Mac Mini M1 + Apple Cinema Display 30" - anyone got it working?

[pkamb]

@mentaltom

I'm curious - in 2021 here, do you still love and enjoy 1600p resolution on those babies?

Do you get tempted by the 4k/5k/6k stuff at all?
(cost aside)

The 30" Cinema Display's resolution (screen real estate) is better than 5k screen real estate. It's just at @1x rather than @2x retina. But 160 points taller.

Using a non-retina external monitor is still fine with modern macOS. The LG UltraFine 5K is the only real retina desktop option and has its own problems. I'd rather use the 30" beautiful Apple-designed monitor that you can find used for $100-300.

The 6k XDR is of course "tempting", but the pricetag and features are far too ridiculous for serious consideration. The 2019 XDR is the first screen real estate jump since 2004.

 

[turbineseaplane]

The 30" Cinema Display's resolution (screen real estate) is better than 5k screen real estate.

Correct - but as you can surmise, I was asking more about clarity due to raw pixels and retina 2x doubling on 4k/5k/6k options

 

[pkamb]

here is my setup now!

View attachment 1731578

Congrats on completing the rare "Al Gore Setup" - 3x 30" Cinema Displays.

 

[mentaltom]

Congrats on completing the rare "Al Gore Setup" - 3x 30" Cinema Displays.

View attachment 1732033

Wow thanks man! I knew I had seen 3 of them somewhere!!

 

[mentaltom]

I’ve just thought of an idea to get two of these displays working at max res - I’ve bought a cheap ($10) “displaylink” powered USB 3 dock with a dual link DVI DL port on it. I think display link items are essentially a usb graphics card in themselves and the one I have bought supports the max res of the 30” Cinema Display. So, taking inspiration from a few YouTube videos about connecting multiple displays to the M1, im hoping for the best and will let you know if I manage it!

 

[EugW]

Hey All. Fascinating reading your discussions around this and I am pleased that everyone managed to get their monitors working eventually through trial and error. I went through the exact same thought process that I had the wrong mdp to USB C adapter from Amazon until realising that I needed to force additional resolutions in system preferences.

Since then it’s worked at full resolution like a charm. Luckily I already had a genuine Dual Link to Mini DisplayPort cable from Apple (£50 on eBay) so I just needed to add this adapter to get converted to USB C/4. Same setup for a Cinema Display on my usb c windows laptop. Needless there is a lot of odd lengths of cable behind my desk!

Only issue I have now is that every time I turn on the machine, I seem to need to power cycle the USB power to the apple adapter to get the monitor to wake - any solution for that? It has become a little less random on big sur 11.2

Good to know, as I too have the genuine Apple dual-link to mDP cable, which I use with my 30" Cinema Display and MacPro2,1.

Can't you just let the Mac mini sleep? Or do you have to power cycle even with wake from sleep?

I wonder how much power the Mac mini uses at idle if you don't let it sleep.

 

[ricardo.dawson]

Hi guys, just to add my cents, this is the adaptor that I use to hook up my Apple Cinema HD Display 30" to my MacBook Air M1 (which supports 60Hz refresh rate): https://www.amazon.com/DisplayPort-JSAUX-Thunderbolt-Compatible-Plus-Grey/dp/B0836HGBD7
The adaptor gets the video signal from the original Apple Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter.
Here's my current setup (although I've now switched from vertical to horizontal for the Cinema Displays:

Cheers!

 

[vel0city]

Was there a definitive workaround to get the 30" ACD working on the M1 mini please? Thanks for any pointers.

 

[SirVikon]

@vel0city Have u read the Thread? There are some solutions. When u have the mini DisplayPort to DualLink-DVI from Apple, then its not a big deal.

 

[Pooru]

Yes, it's working!

I just purchased a Club 3D CAC-1510-A USB-C to Dual-Link DVI adapter, for $43.

Club3D CAC-1510-A USB Type C to Dual Link DVI-D Cable Adapter Support 3840x2160@30hz, 2560x1600@60Hz HDCP Off for Apple Cinema Displays M/F

USB C to DVI-D Dualink adapter without HDCP Support for certain Apple Cinema monitors without HDCP The USB Type C to Dual Link DVI or Single Link DVI Adapter is the easiest solution for connecting your USB Type C source device featuring DisplayPort Alternate Mode to a DVI enabled Monitor or Proje...

www.amazon.com

This is the one with "HDCP OFF." (Early Cinema displays did not support the HDCP standard.) This worked with my 2004 Apple Cinema HD display to connect to my 2020 M1 Mac Mini. (Note that the I've got the USB cable from the Cinema Display connected to the Mac Mini.) And yes, you do have to hold down the Option key when selecting "Displays" from system preferences, which will bring up the 'hidden' 2560 x 1600 option. The monitor will start up in 1280 x 800. Don't freak out; it's normal. As of Feb. 4, 2021 there are 19 adapters on Amazon. They seem to go out of stock regularly, so you might want to act quickly. It should be noted that, while the Cinema HD display is certainly capable and kicked ass in its day, it is not going to fully exploit today's systems. Big Sur is really designed for 4- and 5K resolutions, like the iMac 5K or the LG UltraFine 5K monitor. But, breathing new life into a 30-inch monitor for $43 is a pretty sweet deal. Also, the M1 Mac Mini is blazing fast.

