MP 7,1 Mac Pro 2019 & Apple Cinema Display 30"

[DariusMacPro]

Having barley justified the cost of my lovely new 7,1 Apple's new 6K display is out of the question. I've used my ageing but capable 30" Apple Cinema Display for a while now and it still suits me very well. For audio production I really appreciate all that 16:10 visual real estate and it's one of the few displays out there that really compliments the 7,1 aesthetically. Retina will be a nice upgrade later down the line, but I'm not a graphics or video editor who really needs it.

But to get an explicitly DL-DVI display to work required a bit of a dongle train. My 7,1 only includes x2 HDMI ports on the Radeon 580 and x4 DisplayPort outs via the TB3 ports. To get around this I got this neat little USB-C to MiniDisplayPort adapter on Amazon. Next in the chain had to be a MiniDisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI adapter. Thankfully I already owned the official Apple one for use with my 2011 13" MBP. So together it basically upgraded the Apple adapter to USB-C on one end. I was able to test this configuration successfully with a 2019 13" MBA before my Mac Pro arrived.

View attachment 884519View attachment 884521

Thankfully all went to to plan and the day my 7,1 arrived I was able to boot up with eerie silence using my big beautiful 30" ACD. It might be old but it still manages to look better than most displays on the market today if you ask me. A small touch, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the display is still fully recognised in Catalina as an authentic Apple Display with a link to the manual and all. Brilliant.

View attachment 884524View attachment 884523

View attachment 884526

I have a pair of Viewsonic Dual-Link DVI monitors. I tried to connect them to my new Mac Pro 2019 using Dual-Link DVI to HDMI adapter. It didn't work! Can I connect them to my Mac Pro 7.1 using your scheme? I already have the DL DVI to mini DisplayPort adapters and the following was the only mini DisplayPort to Thunderbolt adapter I could find on Amazon:

Gopala USB-C to Mini DisplayPort Adapter, USB 3.1 Type C (Thunderbolt 3) to Mini DP Adapter Support 4K@60Hz for iPad Pro 2018, MacBook Pro 2016-2019, Galaxy S10 and More USB Type-C Devices-Black

1

smile.amazon.com

All help is appreciated.

 

[tevion5]

I have a pair of Viewsonic Dual-Link DVI monitors. I tried to connect them to my new Mac Pro 2019 using Dual-Link DVI to HDMI adapter. It didn't work! Can I connect them to my Mac Pro 7.1 using your scheme?

I have no experience using DL-DVI with HDMI. I would stick to the setup I have used as the only singles involved are DisplayPort and DL-DVI.

So USB-C to MiniDisplayPort adapter for the 7,1 (which is still just a DisplayPort signal all the way) combined with the Apple MiniDisplayPort to DL-DVI adapter (or similar kind) which converts the DisplayPort signal to DL-DVI.

Works for me! Shouldn't be any need to involve HDMI in that chain to keep things simpler.

 

[Trike Mike]

I have a pair of Viewsonic Dual-Link DVI monitors. I tried to connect them to my new Mac Pro 2019 using Dual-Link DVI to HDMI adapter. It didn't work! Can I connect them to my Mac Pro 7.1 using your scheme? I already have the DL DVI to mini DisplayPort adapters and the following was the only mini DisplayPort to Thunderbolt adapter I could find on Amazon:

Gopala USB-C to Mini DisplayPort Adapter, USB 3.1 Type C (Thunderbolt 3) to Mini DP Adapter Support 4K@60Hz for iPad Pro 2018, MacBook Pro 2016-2019, Galaxy S10 and More USB Type-C Devices-Black

1

smile.amazon.com

All help is appreciated.

In you read, read the Post #24.
its the Perfect solution for you!

 

[tevion5]

In you read, read the Post #24.
its the Perfect solution for you!

Didn't spot that, that's really neat. Fewer steps in the chain and a nice alternative with the original Apple MiniDP-DLDVI adapters getting more expensive and harder to find.

 

[DariusMacPro]

I have no experience using DL-DVI with HDMI. I would stick to the setup I have used as the only singles involved are DisplayPort and DL-DVI.

So USB-C to MiniDisplayPort adapter for the 7,1 (which is still just a DisplayPort signal all the way) combined with the Apple MiniDisplayPort to DL-DVI adapter (or similar kind) which converts the DisplayPort signal to DL-DVI.

Works for me! Shouldn't be any need to involve HDMI in that chain to keep things simpler.

