I am buying a 2012 Mini next week and plan on using my existing 27" Cinema Display, which I don't think will be a problem. I would like to buy another used 27" Cinema Display and use it as well. Is this possible? Obviously the HDMI port won't work.
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2012 Mini with two 27" Cinema Displays
- Thread starter DerekFlint
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Nope. You could buy a Thunderbolt Display and daisy chain the ACD off of it (if you put another thunderbolt device between them).
Dual displays will work with thunderbolt (daisy chain or thunderbolt to DVI/hdmi)
However, keep in mind that the integrated Intel HD4000 graphics card will only support 2560x1600 on one monitor, and 1920x1200 on another.
The cinema displays are 2560x1440, which means you will have to run one display at scaled resolution.
This is incorrect or rather not entirely correct. If using a Thunderbolt Display and either a second thunderbolt or a monitor with display port the. You can have two monitors with 1440p displays.
You only have the limitation of a second monitor at only 1920 x 1200 if you use the hdmi port OR if you use an hdmi/single dvi adapter after the Thunderbolt Display.
So again if you follow what I posted above you can do two monitors at full 2560 x 1440 (even 2560 x 1600) with no issues and many here do so!
I had both the Thunderbolt Display and LED Cinema Display connected to my Late 2012 Mini for a little while.
Worked perfectly, but I felt the 2nd one was just too big for my desk / space.
I wound up using a 1920x1200 as the second display.
Worked perfectly, but I felt the 2nd one was just too big for my desk / space.
I wound up using a 1920x1200 as the second display.
In the case of the OP, he mentioned Cinema displays. Cinema displays do not have that functionality. They use a displayport protocol. Also I'm not sure whether regular displays can chain off the thunderbolt display, but I do not think you would use a thunderbolt to X adapter. If you want to run a displayport/dvi display off thunderbolt, you typically use a mini displayport to displayport/dvi cable. A thunderbolt cable generally will not work. Personally I avoid adapters in favor of cables with different connectors. Adapters are often garbage. Look at the number of complaints the Apple Store gets regarding failed adapters. They are one of those parts that should be avoided whenever possible.
IIRC the Dell 2713H has a daisychain DP port, to allow an additional monitor, so I'm guessing that this isn't thunderbolt specific.
2x27" displays is a bit nuts though, I literally just got my 2713HM today, and find that huge! Wouldn't have room for two definitely!
I actually really like 24". I could deal with 27 if it was similar to the cintiqs, but even the large intuos tablet is way too small to be comfortable with the 27". Even with the 24" I crop off part of the display area as I can't stand it being too far from 1:1. I didn't know about the Dell. I will have to look that up. In fact I never read anything about any version of the displayport protocol supporting daisy chain functionality. I think the latest is still 1.2, which was basically confirmed in 2009.
Daisychaining is supported in 1.2. Thunderbolt only supports 1.1. You can daisychain two 1.1 displays using thunderbolt because thunderbolt includes two displayport 1.1 signals but not a single displayport 1.2 signal. Therefore, with thunderbolt port the only way to daisy chain two displays is to use at least one TBD monitor. With the next Thunderbolt chipset, Displayport 1.2 will be supported so it may be possible to use displays such as the Dell 2713 and daisychain them. Only time will tell.
Sorry to reopen this old thread, but I am trying to do the same (24" Cinema + 27" Thunderbolt on 2012 Mini) and can't get it to work. When I connect the Cinema DP to the Thunderbolt connector on the 27", it is not recognized.
Post #2 which was the first reply is the correct answer.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7442349
In this article, if you look at the first reply, the Apple answer is very specific:
"Mini DisplayPort displays will not function if connected to the Thunderbolt port of an Apple Thunderbolt Display. Displays connected via Mini DisplayPort video adapter or cable to the Thunderbolt port of an Apple Thunderbolt Display will not work."
However, the article linked (last revision date: June 21, 2017), which post-dates the date of the reply in the above link (Jan. 30, 2016) does not contain this language. I think when they made the revision, they made it less negative and more confusing. The new language is:
"Use a Mini DisplayPort display or adapter with your Thunderbolt-equipped Mac
"You can connect a Mini DisplayPort display to a Thunderbolt port on your Mac. Or, you can connect a display that uses a Mini DisplayPort to VGA, DVI, or HDMI adapter. They work the same as if you connect them to a Mini DisplayPort.
"Connect through a Thunderbolt peripheral
"If you're using all of the Thunderbolt ports on your Mac, you can still connect your [Mini DisplayPort] display. Connect it to a port on a Thunderbolt peripheral that's connected to your Mac.
"This should work for all Thunderbolt peripherals except for a Thunderbolt Display. Connect your display only at the end of the Thunderbolt chain. You can use only one Mini DisplayPort device in the Thunderbolt chain."
