5k Resolution with original iMac Panel and Nvidia Card

[TurbineSeaplane]

I can see it. The middle part of the screen appears to be brighter (with a cloud like shape)... The lower part of the screen appears to be slightly dimmer.

Thx

Just making sure I wasn’t losing my mind.
I completely echo your concerns about the challenges to ensure I get an actually good panel shipped to me from one of those Chinese sellers.

I will see how it goes on communication when they open up again and through the weekend.

Now that I have lots of photos of what I don’t want to see hopefully it can help the person understand the kind of shots I do need to see.

 

[macnexus]

Thx

Just making sure I wasn’t losing my mind.
I completely echo your concerns about the challenges to ensure I get an actually good panel shipped to me from one of those Chinese sellers.

I will see how it goes on communication when they open up again and through the weekend.

Now that I have lots of photos of what I don’t want to see hopefully it can help the person understand the kind of shots I do need to see.

The sellers should understand issues such as dead pixel or uneven backlight. They sell many types of LCD panels and would be able to differentiate between a good and a bad panel. Based on feedback received from customers, they should also have an idea on which panel to avoid.

Let me know how the conversation goes!

 

[wladdych]

Is anyone have positive experience with connecting Imac 5k panel with this driver board from aliexpress ?

 

[TurbineSeaplane]

If anyone is looking at doing this, I just noticed a new listing at a different seller who's at $200 with free shipping for the R9A18 5k driver board, which is a touch lower than others so far (who've all been doing more like $170-180 with $40-60 of shipping).

That seller can accommodate a variety of panels, including both the iMac 5k (LM270QQ1) and LG Ultrafine 5k (LM270QQ2) variants.

 

[TurbineSeaplane]

I have pivoted my efforts to trying out an HP z27q 5k, as I got a good deal on one that is supposedly in superb condition ($380). We shall see when it comes on Friday.

It did mean I had to pivot into an RX 580 (for dual DisplayPort), but I found a local seller and grabbed that yesterday.

 

[macnexus]

If anyone is looking at doing this, I just noticed a new listing at a different seller who's at $200 with free shipping for the R9A18 5k driver board, which is a touch lower than others so far (who've all been doing more like $170-180 with $40-60 of shipping).

That seller can accommodate a variety of panels, including both the iMac 5k (LM270QQ1) and LG Ultrafine 5k (LM270QQ2) variants.

Based on the details of this new listing that you found, it appears that different LCD panels would require different software to be loaded. I wonder if it would be possible for us to flash the software ourselves considering that the board is sold as a universal driver board. I mean what can I do if I plan to pair it with the LM270QQ2 instead of the iMac 5K LCD panel?

I have pivoted my efforts to trying out an HP z27q 5k, as I got a good deal on one that is supposedly in superb condition ($380). We shall see when it comes on Friday.

It did mean I had to pivot into an RX 580 (for dual DisplayPort), but I found a local seller and grabbed that yesterday.

Sounds like you found some good deals there for both the HP and the new GPU. Hopefully the HP is on par with the Planar IX2790 minus the dead pixels.

The shipping for my 5K driver board is delayed (not quite sure if the seller actually shipped the item yet). I am quite certain that the package is still in China after more than a week since I placed the ordered and paid for premium DHL shipping (the quickest option). Not quite sure if this is due to the current situation (as the seller claimed) or just delay in getting the stock from the source. The 2 different tracking numbers provided are not recognised by any tracking sites.

I got the internal speakers of the iMac to work over the weekend by wiring them directly to a 3.5mm source without an audio amplifier. It appears that the 5K driver board has an audio amplifier (according to the manufacturer's website) so hopefully it will work with the internal speakers of the iMac. Actually I am surprised that the volume from the speakers (without an audio amplifier) is loud enough for daily use although I am not quite sure about the audio quality.

 

[TurbineSeaplane]

Sounds like you found some good deals there for both the HP and the new GPU. Hopefully the HP is on par with the Planar IX2790 minus the dead pixels.