Best,

Gary

View attachment 1725095View attachment 1725096

I've done exactly as you show in this photo and I'm not getting 2560 × 1600. Option key has no effect. Anything else I can do? System 11.4.

 

[Pooru]

I've done exactly as you show in this photo and I'm not getting 2560 × 1600. Option key has no effect. Anything else I can do? System 11.4.

As you were. What's not stated above is that these additional resolutions appear under Scaled. And only when you Option-click Scaled.

 

[ACD30"]

I’ve just thought of an idea to get two of these displays working at max res - I’ve bought a cheap ($10) “displaylink” powered USB 3 dock with a dual link DVI DL port on it. I think display link items are essentially a usb graphics card in themselves and the one I have bought supports the max res of the 30” Cinema Display. So, taking inspiration from a few YouTube videos about connecting multiple displays to the M1, im hoping for the best and will let you know if I manage it!

What was the verdict?

 

[ACD30"]

I'm quite glad I found this information, and I appreciate everyone for sharing their experiences! I had for the most part trusted, after viewing a particular YouTube video, that that Club3D adapter was the correct one to use; however, there didn't seem to be any other commenters confirming this. And, on most every other avenue exhausted, I only ever came across inconclusive results that had followed rough experimentation, or alleged success stories that weren't followed by any testimonials. Others involved Macs I wasn't even planning on using (such as those that contain no USB-A ports whatsoever).

Now, however, I realize that the information in this thread — regarding the Club3D adapter and its apparently proper functionality — matches up to that from the few seemingly promising 'tutorials' and/or answers I've found elsewhere. (Part of what had also originally confused me was whether or not I could forgo the official Dual-link-DVI to Mini-DP adapter and simply use a 3rd-party solution that takes DL-DVI straight to USB-C; some appeared to suggest that using the official adapter was fundamental to adapting the display for use on modern Macs, while others made no mention of it. Therefore, seeing it confirmed by more users, here — that I can in fact use the latter solution — was promising.)


With all of that said, I am battling an issue that is entirely unrelated to adapting this display for use on modern Macs, and I am wondering if anyone else has experienced the same; the power adapter accompanying my new-to-me 30" ACD emits a ridiculously irritating whining noise, when the display is asleep. While using it on a period Mac Pro, I noticed that said noise would disappear when I plugged the integrated FW400 cable into the Mac. However, since a modern Mac does not have FW400 — plus, it would take ~$80 in adapters, to take FW400 to USB-C — I am a bit stuck here. I really want to eventually use this display with a modern Mac, but I am not sure what to do about this coil whine. I could spend $80 adapting FW400 to USB-C, but that would be quite a silly reason to allow a good port to be occupied. Also, for that money, I could probably replace the adapter altogether... assuming a replacement adapter doesn't make a similar noise. Thoughts on this?

 

[ACD30"]

Hi guys, just to add my cents, this is the adaptor that I use to hook up my Apple Cinema HD Display 30" to my MacBook Air M1 (which supports 60Hz refresh rate): https://www.amazon.com/DisplayPort-JSAUX-Thunderbolt-Compatible-Plus-Grey/dp/B0836HGBD7
The adaptor gets the video signal from the original Apple Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter.
Here's my current setup (although I've now switched from vertical to horizontal for the Cinema Displays:
View attachment 1755654
Cheers!

Very nice setup! Are any wake-from-sleep issues exhibited? Member 'mentaltom' is using a similar adapter and has reported this issue occurring occasionally.

 

[grspider]

Hello guys!

Reading through this thread I got a Club3D CAC-1510 adapter, only to find out that my 30'' ACD it won't go beyond 1280x800 on a M1 iMac.
Having used the 30'' cinema display with a 2011 Mac mini up until now, I also own an Apple miniDP to Dual-Link DVI adapter. Getting a USB-C to DisplayPort adapter and connecting it to the apple adapter also yielded the same results.

