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5k Resolution with original iMac Panel and Nvidia Card

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Thanks for the reply. Strangely, that this exactly what MacOS and Windows reports my display to be. The makers of the driver board either nicked the Dell firmware or they make one of the boards inside that monitor.

After more trying I couldn't get a dual DP 5k signal in either Windows or MacOS with my GTX1080. So I installed a 5700XT crossing my fingers that this would work.

It works perfectly in Windows and MacOS. Dual cable 5k60Hz. 10 bit colour in Windows, and I guess similar in Mac though I don't know where to check that.

In the BIOS screen and the Opencore GUI it uses 1440p and then switches to 5k when loading either OS. No glitches or problems waking from sleep, switching OSes etc.

Image quality is amazing and thoroughly glad that German chap made his YouTube video which gave me the inspiration.
Maybe they used the Dell UP2715K EDID to make it work with Nvidia in macOS but the display is not enough like the Dell UP2715K to work properly? Or you may need to power off the display and power it on to make it switch to dual cable mode?

To see the pixel format of the output signal, look at the output of the AGDCDiagnose command. The macOS gui only shows the frame buffer pixel format which may be different. The AGDCDiagnose output also shows the EDIDs of both cable connections (SwitchResX only shows one EDID and it might be modified by macOS).

BIOS probably isn't smart enough to handle dual cable displays, so it uses the single cable mode of 1440p or 4K.
 
That explains the 1440p in the bios. Glad I switched to the AMD card. Spent a lot of time in both OSes faffing with settings, monitor inputs, power cycling and never got it to work at more than 4k in MacOS or 5k 8bit colour in Windows 10.

I've used it for a few days now and not a single graphical glitch in either OS, during start up. Screen is now indistinguishable from a real iMac. Thanks for the replies.

This is my proudest tech achievement to date (though not much more than some soldering and buying the right bits admittedly).

This is the finished product.
 

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This is so cool. So would this support 1440p 144hz FreeSync in windows? The listing on alliexpress makes it sound like it would.

I'm building a 5700 XT hackintosh and it would be great to use an iMac for 5k 60hz in OS X and 1440p 144hz FreeSync in windows for gaming.


Lol looks like 144hz is only available on other supported panels. Too good to be true.
 
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Yes I think the limitation is the 60Hz iMac panel, even if varieties of that driver board can do 144Hz.

Gaming for me is 100% VR so the panel is just used for work where it is perfect. I
 
This is a great read. I'm debating trying this with either the iMac panel (LM270QQ1) or getting the LG Ultrafine panel (LM270QQ2). The LG panel would be nice without the the iMac glass. That way I could keep the bezels slim. But the idea of using an iMac case would also look pretty slick.
 
This is a great read. I'm debating trying this with either the iMac panel (LM270QQ1) or getting the LG Ultrafine panel (LM270QQ2). The LG panel would be nice without the the iMac glass. That way I could keep the bezels slim. But the idea of using an iMac case would also look pretty slick.
I am deciding between the LM270QQ1 (iMac) and LM270QQ2 (LG UltraFine) as well. Besides Aliexpress, I cannot find any other sites selling the LM270QQ2 panel. Any idea?

The iMac panel has thick bezels which looks a little dated but paring it with the A1914 aluminium chassis means it is a proper build. I think there is also opportunity to pair the internal speakers with an amplifier board and connect it to the 5K driver board for sound (via DP?).

I like the idea of thin bezels for LM270QQ2 but I am not sure if it is worth the risk to import the panel from China. The LG UltraFine panel works out cheaper than the iMac panel and has screw mount holes at the rear of the panel which is good for DIY projects.

Do you know which 5K driver board you will be getting yet? I have found 2 different boards so far. Potentially there is a third one. @bobshopsupreme mentioned in another site that the new one comes with USB PD and support DP1.4 but I cannot seem to find it anywhere.
 
I'm tracking this also after a Planar IX2790 purchase and return due to hundreds of stuck pixels..

I've contemplated the iMac panel route but I would honesty like less bezel since my desk is high and I need the monitor to sit low.

@macnexus When you say the Ultrafine panel has screw mount holes - like VESA mount holes on the back or just for connection to it's plastic shell, which then has the VESA mount holes?
 
I'm tracking this also after a Planar IX2790 purchase and return due to hundreds of stuck pixels..

I've contemplated the iMac panel route but I would honesty like less bezel since my desk is high and I need the monitor to sit low.

@macnexus When you say the Ultrafine panel has screw mount holes - like VESA mount holes on the back or just for connection to it's plastic shell, which then has the VESA mount holes?
@TurbineSeaplane The screw mount holes are used to secure the panel to the plastic shell. You can use them to secure the LCD panel to a board or acrylic sheet (as seen here). You can then mount the board/sheet to any monitor arms or stands. I quite like this idea but I can only find the LM270QQ2 panel in Aliexpress. I would prefer to purchase the LCD panel locally to avoid import charges. Having said that, the LM270QQ2 panel and 5K driver board bundle (here) can be purchased at a good price (~£378 or USD455).

I'm leaning more towards the iMac panel route at the moment.
 
@TurbineSeaplane The screw mount holes are used to secure the panel to the plastic shell. You can use them to secure the LCD panel to a board or acrylic sheet (as seen here). You can then mount the board/sheet to any monitor arms or stands. I quite like this idea but I can only find the LM270QQ2 panel in Aliexpress. I would prefer to purchase the LCD panel locally to avoid import charges. Having said that, the LM270QQ2 panel and 5K driver board bundle (here) can be purchased at a good price (~£378 or USD455).

I'm leaning more towards the iMac panel route at the moment.

Is the bundle a "grade A - no stuck or dead pixels panel"?

that seems key since returning it internationally is basically not a reality..
 
Is the bundle a "grade A - no stuck or dead pixels panel"?

that seems key since returning it internationally is basically not a reality..
It's not stated in the listing so you'll have to contact the seller to find out.

Either way you'll still need to purchase the 5K driver board from Aliexpress. The shipping cost is pretty high even if you purchase the driver board only. It makes me wonder if it's worth topping up to include the LCD panel as well. Assuming the seller will test both items before shipping, there's a degree of certainty that both the panel and driver board will work.

The thread starter mentioned that the backlight on his panel is quite dimmed compared to his MBP so that's another thing to worry about. Perhaps @bobshopsupreme can advise us if the brightness on his iMac panel is bright enough?

If I go down the iMac panel route, I'll try to get the built-in speakers on the iMac to work with the driver board since there is 3.5mm out on the driver board. I'll probably need to add an amplifier circuit in between though.
 
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