Desperately need a new computer, but my eyes are not cooperative

[Kupo12]

You do know that Apple and other manufacturers have very high end spec'd monitors with MAT displays.
make sure you have an external HD and are backing up your HD then you can get a newer machine and continue where you left off at too.

Based on your stated aversion to any monitor currently on the market, just go to a second-hand shop or Ebay and find a cheap used monitor that is over 5 years old. They will be quite inexpensive.

Then buy a Mac mini to replace your broken iMac.

The bulk of what I'm saying is that I think my eyes have a lot of difficulty adjusting to anti-reflection treatment most monitors use. I have issues with inflammation in my body in general due to a health condition, so I'm more sensitive to these things than most people. Using a mat monitor is biggest part of the problem. The way it diffuses the light seems to play poorly with my eyes. Apple monitors are better because it's not as intense, but they still have anti-reflective treatments on them that reduce the way light reflects, which my eyes seem to pick up on very easily. This doesn't happen with tvs, tablets or phones because they don't use any anti-reflective treatments on their screens. At least, none that seem to give me any issues.

Even if I were to get a used monitor, it would have to be a glossy screen like the 2010 imac, which I don't think is something that is easy to come by.

 

[MarineBand5524]

Oh, I thought you were having issues with the glossy.

 

[Fishrrman]

Another poster wrote:
"16GB ram, 256GB SSD is only $1149 on Amazon today."

NO !!!!
DON'T buy "a base model" m4 Mini.

You kept your old Mac for 15 years.
Even if you keep the new one for 8 or 9, 16/256 IS NOT going to "get you through those years to come".

You'll need more RAM, and a considerably larger SSD.

I would recommend at least 24gb RAM.
32gb would be better.

For the SSD, even 512 may start to "feel tight" before too many years have passed.
1tb is what I'd consider to be "the new minimum".

You can pay the extra money up front now,
or
You can pay with the frustration of having "bought too little" later on.
BE AWARE that you can save money by buying from Apple's online refurbished page (if they have that where you are).

Consider yourself as having been duly warned by reading this post.

OP:
You asked which displays have glossy panels.
I asked a search (Yahoo), and it gave me an AI-generated answer.
Unfortunately, I believe it's against macrumors policy to post such replies in the forums.

Go to your macrumors home page, and you will find "a conversation" started with you there.

 

[shloimy95]

This doesn't happen with tvs,

In that case the solution is simple, use a TV with whatever computer you like, nearly all TVs have HDMI input

 

[okkibs]

I think here’s what you should do: Explain to an independent Apple specialist shop like Louis Rossman Group the reason why you need your old iMac’s display and ask them to replace the old iMac electronics with a display driver board that has the usual display inputs.

You can check the channel snazzylabs on YouTube where they just showcased such an iMac internals replacement to turn the iMac into a monitor.

All you need is someone to install this for you and charge you a couple hundred bucks for the work since you already own the iMac itself. It should come out to way less money than what a new Studio Display would cost.

You already own the display that works well for you, all you need is replacing the iMac internals.

 

[Kupo12]

I think here’s what you should do: Explain to an independent Apple specialist shop like Louis Rossman Group the reason why you need your old iMac’s display and ask them to replace the old iMac electronics with a display driver board that has the usual display inputs.

You can check the channel snazzylabs on YouTube where they just showcased such an iMac internals replacement to turn the iMac into a monitor.

All you need is someone to install this for you and charge you a couple hundred bucks for the work since you already own the iMac itself. It should come out to way less money than what a new Studio Display would cost.

You already own the display that works well for you, all you need is replacing the iMac internals.

Honestly, this feels like the only feasible solution at this point. I have to imagine going that route is not something that would be cheap, though.

 

[okkibs]

Honestly, this feels like the only feasible solution at this point. I have to imagine going that route is not something that would be cheap, though.

If you were willing to spend money on a Studio Display it's going to be cheap in comparison. The hardest part is simply finding a place willing to do that work as it's obviously a custom job and not your typical repair. Roughly 4 hours of work or around $600 of work should cover it and I think that's generous. You can do it yourself if you are careful with the big display panel and you have a free weekend.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Remember it is hay fever season (or at least it is here in the UK) and different pollen will cause a reaction in different people. That and a subconscious preference for your old monitor? Have you tried some lubricating eyedrops?

The other poster's suggestion of taking advantage of a new iMac for a "satisfaction or return" period is great.

NB I also have a Screener Pro light above my screen. As I've got older (now mid 60s) I've found it helps.

Let us know how you go on.

I too use a BenQ Screenbar Halo 2 over a BenQ 5k monitor, and like it quite a lot. The only thing I would like to have are alkaline batteries in the digital controller, instead of a fixed Lithium rechargeable battery. Otherwise both the light and the controller, which looks like the usual BenQ monitor pock, but with a glass "touch" screen. I set it so the light turns off automatically 3 minutes after I leave the computer, and t immediately turns on when I arrive to my desk.

 

[PaulD-UK]

@okkibs "...here’s what you should do: Explain to an independent Apple specialist shop... the reason why you need your old iMac’s display and ask them to replace the old iMac electronics with a display driver board that has the usual display inputs.

You can check the channel snazzylabs on YouTube where they just showcased such an iMac internals replacement to turn the iMac into a monitor.

