Mac Mini display question..

[jamesbilluk]

Hi all,

I have a 2009 iMac at the moment. I have just replaced it with a 2012 Mac Mini i7 fully specced up with fusion drive. I have also purchased a Dell Ultrasharp U2713HM as my monitor as I wanted the non reflective coating for photo editing. Im connecting this with a Mini display port to display port.

My question is, Would I be able to use the iMacs screen as a second screen somehow to run with the Dell?

Many thanks,

James.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Yes, you would be able to do so, as the iMac supports having the second display as an extended display and Mac OS X supports dragging the Menu Bar in the System Preferences > Displays > Arrangement pane to the Dell to make that new display the primary display.

 

[jamesbilluk]

Many thanks for the reply

Thats great to hear that it will all work too!

Many thanks

James.

 

[jamesbilluk]

Hi all,

Some more quick questions, if the Dell is plugged into the Mac mini using Mini display port to display port, what cable should I use to connect to the iMac? also where should it be connected to, the Dell or the Mac mini?

Sorry for all the questions..

Many thanks

James.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Hi all,

Some more quick questions, if the Dell is plugged into the Mac mini using Mini display port to display port, what cable should I use to connect to the iMac? also where should it be connected to, the Dell or the Mac mini?

Sorry for all the questions..

Many thanks

James.

Sorry, misunderstood the Mac mini part.

If you want to use the 2009 iMac as second display for your Mac mini, you can use AirDisplay from Avatron. I successfully used it for the past three weeks (though I got another U2412M to replace it in order to have two U2412M displays for better workflows).
If you do that, connect the Dell to the Mac mini via DisplayPort and the iMac to the Mac mini via Cat5e or Cat6 cable and use that AirDisplay software (20 USD via the Mac App Store (MAS)).

If you have a late 2009 27" iMac, look into the option of Target Display Mode:

• Using a 27-inch iMac (Late 2009 or Mid 2010) as an external display
• iMac (Mid 2011): Target Display Mode does not work with Mini DisplayPort cable

But know, for that to work, you probably have to use the Dell via HDMI, if that is even possible, and in that case, the AirDisplay route might be easier. It is good enough for palettes and text windows and some graphics, but photos and videos will not work comfortably on the iMac's display via a network connection.

 

[jamesbilluk]

Many thanks for the reply again

AirDisplay looks great! not heard of it before.

I may use the Dell with the mini display to display port to the Mini mac at full resolution then the iMac with the AirDisplay

I'm a photographer as a job so the Dell would be used for main editing and the iMac screen as a secondary

Many thanks

James.