Mac Mini - can it use the monitor of my 2020 iMac?

[Speed38]

It troubles me deeply to either recycle or give away this glorious 27" monitor of my 2020 iMac.
I have searched for an answer to this question, but can't seem to find a definitive 'yes' or 'no' :
Can anyone tell me if it would be possible to connect, in some way (any way!) this monitor with the latest Mac Mini?

 

[icanhazmac]

Such is the failure of the AIO. Too bad the manufacturers don't build in the ability to use them as a monitor if the "computer" fails or is too slow to be useful.

 

[Speed38]

Such is the failure of the AIO. Too bad the manufacturers don't build in the ability to use them as a monitor if the "computer" fails or is too slow to be useful.

I just emailed the makers of Luna, a dongle which may allow me to use my iMac monitor with a Mac Mini. I'll post here when they email me back.

 

[rm5]

There’s an in-depth guide on how to convert a 5K iMac to a monitor. It looks extremely complicated though and may not be worth it.

 

[grjj]

It troubles me deeply to either recycle or give away this glorious 27" monitor of my 2020 iMac.
I have searched for an answer to this question, but can't seem to find a definitive 'yes' or 'no' :
Can anyone tell me if it would be possible to connect, in some way (any way!) this monitor with the latest Mac Mini?

From Apple's perspective: no

Use your iMac as a display with target display mode - Apple Support

Target display mode is a feature available with certain older Mac models.

support.apple.com

 

[icanhazmac]

I just emailed the makers of Luna, a dongle which may allow me to use my iMac monitor with a Mac Mini. I'll post here when they email me back.

Yes, that may work as long as your expectations for responsiveness are reasonable. The only other issue with that is your "computer" parts need to work. For example, if the CPU or SSD fail you will not be able to use the Luna approach.

I used something like that, though software, to connect my OG 12.1 iPad as a second monitor for my MBP, worked pretty well. It was called Duet.

 

[Speed38]

There’s an in-depth guide on how to convert a 5K iMac to a monitor. It looks extremely complicated though and may not be worth it.

Just found it. The one authored by Lewis Lovelock?? That the one to which you were referring?

 

[BrianBaughn]

Those iMacs are still selling for a decent price.

 

[Fishrrman]

In a practical sense, the answer to the OP's original question is, "no".

 

[curnalpanic]

Given that it is a relatively recent, and still supported iMac, I would probably try to sell it and buy another display.

Obsolete/vintage models could be repurposed using converter boards.

Software solutions could work if you are okay with the lag.

 

[PaulD-UK]

Quote: @Speed38 "Just found it. The one authored by Lewis Lovelock??

That is one, though the info is a bit dated.
Better is:

DIY 5k Monitor - success ​

It's an interactive MacRumors thread where you can also ask questions: #1,894

 

[Mcrumors David]

It troubles me deeply to either recycle or give away this glorious 27" monitor of my 2020 iMac.
I have searched for an answer to this question, but can't seem to find a definitive 'yes' or 'no' :
Can anyone tell me if it would be possible to connect, in some way (any way!) this monitor with the latest Mac Mini?

4K is possible (not 5K) by using the Elgato-4K-usbc card (to my knowledge the only one that can do 60fps@4k, the crap ones max out at 30fps@4k which is ok for movies but unusable for anything else)

 

[joshuaiz]

I used Luna Display for this on a 2015 iMac and it works but there is a bit of latency and the resolution is not 5K.

 

[holmesf]

It troubles me deeply to either recycle or give away this glorious 27" monitor of my 2020 iMac.
I have searched for an answer to this question, but can't seem to find a definitive 'yes' or 'no' :
Can anyone tell me if it would be possible to connect, in some way (any way!) this monitor with the latest Mac Mini?

No. Only iMacs from 2009 - 2014 support being used as an external display.

Do not bother with video capture or software solutions. The latency and compression make them a poor substitute. Video capture cards do not support full resolution and software solutions impose significant CPU overhead on the host machine.

 

[Speed38]

I used Luna Display for this on a 2015 iMac and it works but there is a bit of latency and the resolution is not 5K.

As promised in an earlier post, here is what I hear back from the Luna folks:


Thank you for reaching out!

Yes, Luna Display will enable you to use your 2020 iMac with a 27" display as a monitor for a Mac mini after the initial setup process.

For this setup, you'll need a USB-C Luna unit, which plugs directly into your Mac mini.

Please note, an external monitor, a mouse, and a keyboard connected to the Mac mini will be required for the initial setup to install the free primary Luna app on the Mac mini.

To avoid using an external display every time you turn your Mac mini on, you'll need to set the Mac mini up for automatic login and disable FileVault. This will allow your Mac mini to autologin and automatically run the Luna software at startup.

A guide on how to set up Luna Display in headless mode is available here:
Headless Mode — Setting up Luna Display.

I hope this helps to clarify, but please let me know if you have any other questions!

All the best,

 

[Speed38]

No. Only iMacs from 2009 - 2014 support being used as an external display.

Do not bother with video capture or software solutions. The latency and compression make them a poor substitute. Video capture cards do not support full resolution and software solutions impose significant CPU overhead on the host machine.

