How to connect 1 HDMI monitor to switch between Vostro 5490 Laptop and a Desktop

You'd need a 2x1 HDMI switch, i.e. 2 inputs, 1 output.  You'd connect the display to the output on the HDMI switch, then connect the HDMI outputs from the D6000 and the gaming PC to the two inputs on the HDMI switch.  Or if the Samsung 32" display has both HDMI and DisplayPort inputs, you could just use an HDMI cable from the D6000 and a DisplayPort cable from the gaming PC and then just switch the input selection on the display as needed.  That solution is cheaper, plus it's one less device to have on your desk and plugged into a power outlet, and it's not really any more effort since you either have to switch the input selection on the display or the input selection on the HDMI switch.

But of course that all just allows you to toggle the display back and forth rather than for example being able to use a single external keyboard, mouse, and display with both systems, toggling back and forth as needed.  To do that, you'd need a KVM.  In that case, you'd connect your peripherals to the output of the KVM, then connect video and USB cables from your laptop (or dock) and gaming PC into the inputs of the KVM.  A friend of mine uses this setup to run his laptop (through a docking station) and his desktop PC with a single keyboard, mouse, and dual displays.  He just presses one button on the KVM to switch between systems, and then his keyboard, mouse, and dual displays are working with that system.  But those are quite a bit more expensive, especially if you want one that supports dual displays on the output side.

Lastly, note that the D6000 dock isn't really a great choice with that system, for reasons I discussed in this thread, specifically the post marked as the answer.  The question asked about gaming, but my answer applied more broadly than that.  Unless you need to use that dock with some other system that doesn't have a video-capable USB-C port, if you're still within the return period of that D6000, you might want to return it and instead get a dock that taps into the native GPU output available on that system's USB-C port, like the WD19.

I can't seem to find the WD19 on the Dell website. I only see the D series and a couple of other brands.

I see them on Amazon, there s a 180W and a 130W. 

@blam16  the WD19 130W is here on Dell's site.  There's also a 180W version but you wouldn't need that for your system since the 130W version can pass 90W through to the attached system.

The WD19 can handle a single 4K 60 Hz display but only when used with a system that supports DisplayPort HBR3 over USB-C, which the Vostro 5490 wouldn't.  You'd need the Intel Core 10th Gen "Ice Lake" CPUs, which are the ones that have a "G" followed by a number in their model name.  Those CPUs have a brand new Intel GPU and also use a completely new CPU architecture.  The Vostro 5490 instead uses the Core 10th Gen "Comet Lake" CPUs, which are just small refreshes of 9th Gen and therefore do not include the new GPU.  So the WD19's maximum display setup options would be the same as the WD15 when used with that system, namely dual 1920x1200 displays or a single 2560x1600 display, or a single 4K display but only at 30 Hz.

HDMI and DisplayPort are both digital signals, so the image quality would be identical between the two.  DisplayPort is actually the superior interface overall in terms of resolution and overall capabilities, and unlike HDMI it doesn't require manufacturers to pay a royalty fee to implement, which of course the manufacturers pass on to you.  At any given time, the current DisplayPort standard has supported higher-end display setups (e.g. higher resolution and/or refresh rates) and more capabilities than the current HDMI standard, such as the ability to run multiple independent displays from a single output.  But if the setup you want to run can be achieved over both HDMI and DisplayPort, then they will both perform identically.

But yes, if you connect your keyboard and mouse to a dock, then they will only work with the system that the dock is connected to.  That's why my friend connects his laptop dock to his KVM and then connects his desktop to the KVM as well.

Hi jphughan,

Thank you for the detailed and helpful info. You've truly made it clear for me than what I had found online.  The desktop that I will be using is not a gaming desktop, it will just be a regular desktop for working and surfing the internet, just regular computer stuff. 

I had read in the thread that you linked and you had mentioned that the WD15 will only work with 2 1080P monitors but it won't be able to work with a 4k monitor. Does this also happen for the WD19?

Also, in the beginning of your message, you had stated that if the monitor has both HDMI and Displayport, I can connect one to the laptop and one to the desktop, but the keyboard and mouse would not work if connected to the dock, correct? since the dock is not connected to the desktop in anyway. If connected to the Displayport, does the quality look bad compared to an HDMI?

Thank you!

Thank you for the quick response! I really appreciate all of your help. As for the KVM, what would you suggest? 

@blam16  there are a lot of KVMs out there, depending on what types of capabilities you need, how many source systems you want to support, and how many external displays you want to run.  IOGear is a solid KVM vendor in my experience, and I recommended an IOGear KVM to that friend I mentioned earlier.  If you only want to support two source systems and a single display, that's pretty easy.  However, KVMs that don't use ancient VGA tend to use DisplayPort instead of HDMI, probably because DisplayPort is generally more capable than HDMI at any given time in terms of resolutions and other capabilities that it supports and also because DisplayPort is royalty-free, whereas vendors have to pay a royalty for every HDMI port they put into a product.  But given that your laptop doesn't have any way to send a DisplayPort signal, you'd need a KVM that used HDMI, because DisplayPort to HDMI cables/adapters only allow you to convert a DisplayPort source signal to HDMI input, not the other way around.  The problem with HDMI KVMs in my quick search is that they seem to be limited to 1080p in many cases, so you might have to do some digging to find a KVM that uses HDMI and supports higher-end display setups.  But as an example, here is a simple KVM that supports two systems and a single HDMI display, although again not up to the resolution that you'd need for your 32" display.  And the USB ports are also only USB 2.0, though that isn't an issue if you only want to switch a keyboard and mouse.  Some KVMs also allow switching audio, fyi.  So for example if you have a single set of speakers on your desk, if the KVM includes audio input and output connectors/cables, then the speakers will play audio from whatever system is active through your KVM at any given time.

If you can't find something that works for you from IOGear, I'd check StarTech next.  But KVMs can be pretty expensive.  The one my friend is using that supports two source systems, dual DisplayPort displays up to 4K each, and USB 3.0 cost about $400, and versions that support more source systems go up quickly from there.

Good luck!

@jphughan Thank you for all your help! Everything is much clearer to me now.

I had a quick question. 

I tried to connect the WD19 dock to my wife's laptop which is a HP Pavilion 15-cc553cl Touchscreen Laptop. For some reason it only charges the laptop and the mouse/keyboard works but nothing views to the monitor.

Thank you!

@jphughan I had a question if you don’t mind helping from my last reply to this thread. Thank you!