Second monitor

Hi

I want to buy a new iMac but I also want to have a second monitor attached as I'm a web designer and I do a lot of browser testing on the second monitor.

I've noticed from the photos on the Apple site that the iMac has what they call a mini display port.

Am I right in thinking that if I purchased the mini display port to DVI I would be able to connect the iMac to my Samsung TFT with DVI?

Do any of you guys have the iMac set up with a second monitor, does it work OK?

I have a Mac Book Pro currently have that works fine with the Samsung.

Thanks very much

I'm running a Dell 20" alongside my iMac with the mini plug to AVG; no problems, if anything the picture is better than when it was strapped to the original Dell computer. It's handy to keep the mail open on the spare screen or when working with images.

Ricky55 said:

Am I right in thinking that if I purchased the mini display port to DVI I would be able to connect the iMac to my Samsung TFT with DVI?

Do any of you guys have the iMac set up with a second monitor, does it work OK?

Click to expand...

It works just fine! That's why iMacs are dual monitor capable just like the specifications say!

- Nick

Thanks.

Is this the adaptor I need if my TFT has DVI?

Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter - Apple Store (U.K.)

does the imac have a mini display port or a mini dvi port?

On the images it says mini display but on the Apple site it doesn't mention iMac support under the adaptor specs

sorry to triple post, but can you also confirm that you can stretch the desktop across the two displays ie so you don't have to run them in mirrored mode.

On my mac book pro I can have my main screen with the dock on the main screen and then my second display just shows a plain desktop wallpaper where I can throw other windows.

Its just on the apple site it says about mirrored.

All the answers to your questions so far are here:

Apple - iMac - Tech Specs - Explore every iMac — inside and out.

bobtomay said:

All the answers to your questions so far are here:

Apple - iMac - Tech Specs - Explore every iMac — inside and out.

Click to expand...

It's really a shame when the posters can't at least check the Apple website first...especially when we are talking about a currently shipping product! ;D

pigoo3 said:

It's really a shame when the posters can't at least check the Apple website first...especially when we are talking about a currently shipping product! ;D

Click to expand...

Yeah, well some of us do the research to know every piece of hardware that's in a computer before we even go to a store to look at it and then we're amazed the sales person doesn't even know that much.

Some folks just are not all that concerned with all the hardware aspect - they just want to know if it will do what they want. Almost all of my Win friends are like that. They've been using computers for 10 yrs or longer now and still can't name a single piece of hardware you're talking about when you say 2 Ghz, 2 GB, 256 MB, or 250 GB. My wife can't do it and she's had her own computer now since about '94.

They wouldn't know the difference between a CPU and the power supply if it jumped up and bit them. They'll come and tell you they're running out of memory when their hard drive is full. Most of them, as much time as they spend online, don't know about or even how to do a google search.

After all, they're use to buying a TV without any knowledge of what's inside - only that it will display the picture and sound of the channels they get.
Refrigerator - they only know that it keeps their food cold.
Why do they need to know all that stuff about their computer?
It's just another tool to get done what they want it to do.
This is the majority of the computer using public.

Sometimes those of us that spend a lot of time online and in forums in particular, forget this.
I know I often find myself losing patience with some of the pathetic questions we see over and over again.
Once in awhile, I have to step back and think about the questions my close friends ask me.
Then I realize, some of those weren't as pathetic maybe as I originally thought.

And for the OP - here's the same link at the UK site.

Apple (United Kingdom) - iMac - Tech Specs

And yes, everything is there, including a link to the adapter you need at the bottom of the page.

bobtomay said:

Almost all of my Win friends are like that. They've been using computers for 10 yrs or longer now and still can't name a single piece of hardware you're talking about when you say 2 Ghz, 2 GB, 256 MB, or 250 GB.

Click to expand...

I'm kind of surprised you said this. If asked...I would generally say that the average Windows user was more "computer savvy" than the average Mac user.

I'm not saying that the majority of "Wintel" computer users are computer experts...just that given 100 Wintel users & 100 Mac Users...maybe you would find 20 Wintel users that were well informed vs. maybe 5-10 well informed Mac users (but I have no real statistics to support this, just a "gut" feeling).

Mostly because Apple is the only maker of Macintosh Computers...so things are less complex...versus the WinTel world where you almost have to be an expert to make an informed purchase:

- so many manufacturers
- so many models
- so many different processors, graphics cards, etc.
- viruses
- etc.

- Nick

bobtomay said:

Some folks just are not all that concerned with all the hardware aspect - they just want to know if it will do what they want.

Click to expand...

BTW...I think that it's totally ok for a computer user not to be into all of the specs of a computer.

But when the original poster asked: "does the imac have a mini display port or a mini dvi port?"

Since we are talking about a currently shipping Mac...the answer to this could be found in like 30 seconds by visiting the Apple website. In most cases...a much much faster way to get an answer than posting on an internet forum.

I've posted questions on this forum...that I still haven't gotten an answer to!!!;D

- Nick

pigoo3 said:

BTW...I think that it's totally ok for a computer user not to be into all of the specs of a computer.

But when the original poster asked: "does the imac have a mini display port or a mini dvi port?"

Since we are talking about a currently shipping Mac...the answer to this could be found in like 30 seconds by visiting the Apple website. In most cases...a much much faster way to get an answer than posting on an internet forum.

I've posted questions on this forum...that I still haven't gotten an answer to!!!;D

- Nick

Click to expand...

You're definitely right there - on both counts.