Price : Too low to display
IOGear GCS1644 4-Port Dual View Dual-Link DVI KVMP Switch with Audio marks a leap in KVM functionality by combining IOGEAR's Display Emulation Technology with the widescreen graphics resolution of today's 30+ inch monitors, supporting Dual View / Dual Link DVI, 2560 x 1600 (higher than 1080p HD). Two Dual-View / Dual-Link display computers can be accessed and controlled from a single console (running dual-displays! This unique KVMP can increase efficiency and save equipment cost for applications where high resolution, dual-display large or widescreen monitors are required: CAD (Computer Aided Design) and CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing), Desktop Publishing / Graphic Design / Video Editing, Medical / Surgical / Diagnostic Displays, And High-End Gaming, where high and ultra-high video resolution is demanded. The GCS1644 also features two USB 2.0 peripheral ports for asynchronously sharing USB devices between your computers. A powered USB hub may be attached to the peripheral ports for added functionality. Audio and microphone support makes sharing speakers and a microphone a convenience for the users which serves as an extra value. The IOGEAR's Display Emulation Technology remembers your monitor's ideal resolution and refresh rate (EDID), making it possible to boot all your computers simultaneously, switch back and forth between computers, and still maintain the ideal video settings of the monitor. Requirements; Console: 2 Displays with DVI ports A USB Keyboard and Mouse, Optional - Audio jacks for speakers and mic
This review is from : IOGEAR 4-Port Dual View Dual-Link DVI KVMP Switch with Audio GCS1644 (Black)
Finally! . I've used a fair number of other KVMs and had largely given up on ever having the convenience of using one ever again. Some coworkers had shown me an older set of these that worked really well with DVI switching. I really like this KVM. It works exactly the way you would expect, and in my case it took zero configuration.
Currently I switch four computers with this system: Windows 7 with a Geforce GTX 285, a Hackingtosh with an Nividia 9xxx series, a Linux box, and a mac laptop. It works flawlessly for all of them. You really can't say this with any other KVM setup.
Good job IOGear!
Finally! . I've used a fair number of other KVMs and had largely given up on ever having the convenience of using one ever again. Some coworkers had shown me an older set of these that worked really well with DVI switching. I really like this KVM. It works exactly the way you would expect, and in my case it took zero configuration.
Currently I switch four computers with this system: Windows 7 with a Geforce GTX 285, a Hackingtosh with an Nividia 9xxx series, a Linux box, and a mac laptop. It works flawlessly for all of them. You really can't say this with any other KVM setup.
Good job IOGear!
IOGEAR 4-Port Dual View Dual-Link DVI KVMP Switch with Audio GCS1644 (Black) Reviews
Please Read This . First you have to understand how these things switch the mouse and keyboard. They have a built-in emulator that interfaced to all the PC's connected. Your counsole mouse and keyboard are read and then retransmited to the PC's via the emulator.
This keeps the driver from dropping out every time you switch. The problem with the emulator is that high end mice are not supported. IE I have tried almost all the wireless logitec mice and they dont work in emulation mode. Your only choice is to turn emulation off.
When you use non emulation mode or the alternate USB ports supplied the driver will drop out each time you leave the machine and it will reconnect each time you switch back. This is bad for two reasons.
1. The computer beeps each time this happens
2. There have been times when the mouse driver just does not attach properly and it fails.
For this reason I docked one star.
Next the advertised feature where the switch box remembers what the resolution of each monitor is does not work. If I power up a PC and it does not have focus the second monitor does not fire up most of the time.
For this reason I docked another star.
Other than the two above issues the box works as described.
Please Read This . First you have to understand how these things switch the mouse and keyboard. They have a built-in emulator that interfaced to all the PC's connected. Your counsole mouse and keyboard are read and then retransmited to the PC's via the emulator.
This keeps the driver from dropping out every time you switch. The problem with the emulator is that high end mice are not supported. IE I have tried almost all the wireless logitec mice and they dont work in emulation mode. Your only choice is to turn emulation off.
When you use non emulation mode or the alternate USB ports supplied the driver will drop out each time you leave the machine and it will reconnect each time you switch back. This is bad for two reasons.
1. The computer beeps each time this happens
2. There have been times when the mouse driver just does not attach properly and it fails.
For this reason I docked one star.
Next the advertised feature where the switch box remembers what the resolution of each monitor is does not work. If I power up a PC and it does not have focus the second monitor does not fire up most of the time.
For this reason I docked another star.
Other than the two above issues the box works as described.
