Sorry to be an idiot, as I say to my wife hourly, but can anyone tell me if it's possible to use an old G5 display with a 2014 or late 2013 11" air? The display has a resolution of 1680 x 1050, which is fine for what I do. Is more information about the display needed to provide an answer?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
MBA 11 use with a G5 display, possible?
- Thread starter slight32
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Do you mean the aluminum 20" display? If so, yes, you simply need a mini displayport to dvi adapter.
If you mean the plastic 20" display, it's not worth the expensive adapters to get it working.
Having looked at the model number (A1081)it does appear to be the aluminum model. So it all looks good, thanks.
I am using an ancient 23" Apple Cinema Display (aluminum 1920x1200 with a DVI interface) with my 2013 11" MBA. I believe I got this screen in 2003 along with a PowerMac G5. Man, that thing was expensive! 
Still looks great, I have a minidisplayport to DVI adapter that I got at Best Buy.
Still looks great, I have a minidisplayport to DVI adapter that I got at Best Buy.I am using an ancient 23" Apple Cinema Display (aluminum 1920x1200 with a DVI interface) with my 2013 11" MBA. I believe I got this screen in 2003 along with a PowerMac G5. Man, that thing was expensive!
It sounds like I'll have no issues then.... hopefully.
We got the G5 for our business, it was the biggest investment we made at the time and although it's now an old beast it's still fast. I wish there were some way to update the OS though, it's the only thing that's getting a bit old in the tooth.
It sure won't be fast compared to the new MacBook Air! I got a lot of good use out of mine, running 3d modelling and video editing software. But it died back around 2009. So I just got rid of it, really wasn't worth investing any time or effort to fix. My 2008 MacBook Pro was easily twice as fast.
Got a 2011 MBA and that CPU was about twice as fast as the old MBP. Now I have a 2013 MBA and it is even faster. Software that has been optimized for the i-series processors is dramatically faster - I can rip a movie in Handbrake on the MBA in 15 minutes that would take almost 90 minutes on the 2008 MBP.