MP 6,1 Mac Pro (2013) Display Cables for LED Cinema Display and Display Cable for Macbook Pro (2015).

[goodwill]

Hi all,
I have recently purchased a trash can mac. I currently have two 27" LED Cinema Displays and I am curious which cable/s I need to run from the Mac Pro to these dual monitors. I also would like on a separate occasion use my Macbook Pro (13") in target display mode with the Mac Pro, is this possible and if so, what cable would be best to use from the Mac Pro to the Macbook Pro?

Many thanks in advance for any insight.

 

[mikas]

Ordinary mini DP cables will do with LED cinema displays and Mac Pro 2013 (trashcan, cylinder, tube, darth vader).

MacBook Pro will not work as a target display device at all. Target Display Mode is for certain iMacs only (2009-2014), and among them the specs for cables do differ. Please see link.
Use your iMac as a display with target display mode

 

[Php4u]

I have a similar setup it’s my 6,1 Mac Pro. I use two CableConn cables from Amazon - TB2 to DP bi-directional cables. Works great on my Ultrafine 4k LG monitors. I am not sure about using them with Cinema DisPlays.

CABLEDECONN Mini DP to DisplayPort 8K Cable 8K(7680x4320)@60Hz 4K@144Hz DisplayPort 1.4 Bi-Directional Transmission DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort 8K Cable 1M​

I hope this helps.

 

[arw]

I have a similar setup it’s my 6,1 MAc POro. I use two CableConn cables from Amazon - TB2 to DP bi-directional cables. Works great on my Ultrafine 4k LG monitors.

CABLEDECONN Mini DP to DisplayPort 8K Cable 8K(7680x4320)@60Hz 4K@144Hz DisplayPort 1.4 Bi-Directional Transmission DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort 8K Cable 1M​

I hope this helps.

Sorry to correct, but this is inapplicable and unnecessary for OP‘s setup.
Apple‘s 27“ cinema display has a Mini DisplayPort connector for video/audio, not regular sized DisplayPort.
The display‘s permanently attached cable can be directly connected to one of the 6 MacPro‘s Thunderbolt 2 ports as the connector shares the same geometry and is directly compatible to the DisplayPort standard.
The cinema display‘s USB 2.0 cable/connector can be plugged into one of the 4 Mac Pro’s USB 3.0 ports.

No additional cables/adapters necessary.

 

[Php4u]

Sorry to correct, but this is inapplicable and unnecessary for OP‘s setup.
Apple‘s 27“ cinema display has a Mini DisplayPort connector for video/audio, not regular sized DisplayPort.
The display‘s permanently attached cable can be directly connected to one of the 6 MacPro‘s Thunderbolt 2 ports as the connector shares the same geometry and is directly compatible to the DisplayPort standard.
The cinema display‘s USB 2.0 cable/connector can be plugged into one of the 4 Mac Pro’s USB 3.0 ports.

No additional cables/adapters necessary.

Thanks, ARW. I misread the original post with the use of Cinema Displays. You are correct, the user can use the original Cinema Display cables to connect to his 6,1 Mac Pro.

 

[goodwill]

Thanks for the info everyone. This will be quite helpful.

A follow-up question as I am considering traveling with the Mac Pro next week and I'd like to display the Mac Pro on a Samsung Smart TV. Would I effectively need a Thunderbolt to HDMI cable to achieve this or would a Thunderbolt to Digital Optical Out connect be better? I've attached a photo of the back of the Samsung TV that I'll be using as the display if it is possible.

 

[Amethyst1]

A follow-up question as I am considering traveling with the Mac Pro next week and I'd like to display the Mac Pro on a Samsung Smart TV. [...]

Assuming this is a "4K" TV: You need either an active (important!) DisplayPort 1.2 to HDMI 2.0 adapter, which should™ allow "4K" at 60 Hz, or a simple HDMI cable since the trash can also has a HDMI 1.4 port. This will limit you to 30 Hz refresh at "4K" resolution though.

 

[goodwill]

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately, it's a Samsung 27" from around 2016. Is it worth connecting to with that said or will it prove a bit 'annoying' if it is even capable of connecting to?

 

[Amethyst1]

Unfortunately, it's a Samsung 27" from around 2016. Is it worth connecting to with that said or will it prove a bit 'annoying' if it is even capable of connecting to?

Then it’s probably a Full HD TV. You can still connect the trash can to it (a HDMI cable is sufficient). Text may look a bit “fuzzy” or “grainy” due to the low pixel density but only you can decide if it’s worth it.

 

[arw]

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately, it's a Samsung 27" from around 2016. Is it worth connecting to with that said or will it prove a bit 'annoying' if it is even capable of connecting to?

+1 to anything @Amethyst1 said.
I doubt the TV is even 4K, let alone 4K @60Hz so just simply connect HDMI to HDMI (This includes video and sound).
You could tell us the exact model of the TV to be 100% certain.
With just a HDMI cable and your MacPro you can achieve FullHD @60 Hz or 4K @30 Hz.
If your TV is only FullHD (1920x1080 pixels) no other cable/adapter whatsoever can improve the quality/resolution.
If it is actually 4K AND 60 Hz capable, said active Displayport to HDMI 2.0 adapter makes sense to get a smoother experience. 30 Hz looks choppy even when just moving the mouse.
FYI: The optical out of the TV is to connect an external (sound) amplifier or speakers.

 

[goodwill]

Thanks for the helpful info.
The TV is a Samsung Model: UN32J5205AF

The main thing I am looking to achieve by even connecting to the TV is to set up the Mac Pro as I just got it and to also use Photoshop on it for a few things.

 

[arw]

As suspected: 1920x1080 pixels (Full HD) @ 60 Hz
So a simple HDMI cable is all you need.
edit: make sure that the sharpness for the input where you connect your MacPro is set to (almost) minimum, otherwise the macOS interface will probably look over-sharpened. Also check out the contrast setting on the TV, it might be too high as well (just select what looks good to you).
If you can enable a “PC“ mode for the HDMI input source, do so.
This is because normal TVs are tuned so that multimedia/video sources look good but a computer’s user interface requires different settings. Just tune it how it looks good to you.