IOGEAR 4-Port Dual View Dual-Link DVI KVMP Switch with Audio GCS1644 (Black) Opinions
Great but something to know . What IOGEAR fails to mention is that they do NOT guarantee any video adapters to work. So for those that have dual VGA monitors be aware! I have 2 HP w2207h which only have VGA and HDMI inputs, not DVI-D. This unit has DVI-I connections BUT only sends a digital signal. All cables in this box are DVI-D. So the DVI-I to VGA adapters will not work. I learned the hard way. However, DVI-D Male to HDMI female adapter worked fine. picked up 2 for $15 each.... gave 4 stars because of LACKING information on adapters and their phone support was very hard to deal with. I recommend only emailing this support
Great but something to know . What IOGEAR fails to mention is that they do NOT guarantee any video adapters to work. So for those that have dual VGA monitors be aware! I have 2 HP w2207h which only have VGA and HDMI inputs, not DVI-D. This unit has DVI-I connections BUT only sends a digital signal. All cables in this box are DVI-D. So the DVI-I to VGA adapters will not work. I learned the hard way. However, DVI-D Male to HDMI female adapter worked fine. picked up 2 for $15 each.... gave 4 stars because of LACKING information on adapters and their phone support was very hard to deal with. I recommend only emailing this support
IOGear GCS1644 almost perfect . I saw that IOGear released a dual monitor dual-link KVM switch. I had to have it. It became an obsession with buying it.
I bought it and received it yesterday.
Took it home and hooked it up. Initially I just disconnected my main computer's dual monitors and hooked it up to the KVM switch.
Upon rebooting I found that the computer would get stuck on the splash screen where the BIOS is initialized. I found that the BIOS was getting stuck at initializing USB controllers.
My motherboard is an ASUS Rampage Formula Intel X48 chipset.
I tried messing with some of the hot key settings but none would allow me to reboot properly.
I had to go to ASUS' home page, check for a latest BIOS, luckily there was one. I downloaded and installed it. I went back into the BIOS and made changes to the USB section.
Rebooted it, blessed my computer and hoped it would get past that initializing BIOS screen.
It worked.
If it hadn't been for this I would've given it 5 stars.
Also the reviewer who said that the screens do not come back into focus... he's partially right. I spoke to IOGear support and they said it's a feature, not a flaw. Just take a few extra seconds and or minutes to stay at that computer until it's about to boot into Windows.
Also I never lost signal from the second monitor. The settings were wrong in that the resolution and which monitor was my main and secondary were both wrong but it worked nonetheless.
I bought it and received it yesterday.
Took it home and hooked it up. Initially I just disconnected my main computer's dual monitors and hooked it up to the KVM switch.
Upon rebooting I found that the computer would get stuck on the splash screen where the BIOS is initialized. I found that the BIOS was getting stuck at initializing USB controllers.
My motherboard is an ASUS Rampage Formula Intel X48 chipset.
I tried messing with some of the hot key settings but none would allow me to reboot properly.
I had to go to ASUS' home page, check for a latest BIOS, luckily there was one. I downloaded and installed it. I went back into the BIOS and made changes to the USB section.
Rebooted it, blessed my computer and hoped it would get past that initializing BIOS screen.
It worked.
If it hadn't been for this I would've given it 5 stars.
Also the reviewer who said that the screens do not come back into focus... he's partially right. I spoke to IOGear support and they said it's a feature, not a flaw. Just take a few extra seconds and or minutes to stay at that computer until it's about to boot into Windows.
Also I never lost signal from the second monitor. The settings were wrong in that the resolution and which monitor was my main and secondary were both wrong but it worked nonetheless.
Worked Flawlessly . This unit worked within minutes of plugging it in. All of the cables are included and I had no problem with USB equip. as other people have mentioned. However, I only have a MS wireless mouse and wireless keyboard hooked up to the KVM. My printers are all networked and all other usb equip. are only used on certain machines, so I hooked them directly to those machines.
just as the doctor ordered :-) . everything it promised, awesome space saver, made my work load so much easier to manage..
Thank you thank you thank you, :-), It is obvious that I love it
one recommendation, run separate USB cables for USB devises that are dedicated to one PC only, for example one of my PC's is dedicated to Video rendering, if I am doing a quick edit straight from a USB card reader that is connected to the switch the switch will disconnect it from that PC when you switch over. By running a dedicated cable to the Video PC I solved my particular problem.
Thank you thank you thank you, :-), It is obvious that I love it
one recommendation, run separate USB cables for USB devises that are dedicated to one PC only, for example one of my PC's is dedicated to Video rendering, if I am doing a quick edit straight from a USB card reader that is connected to the switch the switch will disconnect it from that PC when you switch over. By running a dedicated cable to the Video PC I solved my particular problem.
Finally - a great dual DVI monitor KVM solution! . I had been on the search for a KVM for my two dual-monitor systems for several months. I have a Mac Mini (with HDMI -> DVI and MiniDisplay -> DVI converter dongles) and a Dell E6520 laptop in a dock (with two DVI outputs). The Mac, of course, has never given me any display problems, but the E6520 running Windows 7 has some super finicky display drivers that have given me constant headaches (especially considering I am using two Dell WFP2408 monitors). I mention this because if you have ever used a KVM before, you are probably aware that the KVM unit itself can introduce display detection problems and send display drivers into a tizzy.This KVM worked flawlessly. Setup was a snap - pretty much just hooked up my cables and was good to go. The Apple worked right away, while the Dell did require a driver update to get it to work with the second monitor. I do not fault the KVM for this, as the dual monitor detection problems were exactly the same as when I originally setup dual monitors directly plugged in, so I had to go through the setup process again and "nudge" my Windows machine to see them both. After that, everything worked great.I also use this with my wireless Logitech M510 Mouse (Logitech Wireless Mouse M510). Hooking up the USB wireless transmitter to the USB port designated for the mouse on the KVM unit did not work, but using the USB 2.0 port on the back of the KVM worked great. Using the USB 2.0 port also allows the "back" and "forward" buttons on the mouse to function properly (other KVM's truncate this command data when plugged into USB 1.1 ports doing mouse emulation) - a big plus that allows me to enjoy all my toys and their features.This KVM also switches between systems faster than any I've ever had. It takes at most about a second.So, all in all, if you are looking for a great dual-DVI monitor KVM, I highly recommend this product as it is exactly the solution I was looking for!
