Running PC through iMac

[flaneur]

I have a Dell PC and a 22" monitor with dual inputs (digital and the other) and I am going to get a Mac shortly. I have dithered a bit but think - well, today at least 😎 - it's likely to be an iMac. I would be using Logic mainly.

I'd quite like to continue to run the PC for WP, spreadsheets, stuff like that.

I don't really have enough desk space to have two monitors.

So, can I run the monitor output of the PC into an iMac? Would I need a KVM switch? Do I, indeed, make any sense whatsoever?

 

[crut]

I have a Dell PC and a 22" monitor with dual inputs (digital and the other) and I am going to get a Mac shortly. I have dithered a bit but think - well, today at least 😎 - it's likely to be an iMac. I would be using Logic mainly.

I'd quite like to continue to run the PC for WP, spreadsheets, stuff like that.

I don't really have enough desk space to have two monitors.

So, can I run the monitor output of the PC into an iMac? Would I need a KVM switch? Do I, indeed, make any sense whatsoever?

If your PC can do displayport out, and you get a 27" iMac, then yes you can 🙂

 

[knewsom]

I have a Dell PC and a 22" monitor with dual inputs (digital and the other) and I am going to get a Mac shortly. I have dithered a bit but think - well, today at least 😎 - it's likely to be an iMac. I would be using Logic mainly.

I'd quite like to continue to run the PC for WP, spreadsheets, stuff like that.

I don't really have enough desk space to have two monitors.

So, can I run the monitor output of the PC into an iMac? Would I need a KVM switch? Do I, indeed, make any sense whatsoever?

Why bother using the PC at all? The mac can easily handle any of those things... and if there's something you specifically need windoze for, use boot camp or vmware fusion to run it! Sell the old machine or give it to someone who needs it.

 

[flaneur]

Thanks chaps.

I'd planned on giving away the eMac - G4 but still great - but was sort of reluctant to get rid of the Dell, something I still think of as pretty new (even though it's about 3 years old).

It'll clear some desk and shelf space, anyway.

 

[MacHamster68]

Thanks chaps.

I'd planned on giving away the eMac - G4 but still great - but was sort of reluctant to get rid of the Dell, something I still think of as pretty new (even though it's about 3 years old).
It'll clear some desk and shelf space, anyway.

keep the eMac ,sell the dell, buy the iMac ,simple is that , like someone said the iMac will even let you have windows if you wish,so you can keep windows for nostalgic/sentimental reasons so a bit of your dell would always be with you 😀

 

[Zonyc]

People want to keep PC's around for many reasons. For one MS Office is vastly superior on a PC than it is on a Mac. I use a word processor on a daily basis to take notes in lecture and the Mac office suite leaves something to be desired. Gaming is another reason, my HD4850 is garbage compared to a decent sli or crossfire setup with 2-4 5850s.

What you require is a video card which has a displayport output and a display port to mini displayport cable. Its a minimum of a hundred dollar investment to get up and running if you dont include a kvm.

Edit: At this time the 5xxx series of ATI's cards do not work with the iMac. The 4xxx series cards work fine.

 

[knewsom]

People want to keep PC's around for many reasons. For one MS Office is vastly superior on a PC than it is on a Mac. I use a word processor on a daily basis to take notes in lecture and the Mac office suite leaves something to be desired. Gaming is another reason, my HD4850 is garbage compared to a decent sli or crossfire setup with 2-4 5850s.

What you require is a video card which has a displayport output and a display port to mini displayport cable. Its a minimum of a hundred dollar investment to get up and running if you dont include a kvm.

Dude, he's got a 3 year old dell... he does NOT have a crossfire or sli setup. My 4850 trounces my 2 year old GeForce 8800, it's plenty good enough, and again, VMWare Fusion - you don't even need to reboot.

But when it comes to WP and general officey stuff, Open Office, FTW.

 

[MacHamster68]

People want to keep PC's around for many reasons. For one MS Office is vastly superior on a PC than it is on a Mac. I use a word processor on a daily basis to take notes in lecture and the Mac office suite leaves something to be desired. Gaming is another reason, my HD4850 is garbage compared to a decent sli or crossfire setup with 2-4 5850s.