All you need is someone to install this for you and charge you a couple hundred bucks for the work... Roughly 4 hours of work or around $600 of work should cover it and I think that's generous.
You can do it yourself if you are careful with the big display panel and you have a free weekend."

There are a number of points that need clarification with that reply:
SnazzyLabs did a conversion with a 2019 iMac 5K screen panel, and in his video he described the process taking 'a month later', so even for a 5K conversion estimating 'Roughly 4 hours of work' is very optimistic. 😉

Quote @Kupo12 in this 2022 post: "I ended up pulling the trigger on a 2020 27" i7 with 5700xt GPU."

What happened with that iMac?

Doing a monitor conversion of a 5K iMac is straightforward, as suitable parts are readily available.

Doing a conversion of a 2009-11 27" iMac is not so easy, because the video driver boards sold for the conversion aren't really suitable.
They don't drive the iMac screen's backlight properly, using the wrong PWM frequency.
On AliExpress, vendors advise that, for 2K conversions, the board's "brightness of this board is not as bright as the original control board."

So for @Kupo12, this change in PWM frequency might change the effect the monitor might have on his sensitivity problem?

This need to change the PWM frequency back to the correct frequency has been solved by retaining the original iMac backlight driver board, but since there were three different designs used by Apple for 2009-2011 iMacs, there is still a possibility of a mismatch of parts.
The linked thread has a 12 page pdf attachment listing the conversion process, which is very likely to take quite a time...

Here's the schematic diagram:

 

[Fishrrman]

My opinion only, but...

... the idea of trying to have someone "custom-kludge-together" a display is... well... ridiculous.
What if you spend the money, only to find the display STILL doesn't work for you?

Some company out there, somewhere, makes a monitor with a glossy (or was it matte??) display.
If you still reject those that are available...
... well, one can't please everybody.

My opinion only.
Others will disagree.
Some will disagree vehemently.

 

[MacInTO]

Honestly, this feels like the only feasible solution at this point. I have to imagine going that route is not something that would be cheap, though.

You could also buy another 2010 iMac. They are practically free these days.

Even though you don't want a matte display, another option might be a Apple Cinema Display. It has a matte finish. This was the standard on all MacBooks before they went glossy. I also have a 2012 MacBook pro with a matte screen. The ACD are 20 years old but they still are available used and are usual in great shape. I have a 30" cinema display and I find it is easy on my eyes.

 

[bigglow]

The bulk of what I'm saying is that I think my eyes have a lot of difficulty adjusting to anti-reflection treatment most monitors use. I have issues with inflammation in my body in general due to a health condition, so I'm more sensitive to these things than most people. Using a mat monitor is biggest part of the problem. The way it diffuses the light seems to play poorly with my eyes. Apple monitors are better because it's not as intense, but they still have anti-reflective treatments on them that reduce the way light reflects, which my eyes seem to pick up on very easily. This doesn't happen with tvs, tablets or phones because they don't use any anti-reflective treatments on their screens. At least, none that seem to give me any issues.

Even if I were to get a used monitor, it would have to be a glossy screen like the 2010 imac, which I don't think is something that is easy to come by.

If you have eye strain with almost every modern monitor the best solution is to match what your eyes are already comfortable with. Since you can use your old 2010 iMac, your iPhone, your iPad and your TV without any pain that means your eyes prefer glossy screens with little or no anti-reflective coating, and also no heavy dithering or PWM. Modern computer monitors usually have matte coatings or strong anti-reflective layers, which change the way light hits your eyes and can cause the burning feeling you described. A simple way around this is to avoid buying new matte monitors and instead look for older glossy Apple displays that have similar screen behavior to your 2010 iMac. For example a used Apple Thunderbolt Display or Apple Cinema Display (27-inch, glossy) will feel much closer to what your eyes already like and these older screens have minimal anti-reflective treatment. You can connect them to a modern Mac using a Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C adapter. This lets you upgrade your computer without suffering eye pain from new display coatings. It’s not the cheapest option but it is the safest and most predictable way to get a screen you can actually use for 16 hours a day. If those still bother your eyes, the only other long-term option is to wait for future glossy OLED Macs, since OLED panels often skip the harsh matte coatings that give you trouble.

Given the struggles you described (eye strain, sensitivity to coatings/dithering/monitor treatments) using an OLED display or OLED TV might help. OLED screens often have deeper blacks, better contrast and don’t rely on the same matte coatings or (in many cases) PWM back-light flicker that plague LCD/matte monitors.

 

[PaulD-UK]

@bigglow @Kupo12 "...your eyes prefer glossy screens with little or no anti-reflective coating, and also no heavy dithering or PWM."

The 2010 iMac 27" does use PWM, at about 13.3 KHz.
It may be this is s much lower frequency than more modern monitors, which may be why those monitors cause problems?

One of the Chinese video driver boards that is used to turn a 2K iMac into a monitor has a backlight driver running the PWM signal at 36KHz, so that is more the range that is used in other monitors.

So it may well be that using another 2010 27" iMac is the best way?
Or a 27" iMac converted to a monitor, using it's original backlight inverter board, driven by a PWM generator at 13.3KHz.

Or the older glossy 2K monitors mentioned by @bigglow may well have the same low PWM frequency, and give you a better experience?