Very Nice . The Pro: Works perfecly handling 4 computers, 1 keyboard, 1 mouse and 2 monitors at once.
The Con: Its pricey.
The Con: Its pricey.
Cons Review
KM part was great but for the V part: sparkles and dots OH MY . I purchased this item on 5/31/11 and installed it on 6/5/11 (two days after delivery). The installation process was simple, and as far as switching back and forth between the two computers (A windows 7 machine and a Mac Pro) there were no problems at all (KBD is a XArmor U9BL and "Mouse" is a Logitech wireless trackball).
The problem I had, and why I had to return the GXS1642, had to do with the video performance. I have two Dell 3007 30" monitors (these use the dual-link DVI connection, resolution 2560 x 1600) driven by a NVidia GTX 560Ti on the PC and by two Nvidia GT120's on the Mac. Either of these machines work flawlessly with these monitors. Unfortunately, when run thru the GCS1642 artifacts would appear on both screens. When the 1642 connected to the Mac, little dots appeared randomly all over both screens. Sometimes short horizontal lines would appear. When the 1642 was connected to the PC, not so much dots but little warbly lines all over the place and occasional artifacts that looked like stuck pixels.
I shut everything off, checked all connections for proper tightening, and restarted. Nope. Incidentally, the problems with visual artifacts occur at lower resolutions than 2560 x 1600 as well (i.e., not just the max resolution); I tried several combinations and found similar problems.
I noticed that IOGEAR's support dept was open today (sunday) so I tried calling them. The person I spoke to had no advice except to do what I've already tried so I really have no choice but to return it.
The problem I had, and why I had to return the GXS1642, had to do with the video performance. I have two Dell 3007 30" monitors (these use the dual-link DVI connection, resolution 2560 x 1600) driven by a NVidia GTX 560Ti on the PC and by two Nvidia GT120's on the Mac. Either of these machines work flawlessly with these monitors. Unfortunately, when run thru the GCS1642 artifacts would appear on both screens. When the 1642 connected to the Mac, little dots appeared randomly all over both screens. Sometimes short horizontal lines would appear. When the 1642 was connected to the PC, not so much dots but little warbly lines all over the place and occasional artifacts that looked like stuck pixels.
I shut everything off, checked all connections for proper tightening, and restarted. Nope. Incidentally, the problems with visual artifacts occur at lower resolutions than 2560 x 1600 as well (i.e., not just the max resolution); I tried several combinations and found similar problems.
I noticed that IOGEAR's support dept was open today (sunday) so I tried calling them. The person I spoke to had no advice except to do what I've already tried so I really have no choice but to return it.
Product Image
Feature IOGEAR 4-Port Dual View Dual-Link DVI KVMP Switch with Audio GCS1644 (Black)
- Dual View Dual-Link DVI support - share 2 DVI monitors with a single keyboard and mouse, along 4 computers, high resolution - up to 2560 x 1600
- 2-port USB 2.0 hub for peripherals sharing, Asynchronous hotkey switching between KVM focus, USB peripheral, and Audio ports
- IOGear's Display Emulation Technology reads and remembers the monitor's parameters (EDID) so there is no delay or change of video resolution when switching between, or booting computers
- Complete keyboard and mouse emulation for error free booting and real-time switching, computer switching via front panel push buttons or hotkeys, supports MAC and Sun keyboard and special keys
- Supports MAC and Sun keyboard and special keys, firmware upgradeable, Plug & Play - no software installation required , Buzzer ON/OFF via hotkey , Multi OS platform support, All cables included
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(GCL1716)
Product Details
EAN : 0881317502841UPC : 635145509868
MPN : GCS1644
Brand : Iogear
Weight : 15 pounds
Height : 9 inches
Length : 22 inches
Width : 10 inches
Binding : Personal Computers
Department : unisex-adult
Format : CD-ROM
Hardware Platform : Unix
Manufacturer : IOGEAR
Model : GCS1644
Operating System : Windows
Platform : Windows
Publisher : IOGEAR
Size : 4-Port
SKU : DBLBD0868
Studio : IOGEAR
Where To Buy
You can buy IOGEAR 4-Port Dual View Dual-Link DVI KVMP Switch with Audio GCS1644 (Black) on Amazon . Click here to Read More