I just haven't been able to get the M1 iMac drive the ACD to the full 2560x1600 resolution no matter what I've tried (yes, including holding option when choosing resolutions). Interestingly enough, both solutions above (the CAC-1510 and the USB-C->miniDP->Apple adapter combo) work without issues on a 2018 Intel 13'' MBP, to the full 2560x1600 resolution.

Since the M1 mini apparently works with the CAC-1510, could this be an issue related specifically to the M1 iMac? Has anyone tried this?

Any help would be much appreciated here.
Many thanks in advance,
Thanos

 

[erikkfi]

I'm working on this problem now and thought I should sound off on what I've tried.

The basics: I'm trying to connect a 13" MBP (M1) to a 30" Apple Cinema Display that is brand new to me.

I already had a 20" ACD of similar vintage, and was using this CableCreation adapter as a single solution to connect it:

CableCreation USB C to Dual Link DVI Active Adapter, USB Type C to DVI-I Adapter 2560 x 1600 Resolution USB-C to DVI Signal Fomat Converter

The USB-C to Dual-Link DVI signal format converter seamlessly connect Type-C PC/Laptop or Mobile Phone to conventional DVI displays, such as CRT, LCD monitors and projectors, especially for 30-inch Cinema Display, you can enjoy the ultimate widescreen canvas with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixel...

www.amazon.com

That adapter performs flawlessly on the 20", and you can use the 'option' trick in System Preferences to get the full resolution on the 30". Unfortunately it produces an incredible amount of noise, mostly blue and red pixels dancing in any area below 25% brightness. It's unusable.

I also tried an EZQuest USB-C to DL-DVI adapter (https://www.microcenter.com/product/624097/ezquest-inc-usb-c-to-dual-link-dvi-adapter). This adapter performs less poorly than the CableCreation but still unacceptably. It has a bit of green noise in any area below maybe 10% brightness. It was expensive too - $80!

I just bought this 30" monitor and I don't want to give up. So here's what I've bought to help:

1. The original Apple DL-DVI-to-MDP adapter (eBay).
2. Three different MiniDisplayport(f)-to-DisplayPort(m) adapters - two from StarTech and one from CableMatters.
3. Three different USB-C-to-MiniDisplayPort adapters. One from USBCele and one from Amiroko.

These give me a lot of possible combos to try out, with the premise that I can just return any adapters I don't need. But first, I happen to have an oldie-but-goodie MBP with MiniDisplayPort input, and I mean to try the ACD on that through the Apple adapter first. What I'm looking for is one noise-free picture so I can at least see the monitor work that way. I'm hoping this gives me the best shot at that. If I get that through the Apple adapter, super, and I'll move on to testing my M1 with the other adapters. If not I may just bug out at that point and chalk this misadventure up as a loss. I'll circle back here after I get all these items and have a chance to try some stuff out.

Edited: I said I tried the Club3D adapter but was mistaken. Replaced w/ EZQuest info.

 

[AlteMac]

I am using this adapter, available on Amazon, for a 30" ACD and Mac Mini M1. It is the only adapter I have tried that works, including allowing the computer to sleep:

Club 3D CAC-1510-A USB C to Dual Link DVI-D Adapter HDCP Off for Apple Cinema Displays, 3840x2160@30hz, 2560x1600@60Hz​

You need to make sure it is the "HDCP Off" version.

 

[erikkfi]

Reporting back with my results.

First I'll note that I'm connecting to my M1 via a CalDigit dock that has DisplayPort and Thunderbolt inputs, so I basically did this along two tracks: DisplayPort and USB-C, all also including the old Apple DVI to Mini DisplayPort adapter, which I got off eBay for about $80 new in box.

Great news: I quickly found solutions that worked in both tracks!

Working products:

JSAUX Mini DisplayPort (F) to USB-C (M): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0836HGBD7?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

StarTech Mini DisplayPort (F) to DisplayPort (M): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003N3DTKY?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

Cable Matters Mini DisplayPort (F) to DisplayPort (M): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014DV2RGG?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

Non-working product:

Amiroko Mini DisplayPort (F) to USB-C (M): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DRQYWPD?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details

Last thoughts:

I have a Windows XP bootcamp install I use for old games on my very old MBP w/ Mini DisplayPort. I noticed a tiny bit of blue noise in dark areas under XP that I haven't yet detected in any other environment or on any other computer. That got me sweating again but I think it's confined to XP.

The scarcity of the Apple DVI-to-mDP adapter means that a perfect DVI-to-USB-C converter is still the ideal. For those who continue testing DVI-to-USB-C converters in particular: you must test by setting the desktop background to a black screen and looking for noise.

 

[ZapGuy]

Thank you to everyone who posted their solutions.
I have finally connected my 30" Apple Cinema Display (Dual Link DVI-D, HDCP Off)at 2560x1600.
I had tried various adapter cables over the last few days and was about ready to give up.

