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iMac as main monitor with Windows PC

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bgsnmky

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 22, 2012
119
0
I thought I posted this a while back but just checked and didn'ts ee it sorry if this is a duplicate.

I have asked people at the apple store and they say there is NOT a way to do this, but wanted to come and ask the experts ! :)

I want to use my imac 27 (to be ordered) as my main monitor. and main home pc. so I have two monitors for my home and for my work. But only using 3 monitors.

Then I want to hook up a windows PC to that monitor and use a KVM switch to be able to switch back and forth.

This is what I have now.

Windows LAPTOP (work pc)---- 24 inch monitor (KVM between work & home pc)--- 22 inch monitor (home pc)

is there any way to do this same setup with the new imac with that being the center monitor. Which means I have to be able to hook a windows pc up to it.

What I am being told is I can hook the IMAC TO another monitor, but I cannot hook a pc to a mac monitor.

If I can't then I need to either use a different monitor as my main monitor (boo!) -

Windows LAPTOP (work PC) --- 24 inch monitor (KVM between work and home) --- 27 inch mac (home pc)



OR forget the KVM switch and have way too many monitors and take up too much space on my desk!

Just wanted to see if anyone knew of ways to make it happen!!

I hope all this made sense.
 
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old-wiz

macrumors G3
Mar 26, 2008
8,331
228
West Suburban Boston Ma
The 2011-2012 27" iMac only accepts video input from Thunderbolt connections. However the latest 27" iMac just came out, but I would expect the thunderbolt input to have the same requirement.
 
forty2j

forty2j

macrumors 68030
Jul 11, 2008
2,585
2
NJ
old-wiz said:
The 2011-2012 27" iMac only accepts video input from Thunderbolt connections. However the latest 27" iMac just came out, but I would expect the thunderbolt input to have the same requirement.
Click to expand...

It does. Several people here have posted their attempts to get a Windows box with Thunderbolt to display on an iMac; I don't think any have reported success.
 
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Nors

macrumors newbie
Dec 18, 2009
8
8
You can drive a Thunderbolt Display with some PC motherboards that output video via Thunderbolt. It would be safe to assume the iMacs would also accept the signal, but no way to know until they are out there.
 
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bgsnmky

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 22, 2012
119
0
ashleypenny said:
I read somewhere not possible because Target mode only works in osx?
Click to expand...

I was also just thinking this is not the mac as the main monitor.

This might be just having an extra monitor as the main monitor..not the actual imac...
 
D

drambuie

macrumors 6502a
Feb 16, 2010
751
1
NMF said:
Because iMac only accepts Thunderbolt input. Unless you have one of the brand new Windows motherboards with Thunderbolt, you're hosed. Welcome to all of our anger in 2011. :(
Click to expand...

A PC with Thunderbolt output should work with the Thunderbolt display, but word is that it does not work with an iMac in Target display mode. It appears that Target display mode will accept Thunderbolt output, only from another Mac.
 
theSeb

theSeb

macrumors 604
Aug 10, 2010
7,466
1,893
none
bgsnmky said:
Why wouldn't this work?

http://www.ehow.com/how_4883106_connect-mac-pc-one-monitor.html
Click to expand...

Did you actually read the article you linked? This article is about how to share a MONITOR between two different computers (a Windows PC and a Mac in this case).

You could use this to share for example a Dell Monitor with your iMac/Mac Book Pro/Mac Pro/Mac Mini with another computer.

Your iMac happens to be have a monitor built it. It is not a standalone monitor, but it can be used as such, by using Target Display Mode.

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3775

Symptoms
When you attempt to connect an iMac (21.5-inch or 27-inch, Mid 2011) and later to another computer with a Mini DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort cable, the screen of the target iMac will not become an external display when you press Command-F2 to activate Target Display Mode.

Resolution
iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011) and iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011) and later computers support Target Display Mode via Thunderbolt to Thunderbolt cable (2 m) when the source is another Thunderbolt-equipped computer.

iMac (27-inch, Mid 2011) computers do not support Target Display Mode via Mini DisplayPort cables.
Click to expand...

So, if you have another Mac with Thunderbolt output, or, in theory, a PC with Thunderbolt, then you can use the iMac as a monitor for those sources.

----------
drambuie said:
A PC with Thunderbolt output should work with the Thunderbolt display, but word is that it does not work with an iMac in Target display mode. It appears that Target display mode will accept Thunderbolt output, only from another Mac.
Click to expand...

Do you have any links to this? I would be interested in reading about it.
 
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martinm0

macrumors 6502a
Feb 27, 2010
568
25
Run windows in Bootcamp and connect additional monitors as needed...?

There's really no way to get this done that I can think of. What I would love to see is RDP or screen sharing to allow your remotely connected machine to virtually show more than one monitor (i.e., trick the machine into thinking it has two monitors connected so your iMac can run in dual/triple display mode when controlling another computer). Anything like that exist out there? I also have a work laptop that I just RDP into and control from my iMac. I would love to be able to RDP into the laptop and have the iMac allow me to use both monitors to control the work laptop.
 
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bgsnmky

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 22, 2012
119
0
I did read the article...and that is when I posted saying I realized it was still using the 3rd party monitor as the monitor.

In one sense the article is doing exactly what I want..I wanted to share one monitor between a pc and a mac.

it is just that I want the imac 27 inch to be that monitor that would be used between both....and that is what I am finding over and over again that we cannot go from a pc to an apple monitor.
 
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vooblu

macrumors member
Oct 23, 2012
53
0
There's a similar thread about using the iMac as a PC display already: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1474335/

One person so far has replied confirming it works on the 2012 iMac with a thunderbolt enabled Windows laptop (and a thunderbolt cable). I have a thunderbolt enabled PC and will be trying this when my iMac arrives.
 
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