Yeah, my options at this point are:

1. The HP comes and is great and I'm done and can enjoy 5k bliss

If #1 doesn't work out:

2. Keep an eye out for a preowned/damaged/for parts Planar iX2790 and pull it apart and install a new iMac 5k panel from any of the many sellers -- the key being to find one who will guarantee a great one and/or have a return option.

3. Go with either a DIY or completely put together QQ2 (LG UF 5k clone) option out of China.

#3 is my least favorite option just due to the sourcing from China and the delays and ambiguity around "what I'll actually receive" and of course the huge hassle and expense if some type of return is needed.

Suffice to say I'm highly biased towards making #1 or #2 work.

For me and my desk, the DIY iMac route really isn't an option because the "chin" on an iMac enclosure is too high and puts the screen too high above the desk (my desk is a bit high admittedly). The IX2790 *just* works with its reduced chin height.

 

[macnexus]

Yeah, my options at this point are:

1. The HP comes and is great and I'm done and can enjoy 5k bliss

If #1 doesn't work out:

2. Keep an eye out for a preowned/damaged/for parts Planar iX2790 and pull it apart and install a new iMac 5k panel from any of the many sellers -- the key being to find one who will guarantee a great one and/or have a return option.

3. Go with either a DIY or completely put together QQ2 (LG UF 5k clone) option out of China.

#3 is my least favorite option just due to the sourcing from China and the delays and ambiguity around "what I'll actually receive" and of course the huge hassle and expense if some type of return is needed.

Suffice to say I'm highly biased towards making #1 or #2 work.

For me and my desk, the DIY iMac route really isn't an option because the "chin" on an iMac enclosure is too high and puts the screen too high above the desk (my desk is a bit high admittedly). The IX2790 *just* works with its reduced chin height.

I think you should also consider the iMac 5K panel option but with DIY case to house the LCD. I think it is possible to DIY a case similar to the design/height of the Planar? Perhaps consider using a strip of wood (with 2 rounded edges) for the bottom of the panel and glue the glass using the same adhesive for the iMac to some sort of support so you can then mount it to a monitor arm?

 

[TurbineSeaplane]

@macnexus Yeah, that's definitely an option also, no question.

I could also get a much much cheaper Planar model that uses the same case (I've seen a couple) and retrofit in the 5k driver board and controller and then put the new iMac 5k QQ1 in there.

Both this option and #3 from before definitely get deep into the "ugh" category though, at least for me. It would require a fair bit of work and it's unclear on what the results might really be, etc.

There's a possible #5 also..

What about a used Ultrafine 5k that is having "issues" (that aren't the screen) and retrofitting in a 5k driver board and pulling out all the "guts" that are in there normally? It should free up a lot of room based on what I've seen from some teardown photos of the UF 5ks.

 

[macnexus]

@macnexus Yeah, that's definitely an option also, no question.

I could also get a much much cheaper Planar model that uses the same case (I've seen a couple) and retrofit in the 5k driver board and controller and then put the new iMac 5k QQ1 in there.

Both this option and #3 from before definitely get deep into the "ugh" category though, at least for me. It would require a fair bit of work and it's unclear on what the results might really be, etc.

There's a possible #5 also..

What about a used Ultrafine 5k that is having "issues" (that aren't the screen) and retrofitting in a 5k driver board and pulling out all the "guts" that are in there normally? It should free up a lot of room based on what I've seen from some teardown photos of the UF 5ks.

The problem with the QQ1 is the glass. It is quite impossible to pair it with enclosure of any monitors with similar size and aspect ratio. It is a lot easier with the QQ2 because of the thin bezel of the LCD panel. I considered reusing casing from Dell monitors as they usually come with quite good monitor stand (and you can probably find a faulty or broken one in eBay quite easily at a good price).

Option #5 is good if you can find one that is within budget.