GPU to use an iMac as screen

[vjuluss]

Hi everyone !

I've been a hackintosh user for a while now. Someone gave me an old iMac 2009 with a Core 2 Duo inside. I thought I could restore this old beast and use it as my main computer@home, but it's really, really slow. Even with the Fusion drive that I installed in it and its 12gb of ram. So I reinstalled my hackintosh (which was used as a Windows computer while I was trying to use the iMac). So now I have a fully functional dual-boot hackintosh. I had to remove the 960GTX inside as it's not compatible with Mojave. No Catalina yet, I'll wait a bit. The onboard GPU is good enough to drive my LG 24" screen, but as said in title, I would like to use the iMac as a screen. This model comes with a Mini DisplayPort that can be used as an input, which is nice. But I definitely need a GPU with DisplayPort to run Mojave. So here's the main question : can you recommend a good GPU that will work out of the box with my hackintosh ? No need of power. Must be enough to run @ 2560x1440, tough.
I also was thinking of buying a LED Cinema Display (the one with Mini DisplayPort) but as they worth more than this old iMac, I won't.

Thanks !

 

[Joker54]

You might wanna take a look at this list.
I currently have a GTX780 in my Hacky which works fine and OOB. Should be way overkill for desktop use

 

[vjuluss]

Thanks for your answer. I just found an old 8800GTS at my job but it's not on the list and it might be too old for my project. Also, yesterday I went lost on the internet and I found some LCD drivers card kit that I could fit in the iMac (after removing all the parts inside) to reuse the internal screen with classic connectors (DP, DVI, HDMI).
I think I'm going for that, because I don't like the idea of running an iMac all day long just to use it as a screen. It has to be log on, I need to have a keyboard connected, and it can only uses DisplayPort. With the driver kit however, it becomes a classic screen.

 

[trs96]

I just found an old 8800GTS at my job but it's not on the list and it might be too old for my project.

Yes, it is too old. See this post on which Nvidia cards do work natively with Mojave. Either the Quadro K600 or NVS 510 would work. The 510 has 4 miniDP outputs so you could use a straight miniDP cable to the iMac.

nvs510 for sale | eBay

Get the best deals for nvs510 at eBay.com. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items!

www.ebay.com

Will my Nvidia Graphics Card work with macOS ? List of Desktop Cards with Native Support

Preamble for those new to Nvidia graphics card choices for a Hackintosh 1. You will only have success choosing macOS compatible graphics if you remember that: macOS is not Windows 2. Apple incorporates all their graphics drivers into the Mac Operating System. There are only drivers in macOS...

www.tonymacx86.com

 

[vjuluss]

Should I go with an AMD card ? In the buyers guide it's only AMD cards.
I mean I don't mind Nvidia or AMD.

 

[trs96]

Should I go with an AMD card ? In the buyers guide it's only AMD cards.
I mean I don't mind Nvidia or AMD.

AMD will have support longer than any Kepler based cards will. The best deal now if you are in the US is the Sapphire Pulse RX 570 4GB. Sells for $130 on Newegg.com. If you've got that much to spend it's the best choice.

 

[vjuluss]

Unfortunately I'm a neighbour, I live in Canada.

But thanks for the hint.

As I said earlier in this thread, I think I'll for the transformation of the iMac into a simple screen with this kit or a similar : https://h5.aliexpress.com/item/32846310124.html

Pretty sure with only what I'll be saving on the electricity bill the switch is interesting

But first I need to check the model of the LCD panel inside.

 

[theruck]

buy a rx470 or rx570 card form ATI. it will work like a charm (lilu+whatevergreen kexts) even with catalina