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TDM between iMac and MBPro

Z

zoran

macrumors 601
Original poster
Jun 30, 2005
4,819
135
Has anyone used TargetDisplayMode on his 2009-2011 27" iMac along with a 16" M1-3 MBPro?
I’m just wondering if there are any issues created between the two resolutions that each Mac has. Do you see the MBPros display well on the 2K iMac?
 
Is there something strange when turning to TDM? Is what you see on the iMac the same with what u see on the MBPro?Are u using any AdobeCC apps by the way?
If your iMac is a Retina then its not a 2011 model... correct?
 
I used TDM with a 2010 27” non-Retina not long ago. Obviously the quality isn’t nearly as good as the built-in screen but as long as it’s set to extended display (not mirroring) MacOS is able to adjust the apps. I haven’t tried Adobe apps but I imagine they’d work fine with that setup.

I’ve been able to use my 5K Retina as a result of a crazy conversion project, those never supported TDM to begin with.
 
redheeler said:
I used TDM with a 2010 27” non-Retina not long ago. Obviously the quality isn’t nearly as good as the built-in screen but as long as it’s set to extended display (not mirroring) MacOS is able to adjust the apps. I haven’t tried Adobe apps but I imagine they’d work fine with that setup.
Click to expand...
What kind of computer did you connect to your 27" iMac?
 
Fishrrman said:
I could be wrong, but I don't think that you can use target display mode with one of the newer m-series Macs... OS no longer supports it (even though the iMac you have might).
Click to expand...
You mean that I wouldn’t be able to connect a MBpro with a mid2010 iMac?
 
(sigh)
From the article URL I posted above:
"The other Mac that you're connecting it to must have been introduced in 2019 or earlier and have macOS Catalina or earlier installed."

What OS does your MacBook Pro use?
What year was it made?
 
Fishrrman said:
I could be wrong, but I don't think that you can use target display mode with one of the newer m-series Macs... OS no longer supports it (even though the iMac you have might).

See this page:

Use your iMac as a display with target display mode - Apple Support

Target display mode is a feature available with certain older Mac models.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
Click to expand...
The late 2009 or mid 2010 27” accepts a Mini DisplayPort connection. You can connect anything that supports outputting DisplayPort, including an Apple Silicon MacBook Pro, a Linux or Windows machine, or even the third-party DVI to DisplayPort converter I used to connect a Power Mac G5 outputting DVI. These two specific models have the most versatile TDM Apple ever introduced.

The 2011-2013 models are much more limited as they require Thunderbolt. It’s an annoying change, but one that should still work with a modern Mac outputting Thunderbolt with a Thunderbolt 3 to 2 adapter.
 
In short -

Does it work? Yes.

Will it look as nice as the built-in display? No.

Is it worthwhile if you already have the iMac? Probably yes. Just need the adapter and cord to make it work.

Is it worth buying an old 27” iMac for this purpose? Probably not.
 
Last edited:
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