The new Mac Mini is supposedly much better for graphics. Wondering if I should get it and hook it to my imac 27" rather than buying a whole new setup for a mac mini... Thoughts?
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Upgrade Imac by connecting new mac mini?
- Thread starter radman2020
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It is dependant on how old the iMac is. If it is an older one that has Target display mode, you certainly can. The other approach would be to run VNC.
If your iMac is pre-Retina, but with Thunderbolt (a 2011 or later) you can use it as a display for another Mac using Target Display Mode. I used my 2011 iMac as a home server for a while, using it in Target Display Mode for my MacBook Pro (alongside a 4K display and the MBP's built-in display.)
Sadly, Target Display Mode went away with the Retina iMacs. (I understand its omission for the original 5K, since a single DisplayPort connection couldn't handle 5K; but DisplayPort spec has been updated to support it now. C'mon, Apple, let me keep using your wonderful displays after the computer itself goes obsolete!)
I just ordered an M1 Mini mostly to "play around with." While the iMac-as-home-server has been replaced with a newer Intel Mini, and I have a second 4K display for my MBP to replace using the iMac-as-display, the iMac now lives in the kitchen as the "public use computer". Seeing as its now two-OSes-out-of-date, I might just hook the M1 Mini up to it and use the iMac *ONLY* as a display.
Sadly, Target Display Mode went away with the Retina iMacs. (I understand its omission for the original 5K, since a single DisplayPort connection couldn't handle 5K; but DisplayPort spec has been updated to support it now. C'mon, Apple, let me keep using your wonderful displays after the computer itself goes obsolete!)
I just ordered an M1 Mini mostly to "play around with." While the iMac-as-home-server has been replaced with a newer Intel Mini, and I have a second 4K display for my MBP to replace using the iMac-as-display, the iMac now lives in the kitchen as the "public use computer". Seeing as its now two-OSes-out-of-date, I might just hook the M1 Mini up to it and use the iMac *ONLY* as a display.
How did you get your iMac to work as a target display ?
I can't get the M1 Mini to work with a 2013 Pre Retina iMac.
I am using the Apple TB3-TB2 adapter to make the connection between the USB-C port of the M1 to the Thunderbolt 2 port of the iMac using a .5m Apple Thunderbolt cable.
You're in "Thunderbolt Disk Mode" - Apple has never supported Target Display Mode at the same time as Thunderbolt Disk Mode. You have to be booted in to the OS on the iMac to use Target Display Mode.
And I wasn't able to get Target Display Mode working with the M1 Mini. Only with my Intel MacBook Pro. Apparently the M1 Mini doesn't support outputting video to Thunderbolt Target Display mode. (If you have an older pre-Thunderbolt iMac that supports Target Display Mode over mini DisplayPort, it should work, since there is no Thunderbolt negotiation going on there. But for a Thunderbolt iMac, it looks like TDM isn't usable from Apple Silicon Macs.)
Oh, that explains a lot!
So if I use my old 24" Apple Cinema Display (Mini DisplayPort) then the M1 should work the TB3-TB2 adapter ??
No, Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapters do *NOT* pass through DisplayPort signal, they only work for actual Thunderbolt displays.
You just need a simple "USB-C to mini DisplayPort" adapter. Make sure you get one that has a "female" mini DisplayPort connector, since the Cinema Display's cable is attached. (Like this one: USB-C to mini DisplayPort dongle - that's just the first search result that came up, I have no idea if that's a reputable seller or decent quality device. It just looks like what you want.)
Be forewarned that several have reported that the Mini DisplayPort to USB-C connection with an Apple Cinema Display does not work on the M1.
If you find someone that has got it to work, you will need to match the adapter make/model that they used exactly. Already have one report of the linked adapter in the post above being tried and it didn't work although it worked on non-M1 Macs.
If you find someone that has got it to work, you will need to match the adapter make/model that they used exactly. Already have one report of the linked adapter in the post above being tried and it didn't work although it worked on non-M1 Macs.