Thanks for the confirmation tevion5! I already ordered the adapter in post #24. I assume the monitors are plugged into the USB-C jacks on the back of the Mac.
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In you read, read the Post #24.
its the Perfect solution for you!

Thanks for the tip Trike Mike!

 

[tsialex]

I have a pair of Viewsonic Dual-Link DVI monitors. I tried to connect them to my new Mac Pro 2019 using Dual-Link DVI to HDMI adapter. It didn't work! Can I connect them to my Mac Pro 7.1 using your scheme? I already have the DL DVI to mini DisplayPort adapters and the following was the only mini DisplayPort to Thunderbolt adapter I could find on Amazon:

Gopala USB-C to Mini DisplayPort Adapter, USB 3.1 Type C (Thunderbolt 3) to Mini DP Adapter Support 4K@60Hz for iPad Pro 2018, MacBook Pro 2016-2019, Galaxy S10 and More USB Type-C Devices-Black

1

smile.amazon.com

All help is appreciated.

When HDMI spec was made, the spec was defined in a way that it was more or less equivalent to a DVI single-link connection.

You can connect a HDMI port to a single link DVI monitor using adaptors, but you can't connect a dual-link DVI monitor to a HDMI port.

 

[DariusMacPro]

When HDMI spec was made, the spec was defined in a way that it was more or less equivalent to a DVI single-link connection.

You can connect a HDMI port to a single link DVI monitor using adaptors, but you can't connect a dual-link DVI monitor to a HDMI port.

Thank you!

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

When HDMI spec was made, the spec was defined in a way that it was more or less equivalent to a DVI single-link connection.

You can connect a HDMI port to a single link DVI monitor using adaptors, but you can't connect a dual-link DVI monitor to a HDMI port.

Wouldn't something like this work?

FOINNEX HDMI to DisplayPort Adapter, 4K@60Hz Not-Bidirectional HDMI to Display Port, Unidirectional HDMI Source to DP Display Male to Female for Computer, Monitor, PS4, NS

FOINNEX HDMI to DisplayPort Adapter, 4K@60Hz Not-Bidirectional HDMI to Display Port, Unidirectional HDMI Source to DP Display Male to Female for Computer, Monitor, PS4, NS

www.amazon.com

Cable Matters DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort Adapter, 6 Inches (DisplayPort Male to Mini DisplayPort Female Adapter Cable, DP to Mini DP), Compatible with Apple Cinema Display via Mini DisplayPort

Cable Matters DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort Adapter, 6 Inches (DisplayPort Male to Mini DisplayPort Female Adapter Cable, DP to Mini DP), Compatible with Apple Cinema Display via Mini DisplayPort

www.amazon.com

Mini DisplayPort to Dual Link DVI Adapter - Business - Apple (SG)

Apple Store Search Results

www.apple.com

That assumes you have the Apple DVI to dual-link mini display port adapter so that the mini-displayport apple male cable goes into the female mini display port cable there. I pulled my 580x so not sure if it actually works, but that might do it (although at that point youre 3 adapters deep!).

If you dont have the Apple DVI to dual-link mini display port adapter, im not sure what the right combo of cables would be. You'd need a male HDMI to female dual-link DVI cable (or combo of cables) for the 30" Cinema Display.

 

[tsialex]

Wouldn't something like this work?

FOINNEX HDMI to DisplayPort Adapter, 4K@60Hz Not-Bidirectional HDMI to Display Port, Unidirectional HDMI Source to DP Display Male to Female for Computer, Monitor, PS4, NS

FOINNEX HDMI to DisplayPort Adapter, 4K@60Hz Not-Bidirectional HDMI to Display Port, Unidirectional HDMI Source to DP Display Male to Female for Computer, Monitor, PS4, NS

www.amazon.com

Cable Matters DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort Adapter, 6 Inches (DisplayPort Male to Mini DisplayPort Female Adapter Cable, DP to Mini DP), Compatible with Apple Cinema Display via Mini DisplayPort

Cable Matters DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort Adapter, 6 Inches (DisplayPort Male to Mini DisplayPort Female Adapter Cable, DP to Mini DP), Compatible with Apple Cinema Display via Mini DisplayPort

www.amazon.com

Mini DisplayPort to Dual Link DVI Adapter - Business - Apple (SG)

Apple Store Search Results

www.apple.com

View attachment 908364

That assumes you have the Apple DVI to dual-link mini display port adapter so that the mini-displayport apple male cable goes into the female mini display port cable there. I pulled my 580x so not sure if it actually works, but that might do it (although at that point youre 3 adapters deep!).

