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Can I use my 2012 MBP as a 2nd monitor for my Mac Pro?

J

JT3Jon

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 20, 2008
64
0
Anyone know if its possible to use my 2012 Macbook pro (regular, not retina) as a 2nd monitor for my 2009 8-core Mac Pro? If it a software solution, the Mac pro is running 10.6.8 while my Macbook pro is dual boot to run 10.7 or 10.8.

I plan on using it as a 2nd monitor while writing music, so it would host instruments, audio meters, etc. I would love to have it be as "lag free" as possible but it wont be doing anything graphic intensive.

Thanks in advance for any solutions you can recommend.
 
In a perfect world I would pick up a 2nd monitor, but unfortunately I do not have the desk space. I keep my laptop on a separate stand near me while I work, and just thought it would be nice if it was able to do double duty.

Thanks for the link. I found that program too when I google searched too and will be trying it tonight. Hopefully others will chime in on how this works and if its the best solution or if there are others.

Thanks again.
 
JT3Jon said:
In a perfect world I would pick up a 2nd monitor, but unfortunately I do not have the desk space. I keep my laptop on a separate stand near me while I work, and just thought it would be nice if it was able to do double duty.
Click to expand...

There are plenty of creative solutions for mounting monitors. Ever consider a wall mount or an arm attached to your desk/wall?
 
JT3Jon said:
Anyone know if its possible to use my 2012 Macbook pro (regular, not retina) as a 2nd monitor for my 2009 8-core Mac Pro? If it a software solution, the Mac pro is running 10.6.8 while my Macbook pro is dual boot to run 10.7 or 10.8.

I plan on using it as a 2nd monitor while writing music, so it would host instruments, audio meters, etc. I would love to have it be as "lag free" as possible but it wont be doing anything graphic intensive.

Thanks in advance for any solutions you can recommend.
Click to expand...

No. All video ports on a Mac Laptop are outputs, and are in no way shape or form connected to the internal display.

This has been beaten to death in a lot of threads, a search of the forum would've brought this up easily.
 
They have a beta for 64-bit screen recycler and it works GREAT!! HIGHLY recommended!! For $30 (which is less than the cost of a monitor mount) I can use my laptop which is sitting next to me for email / ichat anyway as a 2nd monitor. AWESOME!!

p.s. it works with apples built in screen sharing seemingly just fine, so no need to also purchase JollyfastVNC.
 
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