iMac as external monitor + additional displays

imakeartwork said:

Hi forum members. I need the ability to run my windows laptop on my iMac and connect 2 additional displays.
I know I can use a VGA to mini display port adapter to use the iMac as a display.
My question is, can I then use USB to VGA from the iMac to additional monitors?
Can I chain monitors in this fashion to display my windows session?

Thanks for the help!

Click to expand...

Well what adapter are you buying that allows you to do VGA to Mini-displayport? It's going to be one expensive converter....

And no you won't be able to daisy chain other displays off of the iMac and certainly not with USB to VGA cables.

imakeartwork said:

Perhaps I cannot do VGA to MDP. But if it is possible and not absurdly expensive (say the cost of a new monitor) then it will be provided by my employer.

Have you attempted to chain additional displays in this way?
Could you explain why chaining in this fashion is impossible?
Could an additional monitor be added through the remaining MDP?
-thanks

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Why can't you daisy chain with USB to VGA adapters? How would you send the video from your laptop, into the iMac, have it routed out the USB? While it's probably never been tried, I can almost guarantee you that Apple would not have built this as even a possibility considering now you are sending in data to the GPU and then routing that out to the USB? Stop and think about what you are proposing..... It's amazing that Apple even allows Target Display Mode at all on their iMac's. I don't believe there is another All-in-one out there that can do this.

imakeartwork said:

Hi forum members. I need the ability to run my windows laptop on my iMac and connect 2 additional displays.
I know I can use a VGA to mini display port adapter to use the iMac as a display.
My question is, can I then use USB to VGA from the iMac to additional monitors?
Can I chain monitors in this fashion to display my windows session?

Thanks for the help!

Click to expand...

I'm not sure what you're intended use is but I use my windows work laptop with my iMac through remote desktop login. I simply remote desktop from my iMac to my work windows laptop and then I get a nice windowed version of my work laptop to use on my mac. It's not perfect as you may notice a little lag here and there depending on your network, but it works for most of the stuff I need to do for work and a plus is that I can put my work laptop in the corner of my office out of the way AND I can use my mac for 85% of the stuff I do while I just have my work laptop's desktop in another window where I can monitor my e-mail and other stuff.