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Wireless reverse KVM?

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  • 03-12-2012 3:56pm
    #1
    Thewanderer_ie
    Registered Users Posts: 40 ✭


    Hello,

    I work from home on a fairly nice PC in my office upstairs (2nd floor), and until recently had a gaming computer set up in the sitting room (ground floor). Then a couple months ago my gaming computer decided to release its inner smoke and quit working.
    It would seem to be something with the video card-- I can boot up and do simple things, but the system does not recognize any installed card, and when anything remotely graphic-intensive is attempted, I get the Blue Screen Of Death. The gaming PC is a bit of a Franken-monster, the case is the only original part from 10 years ago, and I believe I am at the end of any possible upgrading.
    So, to continue my gaming in the evening, I want to be able to use my upstairs PC from my downstairs location. I managed to connect the PCs through Remote desktop and tinker for a few minutes, but again the downstairs PC crashed when I attempted anything intensive. Both computers are networked through my in-house wifi, and I was wondering if there was a simple way of linking a KVM solution from downstairs to upstairs using that.
    Either 1) using the downstairs PC in a way that it is just a pass-through link, and not having to work itself on anything to avoid further crashes, or 2) some small hardware device that the inputs link into and act as an extension port/workstation/whatever you want to call it.

    Remember, the downstairs PC is on its deathbed, I don't want to upgrade it other than software. I would rather not try running cable down 2 floors and through walls. I am broke as well, so need this on a TIGHT budget.

    Any suggestions?
    Thanks for your time!


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    #2
    Freddy Smelly
    Registered Users Posts: 980 ✭✭✭Freddy Smelly


    it looks like your graphics card is toast or overheating....

    running your gaming pc via remote control wont help as it is still using the damaged graphics card

    the office pc wouldnt be any better because when u remote control a pc you use the gaming pc's hardware not the office pc. all the kvm switch will do is transmit control commands from gaming pc to the office pc.

    also the frame rate & response times for most games would suck if it had to be piped through a network instead of processed by the machine your sitting at.

    time to buy a new graphics card

    you can pick up a half decent graphics card for about €100 that will play even the most modern games

    you could try one thing first though.... remove the faulty graphics card.... then carefully take off the heatsink and fan and carefully clean the gpu... then apply a fresh layer of thermal paste on the gpu and reattach the heatsink and fan.

    you can buy a tube of thermal paste in pcworld for about a tenner (artic silver is a good paste)


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    #3
    Thewanderer_ie
    Registered Users Posts: 40 ✭Thewanderer_ie


    Yea, I thought as much.
    If I buy anything, it is going to be a new gaming PC. When the cash grows on trees of course.

    So, just to confirm, there is no "pass through" software that would let me use the high-spec PC hardware on a low-end PC one in another room?


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    #4
    Freddy Smelly
    Registered Users Posts: 980 ✭✭✭Freddy Smelly


    Thewanderer_ie wrote: »
    Yea, I thought as much.
    If I buy anything, it is going to be a new gaming PC. When the cash grows on trees of course.

    So, just to confirm, there is no "pass through" software that would let me use the high-spec PC hardware on a low-end PC one in another room?

    could you not put the healthy graphics card from the working pc into the gaming pc for now?

    what games do you play? a low end graphics card could do (with the game's graphic settings on low) until you can afford a new gaming pc

    an ati 5450hd costs about €30 online and it will run most games on low detail settings fine


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    #5
    Thewanderer_ie
    Registered Users Posts: 40 ✭Thewanderer_ie


    The work PC is dedicated to work, and I am already crossing some of my own rules by considering installing games on it. Also, I need the graphics on that PC for my work (I am a mechanical design engineer, shameless plug for my business: www.jne.ie).

    The gamer mobo might be fried as well where the graphics card mounts- when I tried to take it out, it looks like there was a short over some of the pins. Basically not worth spending money on right now. I might take a stab at that soon though, thanks for the idea.

    Maybe I should just get back into reading books.... :D


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