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fatboyhouston

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 6, 2014
83
152
Hi, this seems to be a common question, but I haven't quite found the answer yet. Maybe we need a sticky on recommended dual monitor setups?

I've got a Mini 2012 with a Benq GL2450 monitor attached to the HDMI port. Looks great to me.

I'd like to use my old Acer V193W as a second monitor. It only has VGA input so I'm guessing I need a MDP to VGA adaptor. Plenty of these available for £5, but I've seen a YouTube video saying this won't work with a passive adaptor.

Active adaptors seem to cost around £20, and I'm reluctant to spend that much on a monitor that will probably get replaced anyway. But it would be annoying to buy a cheap one that doesn't work, and then have to buy an expensive one too.

Can anybody please clarify whether I really need an active adaptor, or even better, specify the cabling that works for them in this situation?

Thanks.
 
Last edited:
Just in case anyone stumbles across this thread whilst researching the same thing...

Amazon basics MDP-to-VGA adaptor works fine. Looks like active adaptors aren't needed when using the MDP port.
 
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