What you require is a video card which has a displayport output and a display port to mini displayport cable. Its a minimum of a hundred dollar investment to get up and running if you dont include a kvm.

i would not use the term vastly superior in that case
and on new macs you can simply install windows
like i said with a Mac you get best of both worlds Mac OSX snow leopard and Windows , bootcamp is not a emulator so you get the same speed in widows as you would get on a normal pc with same spec
and vmware or paralells lets you have both operating systems at the same time on the same screen
so you can do your office work in windows while surfing the web without fear of virus or worm in osx at the same time

 

[ildondeigiocchi]

i would not use the term vastly superior in that case
and on new macs you can simply install windows
like i said with a Mac you get best of both worlds Mac OSX snow leopard and Windows , bootcamp is not a emulator so you get the same speed in widows as you would get on a normal pc with same spec
and vmware or paralells lets you have both operating systems at the same time on the same screen
so you can do your office work in windows while surfing the web without fear of virus or worm in osx at the same time

Not really. Your Hard Drive speeds will be limited to ATA/133 speeds meaning you won't utilize full SATA AHCI speeds. Only with a Mac Pro can this be done. It's a pity that Apple doesn't include AHCI drivers in Bootcamp. Otherwise Macs run Windows amazing! 😀

 

[Zonyc]

i would not use the term vastly superior in that case
and on new macs you can simply install windows
like i said with a Mac you get best of both worlds Mac OSX snow leopard and Windows , bootcamp is not a emulator so you get the same speed in widows as you would get on a normal pc with same spec
and vmware or paralells lets you have both operating systems at the same time on the same screen
so you can do your office work in windows while surfing the web without fear of virus or worm in osx at the same time

You most certainly do not get the same speeds in bootcamp as a native PC( see post above this one). Also keep in mind that the iMac uses the mobile radeon card, not the desktop version. In addition to this, you have to jump through hoops to get the 27" iMac to work properly (diplay driver, microphone, audio drivers, bluetooth etc) with Windows 7 and it is not yet officially supported by Apple. These are all compelling reasons to use a PC. You can run both simultaneously without the need to reboot, and are not subject to the limitations imposed by emulating windows with Paralells, VMware, etc.

 

[knewsom]

You most certainly do not get the same speeds in bootcamp as a native PC( see post above this one). Also keep in mind that the iMac uses the mobile radeon card, not the desktop version. In addition to this, you have to jump through hoops to get the 27" iMac to work properly (diplay driver, microphone, audio drivers, bluetooth etc) with Windows 7 and it is not yet officially supported by Apple. These are all compelling reasons to use a PC. You can run both simultaneously without the need to reboot, and are not subject to the limitations imposed by emulating windows with Paralells, VMware, etc.

Perhaps you missed the part where he said "WITH THE SAME SPECS". ...and yes, it IS. Also, perhaps you missed the part where the OP mentioned using his PC for WP. NO WAY is running Windows through a virtual machine going to be even remotely too slow for word processing. Don't be silly.

 

[Zonyc]

Perhaps you missed the part where he said "WITH THE SAME SPECS". ...and yes, it IS. Also, perhaps you missed the part where the OP mentioned using his PC for WP. NO WAY is running Windows through a virtual machine going to be even remotely too slow for word processing. Don't be silly.

Thats fine and dandy, but there are others on this forum who would be interested in running a PC through an iMac. Relax just a little bit, and use some common sense. Also no, Windows 7 is not supported by Apple. See links:
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1567056/apple-delays-windows-support
http://www.appleinsider.com/article...ly_to_delay_rollout_of_windows_7_support.html
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3920

 

[talmy]

Seems like everyone is missing the "obvious" solution. Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection. I've used it for the three years I've had a Mac to run Microsoft Money on a Windows XP Pro box I'm using as a server. No cost, no hardware, all it requires is that the Windows box be running either a Pro or (I expect) Ultimate version of Windows XP, Vista, or 7.

 

[knewsom]

Thats fine and dandy, but there are others on this forum who would be interested in running a PC through an iMac. Relax just a little bit, and use some common sense.

The reason for mentioning it was actually for others on the forum - I don't want a casual user to think "oh, maybe I need to keep my PC too", when really, they don't. I think most serious gamers would probably try the games in boot camp first before deciding whether to keep the game PC around.

 

[MacHamster68]

gaming is a different matter , for gaming you need a far better graphic card then the iMac has to offer , but for that matter no all in one system will provide you with a graphic card suitable for serious gaming

i build gaming machines as a hobby and one with following components at the moment for a mate who has seen the video and want that machine , which will fly on games and still offers some overclocking potential , and yes it will open word documents too very fast 🙂and its triple boot windows 7 , windows xp ,and linux mint
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cas-6jqwgW8
(not my video )
just for info it will cost more then a iMac27" i7

 

[Travisimo]

gaming is a different matter , for gaming you need a far better graphic card then the iMac has to offer , but for that matter no all in one system will provide you with a graphic card suitable for serious gaming

The 27" iMacs are just fine for gaming. Of course, they aren't going to be as good as dedicated PC gaming rigs, but they are just fine for general purpose gaming. I have the 27" i5 and I'm playing all sorts of games, both in Boot Camp and Parallels.

