StarTech.com 8 Port Rackmount KVM Console w/ 6ft Cables - Integrated KVM Switch w/ 17" LCD Monitor - Fully Featured 1U LCD KVM Drawer- OSD KVM - Durable 50,000 MTBF - USB + VGA Support

Product Overview

AI-generated summary

For £1,040 ex-VAT, this is the kind of KVM you buy when you *need* a proper 1U rack drawer with a built-in screen and you don’t want the faff of separate monitor + keyboard/mouse dongles. The “8-port with integrated 17-inch LCD” approach is genuinely convenient for server rooms, and the OSD makes it workable day to day (not just a “boot it once and forget it” solution). If you’re supporting multiple hosts from a single console point—VM clusters, small-to-mid server rooms, or a managed service desk that wants fast physical access—this will save time and cable chaos. Also, the USB + VGA support is a sensible baseline when you’ve got a mixed bag of server management ports.

That said, I’d be cautious if your use case is light or you already have a decent out-of-band management setup. A KVM LCD drawer is power-hungry, takes up real rack budget, and LCD KVMs are one of those categories where you’ll notice age sooner than with newer console solutions. If you’re mostly doing occasional maintenance, there are often cheaper routes (or even a simpler KVM) that still get the job done without paying for a full “drawer + 17-inch” experience. Bottom line: buy it if you truly benefit from an in-rack, multi-host console with OSD and want something dependable for regular onsite use—skip it if you just need occasional access and can lean on existing remote management.