Can I use a 27" iMac for target display mode?

[ScreenSavers]

Long story short, I want a monitor that matches my current 5K iMac in appearance, and I'm considering using another 27" iMac as a target display. I know the Retina 5K iMacs don't support TDM. If I got a 2012 or 2013 27" iMac, would I have any issues using it as an external display for my 5K iMac (other than the obvious resolution difference?) Has anyone tried this successfully?

 

[chrfr]

Long story short, I want a monitor that matches my current 5K iMac in appearance, and I'm considering using another 27" iMac as a target display. I know the Retina 5K iMacs don't support TDM. If I got a 2012 or 2013 27" iMac, would I have any issues using it as an external display for my 5K iMac (other than the obvious resolution difference?) Has anyone tried this successfully?

It'll work but you may need to buy a Thunderbolt 2 to 3 adapter (if your 5k is a 2017 or newer) as well as a regular Thunderbolt cable, and the older screen is dramatically inferior to that in a 5k iMac.

 

[DeltaMac]

This article tells you everything you need to know.
One statement from that article to remember:

Target display mode requires macOS High Sierra or earlier. It does not work with macOS Mojave or later.

 

[ScreenSavers]

My 5K sadly is a 2015… I know, I wish it was a 2019 but I’m waiting for a redesign to upgrade.

Did not know that TDM was removed in Mojave. Thanks for that info.

And yes I have owned a lot of iMacs and I am fully aware that the non-retina ones are inferior… if the retina ones supported TDM I’d get another one.

 

[ScreenSavers]

Deleted

 

[The_Croupier]

This article tells you everything you need to know.
One statement from that article to remember:

So in my case if i want to use my 2010 27" iMac as a display for my 2011 27" iMac i need just the mini port to mini port cable (mini port ------- thunderbolt port)

Is this correct?

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Try the miniDisplayPort cable first. Its cheap and might work without installation.