Need assistance connecting a PC across two separate rooms?
Need assistance connecting a PC across two separate rooms?
Hi, you're planning to set up a gaming room inside your home office. You already have a powerful PC and want to keep it for work tasks. You're considering KVM extenders but noticed they're costly and lack a 144Hz option. You're hoping to find one that supports at least two monitors—ideally one with 1080p at 144Hz—and includes USB ports for peripherals. Since you prefer low latency, you'd rather stick with wired connections. I'm not very familiar with KVM setups, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
How much distance you're traveling might mean you could try an HDMI connection through a wall, using a power outlet instead of something wireless—just keep it within about 10 feet for best results.
For gaming purposes, you can test GeForce now; Steam is also an option. You'll need a secondary PC in the room, not a high-performance one.
Absolutely, he could find a budget-friendly option such as an APU setup around $200, paired with a decent mini PC and reliable Wi-Fi. If he plays a lot, it might drain his data quickly.
Would using a KVM extender fix this lag issue? I have an old GPU (1070), 8GB slow DDR4 RAM, a Ryzen 2400G processor, a case, and cooler nearby. I’m unsure if it would work well. I also have fast gigabit Wi-Fi, but I don’t want to waste bandwidth streaming constantly. Is there a way to connect locally via Ethernet instead?
The KVM extender could improve the signal, but it’s not strong enough for competition. I’d recommend setting up a Wi-Fi repeater or using a direct beam to send the signal straight in. Placing your internet router near the receiving end helps a lot. Alternatively, running an Ethernet cable from the box to the receiver works well if you have a 65-foot cord. My friend uses a 65-foot Ethernet cable and streams YouTube to his TV; his PC connects directly, while the TV streams wirelessly with minimal delay—about 30ms for TV and around 60ms for streaming. With Ethernet cords, they’re more durable.
I tried a different approach using my Nvidia shield. It works best if you own a GPU from team green. I also strongly suggest following @gloege's advice and setting up ethernet for streaming purposes. The main change is that I use the moonlight streaming app on the shield over my LAN, achieving 4k60 quality—quite impressive. I haven't played competitive online games much, but single-player titles feel authentic. You can also run GeForce now, which adds another benefit, though not everyone prefers relying on a streaming service. I've also used the Steam link, which performed well, but couldn't reach 4k, so I switched to the shield instead. If you have an old laptop or similar device, you could use it with Steam for home streaming to get comparable results!