StarTech.com 8 Port 1U Rackmount USB PS/2 KVM Switch with OSD

Product Overview

AI-generated summary

If you’re looking for a straightforward, rack-friendly KVM that you’ll actually use day-to-day, this StarTech 8‑port 1U model is a sensible choice—especially if your environment still has a mix of PS/2 and USB devices and you want something that behaves predictably. The big practical win here is the OSD: in the real world, that saves you from fumbling with obscure keyboard sequences when you’re switching between multiple servers for troubleshooting. For £277.84 ex‑VAT, it’s priced like a “get the job done” utility rather than a premium enterprise console, which makes it good value if you need eight targets in a tidy 1U footprint.

That said, I wouldn’t buy it blindly. KVMs like this live or die by stability with your specific server hardware and how often you switch—if you’re doing rapid, frequent switching or have quirks with USB keyboard/mouse behaviour, you’ll want to sanity-check compatibility before you commit. Also, if your setup is fully modern USB and you don’t need PS/2 support, there may be better-value options that simplify the device side. Bottom line: buy it if you’ve got a rack, you need eight ports, and OSD convenience matters; hesitate if your environment is highly sensitive to USB behaviour or you’re trying to future-proof away from PS/2 entirely.