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Dan Is Fiddling By Firelight
Asked: 2010-02-16 08:54:46 +0800 CST

Why are USB/DVI KVM switches so much more expensive than USB/DSUB models?

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Newegg lists nine 4 computer USB/DSUB switches for between $40 and $100; but the cheapest USB/DVI model is almost $200.

Is DVI that much inherently harder to switch; or has the inventory of dsub capable models had their price slashed in order to clear the obsolete inventory?

keyboard-video-mouse

2 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    Well, DSUB is pretty much a unidirectional port. The computer (or whatever) sprays bits at the monitor, and hopefully they all get there. That makes switching pretty easy. DVI, on the other hand, is bidirectional, and has some protocol to it. A switch thus needs to correctly implement that protocol, and do all the stuff that requires.

    So, DVI is probably harder :)

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  2. DVI has a throughput of about 5Gb/s while VGA is 172mHz. Anytime you're looking at electronic components, the one with the higher clock frequency is going to be more expensive. This has to do with having a higher density and tighter manufacturing tolerances of the components.

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