If you dont have the Apple DVI to dual-link mini display port adapter, im not sure what the right combo of cables would be. You'd need a male HDMI to female dual-link DVI cable (or combo of cables) for the 30" Cinema Display.

No, dual link DVI are two DVI connections on one connector/cable. HDMI is equivalent of just one DVI connection.

 

[intrigue]

Just wondering if anyone has managed to get 2 x ACD30" displays to work with the base MACPro 2019 model?
very interested to know if this is easily managed as I currently run 2 ACD + 3 other screens on my old 5,1 so would like to be able to migrate those to the new model MACpro without to much headache (or expense if possible).
Has anyone done 2 cinema screens?

 

[tevion5]

Just wondering if anyone has managed to get 2 x ACD30" displays to work with the base MACPro 2019 model?
very interested to know if this is easily managed as I currently run 2 ACD + 3 other screens on my old 5,1 so would like to be able to migrate those to the new model MACpro without to much headache (or expense if possible).
Has anyone done 2 cinema screens?

I'm currently using the below setup with my 7,1 and a Vega 64:

30" ACD	23" ACD	27" MSI 144Hz Display
DisplayPort - MiniDisplayPort - DL-DVI (Requires Apple MiniDP - DL-DVI Adapter)	DisplayPort - DVI	DisplayPort (directly)

As you can see the 30" requires a bit of a chain, but I see no reason why I couldn't run say 6 of them if I had a 2nd Vega 64, 6 x 30" ACDs and 6 x Apple DL-DVI Adapters! €€€

If you are still using the original Radeon Pro 580 (which was the case in my original post) you would be limited to the 2 USB-C ports on the back of the card for DisplayPort, but still I see no reason why at least 2 x 30" ACDs would not work.

 

[intrigue]

I'm currently using the below setup with my 7,1 and a Vega 64:

30" ACD	23" ACD	27" MSI 144Hz Display
DisplayPort - MiniDisplayPort - DL-DVI (Requires Apple MiniDP - DL-DVI Adapter)	DisplayPort - DVI	DisplayPort (directly)

As you can see the 30" requires a bit of a chain, but I see no reason why I couldn't run say 6 of them if I had a 2nd Vega 64, 6 x 30" ACDs and 6 x Apple DL-DVI Adapters! €€€

If you are still using the original Radeon Pro 580 (which was the case in my original post) you would be limited to the 2 USB-C ports on the back of the card for DisplayPort, but still I see no reason why at least 2 x 30" ACDs would not work.

Thanks Tevion
I'm guessing I could also look at keeping the original 580 (2x generic screens) and add a Vega 64 (2xACD+1 generic) which potentially provides the 5 screen capability
Does that sound viable?

 

[DigitaLife]

Having barley justified the cost of my lovely new 7,1 Apple's new 6K display is out of the question. I've used my ageing but capable 30" Apple Cinema Display for a while now and it still suits me very well. For audio production I really appreciate all that 16:10 visual real estate and it's one of the few displays out there that really compliments the 7,1 aesthetically. Retina will be a nice upgrade later down the line, but I'm not a graphics or video editor who really needs it.

View attachment 884524View attachment 884523

View attachment 884526

First of all I hope to be in the right thread!
I don't have a MacPro 2019, but I have a MacPro 5.1 with the AMD Radeon VII graphics card and Apple Cinema Display 30".
In order to connect the monitor to the graphics card, I had to purchase a StarTech "DisplayPort to DVI DualLink Active Adapter" which, however, does not seem to work well!
In fact (as you can see from the attached Image 1), when you start the Mac (both from Mojave and Catalina), the monitor indicates the Default Resolution, 1280 x 800 and therefore every time I have to change the resolution from monitor preferences to bring it to the maximum of 2560 x 1600.
Also, every now and then, the monitor shows annoying flicker!
The same thing happens with the Sapphire RX 580 graphics card (which has both the DVI-DL and DP port) when I try to connect it to the DP port with the same adapter (unlike when it is connected directly to the DualLink DVI port as seen in the 'Image 2 attached).
So it looks like this adapter is not working well!
Based on your experience and your use, if I used the original "Apple Mini DisplayPort to DualLink DVI Adapter" with the addition of a DP adapter ---> Mini DP (which I am already using successfully with the second monitor LED Cinema Display 27"), could you solve the problem and have the Default Resolution of 2560 x 1600?
Thanks in advance for all the help you want to give me!

 

[tevion5]

Thanks Tevion
I'm guessing I could also look at keeping the original 580 (2x generic screens) and add a Vega 64 (2xACD+1 generic) which potentially provides the 5 screen capability
Does that sound viable?

