Quote Originally Posted by Latency
Quote Originally Posted by Tiuz

Yeah, I meant I wanted to stay away from too many usb converters. I am going to need to use one for my main. But wanted to use the y-mice to avoid all the driver installs. I'm feeling pretty good about the computer setup. Much more comfortable after some of the advice I've received here. Besides, half the fun of this project, I think, will be the setup involved . I've also significantly lowered my overall costs (never a bad thing) by going the build my own route. So that's a perk too.
I use an 8 Port Vetra KM and 8 Port Vetra Multicaster. I use a Y-Key (Y-Mouse whatever) for my main PC and I have four USB --> PS/2 Keyb/Mouse Adapters on my secondary PC's.

So on my KVM I have 6 switches.

Broadcast to all.
PC 1 (switches Keyboard and a PS/2 Mouse)
PC 2
PC 3
PC 4
PC 5

I plug my keyb/mouse on the KM into the standard one on the PC and plug my broadcaster into the USB converter. The USB converter only works in windows (however doesn't seem to need drivers) and since I only want to broadcast in Windows, this works for me quite well.

Those adapters cost me $9 each. I got 13 PS/2 Cables from Jaycar Electronics for about $5.60 each.

I then use a X-Keys Stick to switch between the PC's rather than ScrLck + 1 etc. So I can do it fast with 1 button.

-Dan
Thanks for the setup info. I'll take a further look into it. Have you ever had any issues with dropped keys/latency issues? One of my biggest concerns about using the converters has been most peoples statement of "lack of testing". I would rather go with a tried and true method than strike out on an untested setup. Or at least, i would rather be the one deciding when/where to do the testing and definitely not at it's initial setup. Definitely using the converters would save some cash.

A little more research, taking the advice from others here, I think this is my final setup to go with for the alt pc's, any further thoughts?

COOLER MASTER Centurion 541 RC-541-SKN1 Black Aluminumm bezel, SECC chassis MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #: RC-541-SKN1
Item #: N82E16811119088

ASUS A8V-VM SE 939 VIA K8M890 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: A8V-VM SE
Item #: N82E16813131069

EVGA 256-P2-N751-TR GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Model #: 256-P2-N751-TR
Item #: N82E16814130085

COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power RP-550-PCAR ATX from factor 12V V2.01 550W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: RP-550-PCAR
Item #: N82E16817171016

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Orleans 2.0GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADA3200CWBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA3200CWBOX
Item #: N82E16819103031

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model VS1GBKIT400 - Retail
Model #: VS1GBKIT400
Item #: N82E16820145440

EXCELSTOR Jupiter Series ESJ8080S 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: ESJ8080S
Item #: N82E16822210003

Hanns�G HW-173DBB Black 17" 8ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
Model #: HW-173DBB
Item #: N82E16824254018

ASUS Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DVD-E616A3T OEM - OEM
Model #: DVD-E616A3T OEM
Item #: N82E16827135151

Total comp price is ~580 not including s/h. I'll probably place the order this evening. I know someone has already mentioned they were purchasing just 1 pc and then seeing how things worked out from there. I have to admit, I'm rather tempted to just make the bulk purchase up front. Has anyone else made this decision one way or the other and reasons for said decision?

As always, thank you, thank you, thank you. You have all been amazingly helpful