Level1Techs USB-C KVM Switch v3

Price: $395.00

Computers: 2, one USB-C cable each

Monitor: 1, DisplayPort 1.4 out

Tested good: 4K@90Hz, 1440p@120Hz

Not recommended beyond: 5K@75Hz

USB: 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gbps), 4x USB 2.0 HID, 1A max per port

Power Delivery: 60W max per port, 135W budget shared

PD profiles: 5V/3A and 20V/3A only

EDID emulation: no

Switching: front button, keyboard hotkeys on HID ports

Audio: 3.5mm mic in, 3.5mm headphone out

Ethernet: none

Cables: not included

OEM base: Rextron CAAB-P3112

The switch, a 135W auto-sensing power supply and a US power cord. That's it.

No USB-C cables, no DisplayPort cable, no rack mount kit. Level1Techs sells the cables separately at 14 and 15 dollars.

So budget roughly 45 dollars on top for two USB-C cables and a DisplayPort cable. On a 395 dollar switch that stings less than it would elsewhere, but it's worth knowing before you order.

Cables must be under 4 metres and rated for both USB-C and DisplayPort. Wendell's own diagnosis of one owner's fault was total cable length.

135W is the power brick's output. It is not what reaches your laptop.

The chipset advertises exactly two Power Delivery profiles: 5V/3A, which is 15W, and 20V/3A, which is 60W. An owner measuring it found 60W maximum per port, and confirmed that attaching a bigger supply changes nothing.

The 135W is a budget split across both ports by a rear switch, with four preset modes. The most generous gives PC1 45W and PC2 60W.

So a 16-inch MacBook Pro or a gaming laptop will charge slowly, or not keep up under load at all.

This is the thing owners don't understand before buying, and it's the best reason to read past the spec sheet.

One USB-C cable cannot carry full DisplayPort 1.4 bandwidth and 5Gbps USB at the same time. There isn't room. Level1Techs says so plainly rather than hiding it.

So there's a rear switch. USB3 mode gives you 5Gbps but costs 25 percent of your DisplayPort bandwidth. USB2 mode frees the full display link but drops your USB to 480Mbps.

One owner running 5K had to sit in USB2 mode, which capped their USB Ethernet adapter at 45 to 50 Mbps instead of a gigabit.

Level1Techs prints it in bold on their own product page: this KVM does not support monitor emulation.

Switch away and the monitor and KVM re-handshake. Your windows shuffle. They tell you that up front, which is more than UGREEN, CKL or most of the field do.

They also hand you the fixes. Windows 11: Settings, System, Display, Multiple Displays, tick "Remember windows locations based on monitor connection" and untick "Minimize windows when a monitor is disconnected".

Windows 10: PersistentWindows on GitHub. macOS: untick "Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use" in Mission Control.

At 395 dollars, a 179 dollar ATEN having EDID and this not having it is the hardest thing to defend.

USB 3.0 here is a hard physical cutover, not device remapping. That sounds like a technicality. It isn't.

Cheap switches emulate and remap USB devices, and Level1Techs names the failure mode directly: one misbehaving HID device can bring down the whole stack. That's why a flaky RGB keyboard takes your mouse out on a 40 dollar switch.

Put your gaming peripherals in the blue USB 3.0 ports and they get a clean cutover. The cost is that hotkey switching only works on the white HID ports.

The other thing you're paying for is Wendell answering forum threads personally, offering diagnostic cables and ferrite clamps. Owners cite that more than any spec.

Level1Techs publishes its problems, which is rare and worth trusting.

Steam Deck will not fast charge. It wants 15V/3A, the switch offers 5V or 20V only, so the Deck falls back to 15W trickle. Confirmed as a chipset limitation with no fix.

Corsair keyboards work, but Corsair hotkey switching does not. Workaround is Corsair BIOS mode, which disables the keyboard's features.

QMK keyboards work with N-key rollover disabled. Wendell runs a Model M this way.

Macs enforce USB hub depth limits, and exceeding them causes random disconnections. That's macOS, not the switch.

Razer DeathAdder V2 needs a USB 3.0 port, and plugging it into a HID port first requires a KVM reboot.

The evidence base here is almost entirely the Level1Techs forum. There are no independent reviews and no substantial Reddit threads on the v3.

Monitor wake is the most common complaint. One MacBook and Samsung ViewFinity owner gets the monitor powering on with no video on return, needing a physical unplug. Wendell pointed at total cable length under 10 feet. Thread ended unresolved.

Another reports a black screen switching back to PC1 at 4K60 on official Level1 cables. Also unresolved.

No firmware update mechanism exists for this model, so nothing gets patched.

That's a thin evidence base for a 395 dollar product. Weigh it accordingly.

ATEN US3311 Duo Flex, 179 dollars: 4K@144Hz, 100W PD on port one, and Video DynaSync EDID. Winner on price, EDID and refresh. Loses on port two being 15W only and needing a software utility for hotkeys.

AV Access iDock C20, 247 to 260 dollars: dual 4K60 monitors, EDID emulation, 60W to both laptops, gigabit Ethernet. Winner on features per dollar. Loses on refresh ceiling and no hotkeys.

TESmart 3-port USB-C, 168 refurbished or 280 new: three computers, hotkeys, IR remote, mouse gestures, 5-year warranty on registration. Loses badly on PD, which is input port one only.

A plain USB-C dock and swapping the cable yourself: free, perfect signal integrity, ten seconds per switch. Genuinely right if you switch twice a day.

395 dollars, in stock, 60 units at time of writing. Sold direct only.

International orders from the store are currently suspended over tariffs and refused shipments. Overseas buyers have to use a form and prepay duties.

Cables are extra, around 45 dollars for the set.

The warranty is not stated on this product's page. The sibling Combo model says one year parts and labour, so probably the same, but we couldn't confirm it for this SKU.

At this price you are not buying spec sheet value. You're buying headroom, peripheral tolerance and access to the person who designed it.

What does my computer need?

A USB-C port doing both USB and DisplayPort Alt Mode. A USB-C data-only port will not work at all. Some desktops need Thunderbolt enabled in UEFI.

Do I need to buy cables?

Yes. None are included. Two USB-C and one DisplayPort, all under 4 metres and rated for both protocols.

Do hotkeys work?

On the white HID ports, yes. Leading code is Left-Ctrl, Right-Ctrl, Scroll Lock or Num Lock, then the port number. Peripherals in the blue USB 3.0 ports don't get hotkeys.

Why do my windows move when I switch?

No monitor emulation. Level1Techs says so openly and gives you the OS fixes above.

What resolution can it actually do?

Tested good at 4K@90Hz and 1440p@120Hz. Level1Techs does not recommend it past 5K@75Hz.

Will my laptop charge at full speed?

Up to 60W per port, and the 135W budget is shared between both. A thin-and-light will be fine. A 16-inch MacBook Pro or a gaming laptop will not keep up under load.

Does the other laptop keep charging when I'm not on it?

The rear Power Mode switch allocates watts to both ports independently of which is selected, so it should. Level1Techs never states it outright for this model.

Will my Steam Deck charge?

No, only at 15W. Documented and unfixable.

Is 395 dollars worth it?

If you run peripherals that break cheap switches, or you need past 4K60, or you value being able to reach the designer. Otherwise the ATEN US3311 at 179 does more on paper.

What's the cheapest thing that beats it on features?

ATEN US3311 at 179 dollars. EDID, 100W on one port, 4K@144Hz.

What if I need two monitors?

This does one. AV Access iDock C20 at around 250 does two with EDID and Ethernet.

Can I buy it outside the US?

Not through the store right now. International orders are suspended, form and prepaid duties only.