That could work as long as you're not planning to use Windows. In Windows the Radeon Pro and regular Radeon drivers clash, so you can only use either the Pro 580 or Vega 64 at once. I've my Radeon Pro 580 sitting in storage for now for this reason.
[automerge]1593096707[/automerge]

Based on your experience and your use, if I used the original "Apple Mini DisplayPort to DualLink DVI Adapter" with the addition of a DP adapter ---> Mini DP (which I am already using successfully with the second monitor LED Cinema Display 27"), could you solve the problem and have the Default Resolution of 2560 x 1600?
Thanks in advance for all the help you want to give me!

Yes this solutions seems to work really well for me. Might just be an advantage of compatibility with Apple's own Mini DP ---> DL-DVI adapter. I always get the correct 2560 x 1600 by default with no issues on my setup, and that's using it with a DP adapter ---> Mini DP from my Vega 64. So probably worth trying this before giving up

 

[DigitaLife]

That could work as long as you're not planning to use Windows. In Windows the Radeon Pro and regular Radeon drivers clash, so you can only use either the Pro 580 or Vega 64 at once. I've my Radeon Pro 580 sitting in storage for now for this reason.
[automerge]1593096707[/automerge]


Yes this solutions seems to work really well for me. Might just be an advantage of compatibility with Apple's own Mini DP ---> DL-DVI adapter. I always get the correct 2560 x 1600 by default with no issues on my setup, and that's using it with a DP adapter ---> Mini DP from my Vega 64. So probably worth trying this before giving up

Thank you very much!!!
I will immediately buy on eBay!
Could you please send me the link of the DP to Mini DP adapter (which you are using) where to buy it?
Thanks in advance!

 

[EugW]

Having barley justified the cost of my lovely new 7,1 Apple's new 6K display is out of the question. I've used my ageing but capable 30" Apple Cinema Display for a while now and it still suits me very well. For audio production I really appreciate all that 16:10 visual real estate and it's one of the few displays out there that really compliments the 7,1 aesthetically. Retina will be a nice upgrade later down the line, but I'm not a graphics or video editor who really needs it.

But to get an explicitly DL-DVI display to work required a bit of a dongle train. My 7,1 only includes x2 HDMI ports on the Radeon 580 and x4 DisplayPort outs via the TB3 ports. To get around this I got this neat little USB-C to MiniDisplayPort adapter on Amazon. Next in the chain had to be a MiniDisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI adapter. Thankfully I already owned the official Apple one for use with my 2011 13" MBP. So together it basically upgraded the Apple adapter to USB-C on one end. I was able to test this configuration successfully with a 2019 13" MBA before my Mac Pro arrived.

View attachment 884519View attachment 884521

Thankfully all went to to plan and the day my 7,1 arrived I was able to boot up with eerie silence using my big beautiful 30" ACD. It might be old but it still manages to look better than most displays on the market today if you ask me. A small touch, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the display is still fully recognised in Catalina as an authentic Apple Display with a link to the manual and all. Brilliant.

View attachment 884524View attachment 884523

View attachment 884526

I did something similar from my 2017 MacBook and 2017 iMac with the 30" Cinema HD Display.

I got the Apple mini-DisplayPort to dual-link active adapter at the same time I got the 30" display, so I just added a USB-C to mini-DisplayPort dongle to the chain to get it to work with my USB-C Macs. I don't remember the brand of the dongle because it's not labelled, but it was a common and inexpensive third party thing, and it looks like this:

This is my 2017 iMac with the 30". (It also already has a 2010 iMac in target display mode used as a monitor.)

I'm currently using it with my 2007 Mac Pro 2,1 and Mac Radeon HD 5770.

 

[DFP1989]

Simple, timeless design. The 30-inch ACD really suits the 2019 Mac Pro.

 

[EugW]

Simple, timeless design. The 30-inch ACD really suits the 2019 Mac Pro.

Just in case some don't remember: The Cinema HD Display on top can have magnetic devices attached. This works with the original FireWire iSight with the magnetic mount. Interestingly, with Catalina, the FireWire iSight no longer works properly, but Logitech has just released a Brio 4K webcam for the XDR Display... which is also magnetic. So you can use that same one for the Cinema HD Display.

I'm not paying $400 CAD for that Brio though. I'm looking to see if I can find a cheap iSight, just because I like the look and it works with El Capitan. This MacPro2,1 will never be on Catalina so it's moot for now. I'll worry about a different webcam later once I move the 30" to a different machine. Maybe by that time high quality 4K models will be cheaper.

