5K iMac screen same size as non 5K?

[Oldmopars]

I know that there is a difference in the drivers and you can't put a 5K screen on a non 5K iMac. But, if all I want to do is convert a 27in iMac into a 5K Retina monitor, will the 27in 5K screen fit a 2011 27in housing?
I have a nice 2011 27in iMac that is in good shape, but I don't use it and I have had to bake the GPU once already. It currently works fine, but I would rather have a Mac Mini M4 and a nice display.
I hate to buy a fully working 5K just to convert it, not finding any with good screens but other issues for sale cheap. My 27in is in good shape. I could likely sell off the internals to help cover some of the costs.
Is that a possibility?

 

[gilby101]

But, if all I want to do is convert a 27in iMac into a 5K Retina monitor, will the 27in 5K screen fit a 2011 27in housing?

I doubt it would fit as it uses a different technology to fix the screen in place. Sticky tape vs magnets. Have a look at iFixit repair guides.

 

[erihp]

This is the thread you are looking for:

DIY 5k Monitor - success :-)

My "latest Macs" are a heavily upgraded 2009 Mac Pro (6c CPU, M.2 SSD, USB 3, RX580...) and more recently a 12c 2013 Mac Pro with an eGPU (Vega 56) - both machines with more than enough CPU power, GPU power and RAM for my needs, but I long aspired to upgrade to a nice 5k monitor to replace my...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[PaulD-UK]

@Oldmopars
Specifically this reply at the end of that thread:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/diy-5k-monitor-success.2253100/post-34218466

To answer your original question, yes it can be done, but it is essentially a bit of a bodge…

It’s better to start with a complete 5K iMac, but the retina 5K screen will fit in a 2012-14 non-retina 27” case, for a monitor conversion.

If you want an excellent 5K monitor to go with a new M4 mini I would have no qualms about using a good 5K iMac as the starting point.
iMacs made after 2017 have a better performing screen (with fewer issues - image retention or pink edges), and the less wear the screen has had the longer it will last.
They are all going to be 'obsoleted' by Apple in the near future… 😉

They were built in millions, but there aren’t millions of ‘enthusiasts’ prepared to tinker with OS software patches to keep them secure enough for the modern internet.

Move on to Apple silicon, but enjoy the experience all the better with an old/or not so old iMac 5K screen that is still unsurpassed in viewing experience at the price of doing a monitor conversion. 😀

Edit: I see from your other thread that you have also considered doing a monitor conversion on the 2011 iMac.
Unfortunately that is much more complicated than doing a 5K conversion, as the Chinese video boards aren’t a good match to the iMac A1312 screen panel’s backlight, so there is more work needed to get a usable brightness.
And it will need about twice the power to run, compared to the much more efficient 5K conversions.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/display-brightness-of-my-old-imac.2366331/post-33682620