Through the four USB ports in the front, I connected my peripherals. The Rybozen switch came with two USB cables out of the box, which I used to connect each of my computers to the back of the hub. For me, this small annoyance was worth the difference between a $20 KVM switch and a $200 model. I decided I could live with changing the input on my monitor manually. I found that unless you play games competitively online, or if you have a nice PC gaming rig and you want specific resolution and refresh-rate support, you aren’t likely to notice any problems with lag-even with a cheaper KVM switch. But I learned that I, like most people, don’t need to worry about that.

In my initial research, I was concerned about latency affecting my peripherals, and I got especially into the weeds when I considered the switches that offered video output.

But because I connect my computers to my monitor using both DisplayPort and HDMI-a feature available only in more expensive KVM switches-I decided I could live with changing the input on my monitor manually. Ideally, I wanted a switch that would also swap my monitor input automatically. So I looked for a KVM switch that had at least four USB-A ports. Before buying a KVM switch, I took stock of which peripherals I used on a regular basis: a USB microphone, an external webcam, and a wireless mouse and keyboard that each connect through a USB-A dongle.

Best kvm switch for mac and pc