In Parallels, I can play many less demanding games with great success. For example, casual games like Plants vs Zombies, Defense Grid, and the like all run great in Parallels/Windows 7. I've even been playing Mass Effect at full resolution in Parallels and it runs pretty decent (occasional slowdown, but definitely playable).

In boot camp, you can run ANY PC game with varying degrees of graphical detail. You're not going to run Crysis at full res and High graphics, but it'll run okay at lower settings. Most other games will run at full res and High graphic settings on my i5.

And of course, there are also native Mac games (Dragon Age, etc) that all run very good.

So if you're ONLY into gaming and want the fastest out there, the iMac is definitely not the best choice. But for someone who wants one machine and prefers OSX for daily functions, but also wants to game, the 27" iMacs are a great choice IMO.

 

[MacHamster68]

yes you can play games on a iMac 27" especially on the i7, but still its a compromise , for most games you have to adjust the settings in order to make it run smooth
i did not mean the 27" is absolute rubbish for gaming , but if someone realy want to play games , then his best option is a gaming pc
thats why i stoped that trend as i needed to upgrade my pc's every couple month when new versions of games came out spending hundreds in hardware every time , but you cant eat ram modules as nice as they might look and you cant run your car on a graphics card and a watercooling system for pc cost more then my waterpump in the car ,so i said enough is enough , i did spend several thousands over the last ~5 years into my pc's before i realized
...back to basics , there are so many nice games for os9 and i enjoy playing them on my iMac g3 now , at the moment i really hooked playing asteroids...
don't laugh 😱

you can have fun playing old games , it does not have to be crysis or counterstrike or manhunt (played them all )

 

[BrokenChairs]

Over the last few weeks I've been thinking about buying/building a dedicated gaming PC and setting it up to use my iMac as a monitor.

I've experimented with Bootcamp with a few games and some have been a little disappointing. Dragon Age for example ran fine, but on the lower settings. As I increased the graphics quality etc. it began to look worse and the machine began to slow a little (Dragon Age I'll probably look into on the Mac side).

But thanks to those for the tips in setting it up 🙂. There's always one or two things that I forget/don't know about and like to know what is missing.

 

[Garrett67]

I don't know, I have an iMac 27" i5 Quad with the 4850 and I run FSX pretty much maxed out (not everything but mostly) . I couldn't do that with my PC with a 8800 GTS. The 4850 seems to smoke it but I also know that FSX is processor dependent and that is likely to be why I see such improvements.

But, with that said I am also now running it at 2560X1440 as opposed to 1680x1050 (or whatever that res is). So, that tells me the graphics card can handle current games pretty well , considering the resolution we're asking them to run.

Now, I have never run a game on the Mac side, so I have no clue as to how the Mac OS X system handles games compared to Windows. I do know that most of the time that PC's have alot of nonsense running in the background , not sure about Macs yet since I'm new to them.

But anyway, back on topic..... I'd get rid of the Dell and just partition your Mac to have Bootcamp running. I partitioned my drive 750GB for the Mac and 250 for Windows. The ONLY thing I used Windows for right now is to run FSX.

As for Office on a Mac, I use Open Office. It seems to work well for the little that I use Office (Excel).

 

[henrikrox]

Over the last few weeks I've been thinking about buying/building a dedicated gaming PC and setting it up to use my iMac as a monitor.

I've experimented with Bootcamp with a few games and some have been a little disappointing. Dragon Age for example ran fine, but on the lower settings. As I increased the graphics quality etc. it began to look worse and the machine began to slow a little (Dragon Age I'll probably look into on the Mac side).

But thanks to those for the tips in setting it up 🙂. There's always one or two things that I forget/don't know about and like to know what is missing.

Im in the same situation as you. Just orderd my imac 27" i7. But i also have money left to update my gaming rig. But the problem is that there is only two radeon cards that work with the imac 27" screen atm. And that is, radeon 4890 (which is going out of stock everywhere) and 5970 (which is very expensive for a gpu).

So for now i have just orderd a H55 chipset, to support the new i5 core duo, i think 2 cores is sufficient when im just going to game. 8gb of ddr3ram 1600mhz and for now just going to use the internal butil in gpu on the intel cpu. Until i know 100% wich radeon cards work with the imac.

My dream setup would be this;
3 displays (imac and 2 benq 27")
Radeon 5970, two dvi to the two benqs and displayport to imac.

That should give me 3 screens no?;o

 

[Muscleflex]

oh my! dont give the guy a hard time just because he suggested selling his g4 instead of his 3yr old PC just because you're all mac lovers!
he's already got a nice new imac. i dont see the point of having 2 especially when the g4 is old!

 

[ViViDboarder]

Im in the same situation as you. Just orderd my imac 27" i7. But i also have money left to update my gaming rig. But the problem is that there is only two radeon cards that work with the imac 27" screen atm. And that is, radeon 4890 (which is going out of stock everywhere) and 5970 (which is very expensive for a gpu).

