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27" iMac (late 2009) as monitor?

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Nov 10, 2015
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Motherboard
Gigabyte Z97N
CPU
Intel Core i7 i7-4790K
Graphics
NVIDIA GT 740 2GB
Mac
  1. iMac
  2. MacBook
Classic Mac
  1. 0
Mobile Phone
  1. iOS
Just finished installing El Capitan on my new build and have a 27" iMac i5, late 2009, that I wanna try and use as monitor connecting it to my NVIDIA GT 740 card.

After some digging around here and the far corners of the web I thought this DVI to MDP converter would do http://www.gefen.com/gefentv/gtvproduct.jsp?prod_id=9898 quite expensive though...anyways wanted to be sure before I order it. has anyone tried and suceeded? o_O:geek:


btw..this is my first post here, so .. apologies if I messed it up or something:mrgreen:
 
Hi Toleda,
Thanks for replying! :headbang:


I'm pretty sure late 2009 27" iMac should be ok with Target Display Mode via Mini DP.. here's some of the stuff came up through my searches

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5200964?tstart=0
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204592
http://apple.stackexchange.com/ques...e-2009-or-mid-2010-as-a-screen-for-regular-pc
http://computers.tutsplus.com/tutorials/using-an-imac-as-a-monitor-in-target-display-mode--mac-51833
" I am able to use Target Display Mode so that my late–2009 27" iMac can display the output from my late–2009 Mac mini."
and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7_OZgBX8kQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1MEUAA9Cu8


hmm..thing is I'm not sure how well my Hackintosh will cooperate w/Target Display Mode iMac
if connected via a DVI to Mini DP Converter?


 
Well, what do you know, I've connected it through...screen share :D actually-- not as bad as one would think. There's lag obviously but hey .. Magic Mouse works ;)

in time I'm thinking to just get a proper monitor but for now this lurk is kinda cool. Been running Logic projects like that for the past 48 hours..
 
Hi,

I'm using my iMac 27' late 2009 as a monitor with an Nvidia gtx 760 and a cable DisplayPort -> mini-DisplayPort.
Works great, actually the CG of my iMac decided to half-die some days ago so now I can only start in failsafe mode and with colorful artefacts, but once I connect the Hackintosh on it, the image is perfect, since it bypasses the iMac CG.

That's also the limitation of that setup : you have to start the iMac and reach the desktop (mine remained at Yosemite by the way) to use target mode, so it's noisier and more power consuming than a standalone monitor. But it does work.

I checked your CG though and I don't think it has a DP port ; I can't say if converters will work.

A last thing you should know : your CG is HDCP compliant, but the iMac in Target Mode isn't, so you won't be able to watch any iTunes purchase. And that is really damn annoying !
 
Hey Fumomono,

Thanks man, good point with iTunes.. That's a deal breaker right there. But I'd say my main concern was more about noise as you mentioned and reaffirmed. Yes, power consumption increase too... but noise is more of a concern for me since I use this computer at my studio. But anyways what am I saying-- all that doesn't really matter since my GeForce 740 doesn't have a DP port to begin with. lol

btw, tested- plain convertors won't work, if anything one will definitely need one of these big ass expensive MiniDP to DVI convertors and even then - not guaranteed to work.. (though I believe it should) and for that money one might as well just buy a new Graphics card, with a DP port.

so - final conclusion in my case would be to get a monitor.

In the meantime I'm still running iMac through screen sharing until I get a proper monitor. iMhack? lol
 
I am using a 2009 27' iMac as a monitor perfectly fine, using a miniDP to DP on my Sapphire Vapor-X 8Gb 290X
 
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