I have to admit, I am not completely clear on what you mean by "video captyre". Would you consider thee Luna dongle "solution" a variant of "video capture"?

 

[dmccloud]

Such is the failure of the AIO. Too bad the manufacturers don't build in the ability to use them as a monitor if the "computer" fails or is too slow to be useful.

That is not limited to AIOs at all. Laptops also lack the ability to use the built-in screen with external devices.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Airplay is not working on iMac 2020?

Demo: Check Out AirPlay 2 on a Mac in macOS Monterey

With macOS Monterey, Apple has introduced expanded AirPlay 2 support, so you can AirPlay content from an iPhone, iPad, or even another Mac to your...

www.macrumors.com

AirServer - The Most Advanced AirPlay and Google Cast receiver for Mac

AirServer® is the most advanced screen mirroring receiver for Mac. AirServer allows you to receive AirPlay and Google Cast streams, similar to an Apple TV or a Chromecast device, so you can stream content, cast or mirror your display from an iOS device, macOS, Windows, Android, Chromebook or any...

www.airserver.com

 

[jwhazel]

As promised in an earlier post, here is what I hear back from the Luna folks:

As others have mentioned, there really is no practical way to do what you’re asking (I don’t consider ripping it apart and hacking a DP controller into it practical).

Yes Luna is a thing, and I give them huge props for pulling off what they have given the technical limitations. But as someone who has used one, it’s not a very good long term solution. The latency and compression are noticeable, even over a wired connection. And that’s all assuming the target display program doesn’t crash, which it does often.

I love my 2017 5k iMac. But given the choice between using Luna to make it an external display vs just buying a cheap no-name 4k display, I would begrudgingly pick the latter.

 

[icanhazmac]

That is not limited to AIOs at all. Laptops also lack the ability to use the built-in screen with external devices.

The difference being that reusing an AIO as an external monitor is realistic and almost the exact same form factor. Using an old laptop as an external monitor makes no sense. Try harder.

 

[dmccloud]

The difference being that reusing an AIO as an external monitor is realistic and almost the exact same form factor. Using an old laptop as an external monitor makes no sense. Try harder.

The similarities between AIO and laptop motherboard designs actually make that a very relevant comparison. You also overlook one important and critical distinction: the small minority of AIOs that can use their display as an input have a separate HDMI port that is specifically for input. The majority of AIOs (and laptops) lack that. Even on the PC desktop side, you see that both integrated and dedicated graphic solutions only have outputs for video, and some sort of video capture solution is needed to bring in external video sources. This is computer architecture 101, so I'm not the one who needs to "try harder" to make sense.

 

[Speed38]

As others have mentioned, there really is no practical way to do what you’re asking (I don’t consider ripping it apart and hacking a DP controller into it practical).

Yes Luna is a thing, and I give them huge props for pulling off what they have given the technical limitations. But as someone who has used one, it’s not a very good long term solution. The latency and compression are noticeable, even over a wired connection. And that’s all assuming the target display program doesn’t crash, which it does often.

I love my 2017 5k iMac. But given the choice between using Luna to make it an external display vs just buying a cheap no-name 4k display, I would begrudgingly pick the latter.

This is looking more and more like my best bet is to sell this iMac, which is in pristine condition, and buy the Mac Mini with the $1,600 Apple Studio Display. What's the easiest way to sell a used Mac?

 

[icanhazmac]

The similarities between AIO and laptop motherboard designs actually make that a very relevant comparison. You also overlook one important and critical distinction: the small minority of AIOs that can use their display as an input have a separate HDMI port that is specifically for input. The majority of AIOs (and laptops) lack that. Even on the PC desktop side, you see that both integrated and dedicated graphic solutions only have outputs for video, and some sort of video capture solution is needed to bring in external video sources. This is computer architecture 101, so I'm not the one who needs to "try harder" to make sense.

Wow, did you read the OP or any posts on this topic?

I am lamenting the fact that AIO manufacturers do not include the option for an input. This simple, and I would imagine relatively inexpensive addition, would allow for AIOs to live on when their CPU/RAM/SSD are not up to the task any longer or have failed. If the monitor and the power supply are still good there is no reason not to use an old iMac or other AIO as an external monitor.

IF AIOs would do this then current owners can have a second screen when they upgrade or there would be a whole secondary market for old machines. I am very sure there are a ton of beautiful 5k iMacs out there that would make great second or third screens.

No one, or very few people, would want their laptop screen to have an input.

 

[Speed38]

Those iMacs are still selling for a decent price.

I checked on Craigslist and there are several there for $1K, but they have been sitting there for a month. Love to be able to sell mine for that price.

 

[iObama]

I checked on Craigslist and there are several there for $1K, but they have been sitting there for a month. Love to be able to sell mine for that price.

To be honest, I got a 27" 4K for my Mac mini (begrudgingly - I wanted a 5K monitor but was denied by my work), and it's been way better than I thought it would be. I came from a 4K 21.5" iMac, so I was really bummed to go down in pixel density.

I scale it to 2560x1440 (same viewable area as the 5K 27") and I can't notice any fuzziness on text until I'm right up close to the monitor.

If it were a personal purchase, I'd absolutely not buy the Studio Display - not worth it, IMO.

I got one similar to this LG from Amazon.