I finally ended up ordering this from Amazon:

Club3D CAC-1510-A USB Type C to Dual Link DVI-D Cable Adapter Support 3840x2160@30hz, 2560x1600@60Hz HDCP Off for Apple Cinema Displays M/F

USB C to DVI-D Dualink adapter without HDCP Support for certain Apple Cinema monitors without HDCP The USB Type C to Dual Link DVI or Single Link DVI Adapter is the easiest solution for connecting your USB Type C source device featuring DisplayPort Alternate Mode to a DVI enabled Monitor or Proje...

www.amazon.com

Club 3D CAC-1510-A USB C to Dual Link DVI-D Adapter HDCP Off for Apple Cinema Displays, 3840x2160@30hz, 2560x1600@60Hz​

The display settings return to 1280x800 when restarted, but seem to stay in place after a sleep/wake.
The firewire plug is still not connected, so no firewire ports are working in the monitor.
The USB cable is connected, and I have an old black-keyed Apple mechanical keyboard, a big Kensington TurboMouse, and a generic half-a-keyboard connected to the monitor, all working fine. The dim/bright button and screen-off button work on the monitor.

SO HAPPY I GET TO USE ALL MY PIXELS AGAIN! I JUST JOINED MACRUMORS TO SAY THANK YOU!!

 

[ZapGuy]

I am using this adapter, available on Amazon, for a 30" ACD and Mac Mini M1. It is the only adapter I have tried that works, including allowing the computer to sleep:

Club 3D CAC-1510-A USB C to Dual Link DVI-D Adapter HDCP Off for Apple Cinema Displays, 3840x2160@30hz, 2560x1600@60Hz​

You need to make sure it is the "HDCP Off" version.

I just got mine delivered an hour ago...and it works perfectly. Thank you for sharing this solution!

 

[winna]

I have TWO ACD 30" connected to my Mac mini M1, both 2560x1600

 

[zoltm]

I have TWO ACD 30" connected to my Mac mini M1, both 2560x1600

Thanks for the note. I am curious to know if you use both of the two precious thunderbolt ports on the m1 mac mini to achieve that or you use the HDMI + 1x thunderbolt port to achieve that? I suppose you use the blessed club3d adapter for connecting the acd 30 to the m1 Mac mini, am I correct?

 

[winna]

Thanks for the note. I am curious to know if you use both of the two precious thunderbolt ports on the m1 mac mini to achieve that or you use the HDMI + 1x thunderbolt port to achieve that? I suppose you use the blessed club3d adapter for connecting the acd 30 to the m1 Mac mini, am I correct?

You can’t use both USB-C ports. HDMI + USB-C

USB-C:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08B7FSVTL/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_a_MWAN5HXYNV2S9PA268Z9


HDMI:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T16LLB8/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_a_J3GCR5J7JBFJPQF9W586

+

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0746NCD1T/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_a_6HVHM5WSTF083NBJAF16

 

[zoltm]

I have TWO ACD 30" connected to my Mac mini M1, both 2560x1600

Thanks for the note. I am curious to know if you use both of the two precious thunderbolt ports on the m1 mac mini to achieve that or you use the HDMI + 1x thunderbolt port to achieve that? I suppose you use the blessed club3d adapter for connecting the acd

I do still love it yes, I know I could get far higher resolutions these days, but for the amount of screen real estate I would be looking at $2000+, contained in plasticy black cases no doubt.

My all metal colour calibrated cinema displays were $100 each with $80 worth of adapters, are bright abs pin sharp. Going back to when they were new, Apple built them to without cost consideration.

admirable setup that you have, running at this native resolution 2k resolution, may I know if you manage to get crisp text output with the M1 Mm ? Was reading the long thread on external monitor with M1 Mm, got the impression that fonts look horrible if one could not afford a 4K/5k mon and run in hidpi mode. It would be nice if you could shed some light in this department.

 

[zoltm]

The 30" Cinema Display's resolution (screen real estate) is better than 5k screen real estate. It's just at @1x rather than @2x retina. But 160 points taller.

Using a non-retina external monitor is still fine with modern macOS. The LG UltraFine 5K is the only real retina desktop option and has its own problems. I'd rather use the 30" beautiful Apple-designed monitor that you can find used for $100-300.

The 6k XDR is of course "tempting", but the pricetag and features are far too ridiculous for serious consideration. The 2019 XDR is the first screen real estate jump since 2004.

fully agree with you on the acd 30” real estate, however can you also comment on the text clarity department? Read many horror stories about text blurness on using M1 MM with 2k monitor on native mode, without the hidpi Mode.