So for now i have just orderd a H55 chipset, to support the new i5 core duo, i think 2 cores is sufficient when im just going to game. 8gb of ddr3ram 1600mhz and for now just going to use the internal butil in gpu on the intel cpu. Until i know 100% wich radeon cards work with the imac.

My dream setup would be this;
3 displays (imac and 2 benq 27")
Radeon 5970, two dvi to the two benqs and displayport to imac.

That should give me 3 screens no?;o

Daaayyyyyyyummm!!!!

Mr. Money! I have been holding off upgrading my desktop despite only getting the 21.5" ATI iMac. The money I "saved" not getting the 27" is more than the cost of upgrading my desktop to Mac Pro levels.

I'm usually a big fan of answering the questions posed by the OP... but it just doesn't make sense to use a whole separate PC for "WP, spreadsheets".

Personally... I think MS Office sucks and I use OpenOffice on OSX, Windows and Ubuntu and it works great on all Operating Systems. At least better than switching between computers.

But... To answer the OP...

If you get the 27" iMac you can use a DVI to Display Port adaptor and use your iMac as a monitor for the PC. If you want to use the same keyboard and mouse, you will need a KVM. As far as I know there are no Bluetooth KVM switches, so you'll need a USB keyboard and mouse and just plug those two into the KVM and then to your two computers.

You can probably pay for the KVM by just putting the bluetooth keyboard and mouse that came with the iMac on eBay. Unless you want to keep them for later use.

 

[ckelly33]

But... To answer the OP...

If you get the 27" iMac you can use a DVI to Display Port adaptor and use your iMac as a monitor for the PC. If you want to use the same keyboard and mouse, you will need a KVM. As far as I know there are no Bluetooth KVM switches, so you'll need a USB keyboard and mouse and just plug those two into the KVM and then to your two computers.

You can probably pay for the KVM by just putting the bluetooth keyboard and mouse that came with the iMac on eBay. Unless you want to keep them for later use.

After finding and reading through this today, I was glad to see someone finally answer the question. I've been waiting to purchase my first Mac, but can't let go of my Win7 PC until Mac natively supports AVCHD-> Blu ray authoring. The current 'work arounds' are more difficult that what I do on Windows machine (and easy is supposed to be a big reason to justify the price of a Mac, right?).

I will probably wait until the MBP updates come and keep my fingers drossed that the 'bag of hurt' comes to all lines of Mac. If not this may be a solution I can live with until then.

So back to your answer ViViDboarder, is this graphics card dependent? I have an nVidia GeForce 8500 GT with HDMI out. Any word on DHCP compliance with the HDMI -> DVI -> Adaptor -> Display port?

 

[Spike88]

I have a PC.. I am going to get a Mac shortly. ... it's likely to be an iMac. I'd like to continue to run the PC for WP, spreadsheets, stuff like that. .... QUOTE]

I'm kinda in the same situation. Currently running an old 2004 Compaq PC using Win XP-SP2 with 19" monitor. It's "chugging along" on borrowed time as well... Just waiting for this Christmas 2010 - for a new Imac 27"

For me, I'm getting a future iMac i5 27" (or better) for our basement Rec room. This area has a large computer desk, has the printer and has the Backup UPS unit as well. Its even got super wide bench chair - for 2 x people to sit at the desktop computer. Excellent spot for a new technology iMac 27" desktop.

Since I still need to run Windows (for taxation, education games for my disabled kid) and for other reasons, I was thinking of getting a low cost Win 7 laptop. It can be "wireless" Internet connection and used anywhere within our home. For example, main floor kitchen table, on kitchen counter top (while wife is cooking) or use within my kid's bedroom - for their home work duties. And when we need to use Win xx application (like taxation or disabled son's education programs), we have this Win xx laptop. And if needed, we can plug our older 19" LCD into the laptop as well... Thus, allowing larger size screen area.

The way I see it... Our future desktop iMac will be used for its reasons (main computer and mutli-media) and our future "low cost" Win xx laptop will be used for its Win xx only reasons. If I need to buy Win xx for my iMac (to make it run Windows), I my as well buy a seperate lower cost Win xx laptop box - and get portability as well.... To me, forcing an Apple to become a lemon doesn't make sense. Why not let them be their seperate "boxes of fruit" (sort of speaking) and "both share never mix with each other"...

This approach might work for you as well...

.

 

[ARF900]

I was just about to make a thread like this, I have a gaming PC and I want to just ditch my nothing special 19 inch gateway monitor. I also am thinking of buying a 27" imac, but not the quad core one I want the other one. I am waiting for that model to get icore and for these display issues to iron out. This is a deal breaker for me as I dont want 2 monitors with different inputs and sizes on the same desk.