questions asked.

Question 3

Can I use the USB port to drive a third monitor via a USB display adapter?

Accepted Answer

I could not make that work.

Brand	StarTech.com
Model	SV231DDVDUA

Type	D-Sub, DVI, USB
Console Connectors	1 - 24 pin DVI-I (Single Link) Female 1 - High Density DB15 (VGA) Female 4 - USB A Female 2 - 3.5 mm Audio Female
Computer Connections	2 Port DVI + VGA - Dual Monitor
Video Resolution	Analog Resolutions 1920 x 1440 Digital Resolutions 1920 x 1200
PC Selection	Push Buttons/Hot Keys
LED Indicators	1 - Green - Power 2 - Green - PC Detected 2 - Red - PC Indicator

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StarTech.com SV231DDVDUA 2 Port DVI VGA Dual Monitor KVM Switch USB with Audio & USB 2.0 Hub

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Item#: 9SIA1K692W6869