 

[HDFan]

This is really great to know! I bought my 30" ACD new in 2008 and is the one reason why I have never changed to an iMac Pro...this is a great monitor for my purposes too!

I do love its size, as compared the iMac Pros' display. Personally, however, side by side I don't find them to be visually equivalent. The 27" display with the same material is stunning

 

[Average Pro]

In response to post #24: When I click on the link, the following verbiage appears in the title of this product, "NOT for Apple Cinema Monitors"
If I select the option with HDCP Off, the verbiage changes to, "for Apple Cinema Displays"
For clarities sake, is the correct part the (1) Club CAC-1510-Z or (2) Club CAC-1510?

Hi,
i use this one and it works perfect for 30” ACD with Mac Pro 2019:

Club 3D USB Typ C zu Dual Link DVI-D Aktiver Adapter

-

www.amazon.de

importent for all possible resolution list you need to hold the control key when change the resolution.

 

[avkills]

In response to post #24: When I click on the link, the following verbiage appears in the title of this product, "NOT for Apple Cinema Monitors"
If I select the option with HDCP Off, the verbiage changes to, "for Apple Cinema Displays"
For clarities sake, is the correct part the (1) Club CAC-1510-Z or (2) Club CAC-1510?

I am not sure the 30" ACD supports HDCP; since I do not have one handy; I can not answer. But all non HDCP compliance would mean is that you would not be able to play purchased video items from iTunes.

A quick search on the web indicates that the 30" ACD does not support HDCP.

 

[EugW]

I am not sure the 30" ACD supports HDCP; since I do not have one handy; I can not answer. But all non HDCP compliance would mean is that you would not be able to play purchased video items from iTunes.

A quick search on the web indicates that the 30" ACD does not support HDCP.

That's right. No HDCP for the Cinema HD Displays.

I was looking on the Amazon USA site and that's not a big deal in terms of buying that linked adapter, since the pricing is the same for the HDCP-OFF version. However, in Canada when that HDCP-OFF version was available, it was almost 2.5X the price but now it's just unavailable.

I do love its size, as compared the iMac Pros' display. Personally, however, side by side I don't find them to be visually equivalent. The 27" display with the same material is stunning

I have both the 2010 27" iMac (which I believe is the same panel as the 27" LED Cinema Display) and the 30" Cinema HD Display.

I prefer the slightly lower pixel density of the 30" as the bigger font size is a bit more easy on my eyes. I also like the matte screen of the 30" and it's physically bigger size due to the lower pixel density and the slightly higher resolution. But the 27" seems punchier in terms colours, probably partially due to the glossy screen, with better overall contrast.

The 30" doesn't get super bright, but for me it's usually a moot point because I usually run my screens on the darker side. In my room I typically run the 27" at about 4 bars out of 16. On the 30" it's more like 7-8 bars out of 16.

The 27" also does better for black levels, but neither are actually very good at it. To put it another way, the black levels on the 30" aren't great, but they weren't quite as bad compared to the 27" as I might have expected. My 30" is from 2007, so perhaps it performs a bit better than the earlier 30" models. The other thing is both seem to have relatively decent black uniformity, without the edge bleed that I see so often on cheaper monitors even today.

My 30" doesn't have good white uniformity now though, since the right and left edges have started to yellow, which I guess isn't a surprise given its age and the technology. Luckily, I don't really notice the yellowing unless I have a white background. With any other colour at the edges I don't see it.

 

[Average Pro]

I love my 30" Cinema. When I purchase the 2019 MP, I don't think I'll have enough room on my desk for the Cinema and XDR. The Cinema has been so reliable. The only time I came to notice the difference is when I was on the road for several months using a 2019 MacBook Pro. When I returned home and turned on the 30", I realized the difference in quality. However, when I'm bouncing back and forth between them, it's not as noticeable.

 

[uller6]

I did love my old 30" cinema displays. But those things sucked down the electricity - over 125 watts on medium brightness! My new monitor is larger, higher resolution, brighter, and only uses 25 watts It doesn't look nearly as stylish though...

 

[Dayo]

Can imagine the ACD would complement a nMP nicely.

My 30" ACD died on me a few days ago. Booted up as normal and got a blank screen. LED light is on so I know there is power but not detected by my cMP and my connected keyboard fails the Caps Lock On light test.

Bought it with my Early 2008 cMP in 2008 ... really struggling to think what similarly stylish replacement I can get as I haven't seen anything that comes close in the style department over the last 12 years.