Mini M2 + older apple monitor

[pseihih]

I have a mini M2 on the way, and was hoping to purchase an older 27" 2K apple monitor, since i cannot afford a new ($!) one.

I do design work, and have loved my old 27" Imac (2013) - nice tone and pretty decent reproduction colours, imo.

I'm looking for thunderbolt models, and assume i just need a simple adapter for this?

Any other concerns I should be aware of? Like, are there speakers in these monitors (!), and is there a camera (!), and will i be able to plug things into the USB etc. ports on the monitor, like, my old keyboard for instance?

thanks in advance for the wisdom

 

[kirbyrun]

I have a mini M2 on the way, and was hoping to purchase an older 27" 2K apple monitor, since i cannot afford a new ($!) one.

I do design work, and have loved my old 27" Imac (2013) - nice tone and pretty decent reproduction colours, imo.

I'm looking for thunderbolt models, and assume i just need a simple adapter for this?

Any other concerns I should be aware of? Like, are there speakers in these monitors (!), and is there a camera (!), and will i be able to plug things into the USB etc. ports on the monitor, like, my old keyboard for instance?

thanks in advance for the wisdom

I was able to connect my aging 27" Cinema Display to my M2 mini with this adapter: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PFH4ZR5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Fair warning: I had all kinds of problems with the display losing its resolution upon wake from sleep and needing to be power-cycled. I suspect, however, that my problems may have been a result of running the display as a second monitor along with a Dell 4K as primary. By itself, it may be just fine.

 

[Bigwaff]

I was able to connect my aging 27" Cinema Display to my M2 mini with this adapter

TBD require TB3-TB2 adapter. Apple sells new but you can get one used on eBay for far less. When first time using display, make sure to allow new Thunderbolt device in Settings. This new security step trip up lots of people and they think display not working or supported.

 

[Fishrrman]

I realize the OP didn't ask this, but why buy an "old" Apple display?
Why not buy something new, perhaps a 27" 4k display (of which there are many choices)?

Why does it have to be "Apple"?

If the OP already had an older Apple display, it would be entirely different.
But I wouldn't buy an old Apple display now -- out of warranty, and how long will it last?

 

[FNH15]

I have a mini M2 on the way, and was hoping to purchase an older 27" 2K apple monitor, since i cannot afford a new ($!) one.

I do design work, and have loved my old 27" Imac (2013) - nice tone and pretty decent reproduction colours, imo.

I'm looking for thunderbolt models, and assume i just need a simple adapter for this?

Any other concerns I should be aware of? Like, are there speakers in these monitors (!), and is there a camera (!), and will i be able to plug things into the USB etc. ports on the monitor, like, my old keyboard for instance?

thanks in advance for the wisdom

The Thunderbolt Display will work perfectly with the TB2 -> TB3 adapter. Camera, ethernet, brightness control, speakers (which are actually pretty good).
The older displays will work as well, with the exception of brightness control - though the 27” Cinema Display will work with MonitorControl. You’ll need a Mini DisplayPort to USB-C converter.

I’d personally go for a Thunderbolt Display if you can swing it. Easily distinguished by the connector - 1 for the TB display, 2 for the older Cinema.

They used the same panels on the 27” as contemporary iMacs, so you should have similar enough colors to your old iMac (provided they’re both in good shape of course).

 

[pseihih]

I realize the OP didn't ask this, but why buy an "old" Apple display?
Why not buy something new, perhaps a 27" 4k display (of which there are many choices)?

Why does it have to be "Apple"?

If the OP already had an older Apple display, it would be entirely different.
But I wouldn't buy an old Apple display now -- out of warranty, and how long will it last?

I'm thinking apple for a few reasons: i've used multiple mac monitors and they've all been incredibly reliable, never once had an issue, the colour was always great for design purposes. I don't see many aftermarket monitors that are geared towards design/video, except in a higher end format.
Also, most monitors have neither speakers nor a webcam, and there's no way I want to add these peripherals too.
If folks have suggestions about alternatives that suit all these requirements, I'm all ears!

 

[Bigwaff]

Couldn’t agree more. Even though my 10 yr old TBD has been relegated to 2nd display, it still looks great and provides USB for my keyboard and Ethernet for networking. Considering how much mileage I’ve gotten, it has been worth every penny. Only hope my Studio Display can match my TBD’s longevity.

 

[HDFan]

make sure to allow new Thunderbolt device in Settings

Where in settings?

 

[Bigwaff]

Where in settings?

If your Mac asks you to allow an accessory to connect - Apple Support

You need to allow new USB or Thunderbolt accessories and SD cards to connect before you can use them with your Mac laptop computer with Apple silicon.

support.apple.com

 

[chrfr]

TBD require TB3-TB2 adapter. Apple sells new but you can get one used on eBay for far less. When first time using display, make sure to allow new Thunderbolt device in Settings. This new security step trip up lots of people and they think display not working or supported.

Only Apple laptops will ask to allow new device connections- it's not applicable for desktop computers.

 

[August West]

The older displays will work as well, with the exception of brightness control - though the 27” Cinema Display will work with MonitorControl. You’ll need a Mini DisplayPort to USB-C converter.

I'm using my 24" ACD with a Mini DisplayPort to USB-C converter and it works great for me. But when I tried MonitorControl to control brightness I ran into issues with correctly handling this on the old display. Tried several work arounds I found on their website but nothing worked. I ended up installing a free app called Lunar. It works great and has several handy features. It will also let me adjust the brightness from the keyboard as long as the app is running. But since I never change the brightness I just set it to what I like a leave it there. Just a PSA in case anybody runs into this with using old ACD.