However, if you search for articles on the net, they say the same thing.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7442349
In this article, if you look at the first reply, the Apple answer is very specific:
"Mini DisplayPort displays will not function if connected to the Thunderbolt port of an Apple Thunderbolt Display. Displays connected via Mini DisplayPort video adapter or cable to the Thunderbolt port of an Apple Thunderbolt Display will not work."
However, the article linked (last revision date: June 21, 2017), which post-dates the date of the reply in the above link (Jan. 30, 2016) does not contain this language. I think when they made the revision, they made it less negative and more confusing. The new language is:
"Use a Mini DisplayPort display or adapter with your Thunderbolt-equipped Mac
"You can connect a Mini DisplayPort display to a Thunderbolt port on your Mac. Or, you can connect a display that uses a Mini DisplayPort to VGA, DVI, or HDMI adapter. They work the same as if you connect them to a Mini DisplayPort.
"Connect through a Thunderbolt peripheral
"If you're using all of the Thunderbolt ports on your Mac, you can still connect your [Mini DisplayPort] display. Connect it to a port on a Thunderbolt peripheral that's connected to your Mac.
"This should work for all Thunderbolt peripherals except for a Thunderbolt Display. Connect your display only at the end of the Thunderbolt chain. You can use only one Mini DisplayPort device in the Thunderbolt chain."
However, if you search for articles on the net, they say the same thing.
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Thanks, although not the answer that I was hoping for.
But isn't there anyway to get either of the two connected via HDMI?
The Thunderbolt monitor is best connected to the Thunderbolt/Mini-DisplayPort port. You can likely (I don't have it) connect the Cinema Display to the HDMI port using a HDMI-MDP adapter. The HDMI port is (according to Apple) 1080p, the Cinema Display is 1920x1200 but according to one poster in the following thread (post #4), it'll work.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1920-1200-resolution-on-a-2012-mac-mini.1813306/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1920-1200-resolution-on-a-2012-mac-mini.1813306/
It was also my preferred setup to use the HDMI for the Cinema Display. But I am yet to find a cable that goes from the mini DP to HDMI. I have a mini DP to Display Port (the one that looks a lot like HDMi but flat on one side), but can't find more my life anything that then makes it into a HDMI
I am close to selling either display and putting another brand next to it. Really annoys me though.I didn't realize that HDMI-MDP was not easily done. It looks like you would need an active converter, something like:
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-HDMI2DP-DisplayPort-Active-Converter/dp/B004I6IYSM
At least one review says this works (the writer has the 27" display):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R33EYI9RDS54QR
It looks like the 24" Cinema Display doesn't have a port, just an attached cable (correct?).
So then you would need something like:
https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-DisplayPort-Female-Adapter/dp/B014DV2RGG
The 27" Cinema Display looks like it had a similar cable so the reviewer probably used something like this.
There may be a Thunderbolt dock that can connect the Thunderbolt monitor and the Cinema Display but even if one exists, you'd probably be better off buying a HDMI monitor due to the cost of Thunderbolt docks. The active converter is also not cheap - maybe a new monitor is a better investment.
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-HDMI2DP-DisplayPort-Active-Converter/dp/B004I6IYSM
At least one review says this works (the writer has the 27" display):
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R33EYI9RDS54QR
It looks like the 24" Cinema Display doesn't have a port, just an attached cable (correct?).
So then you would need something like:
https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-DisplayPort-Female-Adapter/dp/B014DV2RGG
The 27" Cinema Display looks like it had a similar cable so the reviewer probably used something like this.
There may be a Thunderbolt dock that can connect the Thunderbolt monitor and the Cinema Display but even if one exists, you'd probably be better off buying a HDMI monitor due to the cost of Thunderbolt docks. The active converter is also not cheap - maybe a new monitor is a better investment.
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Thanks, I really appreciate your help.
I already have the cable in the Amazon link. But in that link I interestingly also found this now:
https://www.amazon.com/gofanco-Disp...rd_wg=qwizD&psc=1&refRID=BG3WY0D3E0199D7WS8N7
so this could be the solution (if I can find it somewhere here), terribly expensive though. I am more and more tempted to sell one of the Apple displays and just get a 'normal' HDMI display as second one...
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In this thread, posters say that you can connect a Cinema Display to the Apple Thunderbolt Display. However, none of them have said that they actually have done it. MarvinHC, the poster who revived this thread, tried and it didn't work. The link I have in post #14 from discussions.apple.com is from a poster who tried it and it didn't work. There are other articles on the web from people who tried it and it didn't work. Apple has said it doesn't work (again see my post #14). What does work, according to people who have tried it, and wasn't discussed as an alternative was connecting a Thunderbolt device with dual Thunderbolt ports to the Apple Thunderbolt Display and then connecting the Cinema Display to this device. However, the reason why I didn't mention it (and MarvinHC probably also knew) is that the "Thunderbolt device" to do this is most likely a Thunderbolt drive with dual Thunderbolt ports (see post #9) and the price of those are not cheap - unless you can use the Thunderbolt drive it isn't worth it for just connecting another monitor to the Thunderbolt Display.