New iMac to be used as external monitor

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Hello
First post. I am a long time PC owner, but like most, I started looking towards Apple through iPod->iPhone->iPad->Apple TV

Now, I just bought a new iMac 27" for my wife. Wow, really like Mac OSX.
So I just went on the applestore, configured another 27", fully loaded...but then given the delay on SSD, I read a bit more (luckily)...and realized I would not be able to use it as external screen for my PC (as apparently you could on the 2010 iMacs)...as the thunderbolt port will only access video from thunderbolts enabled devices (such as the MacBook Pro)

My constraints:
1) No I will not give up the PC (hardcore gamer) and 2) I do not have enough space for 2 screens on my desk. 3) Mac will be used for anything but gaming, mostly lightroom, premiere and photoshop + the usual office stuff.

Therefore, I was thinking:
1) Mac Pro. But too expensive, big and noisy
2) then Mac Mini, but current model is too low on spec for my tastes.

Therefore:
1) Any chance for PCI EXpress 3D card to come out with a TB port?
2) Any chance for a thirdparty vendor to release a DVI to TB converter (in definitions above 1080p)?
3) Any other idea?

Any help appreciated!
 
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Hello
First post. I am a long time PC owner, but like most, I started looking towards Apple through iPod->iPhone->iPad->Apple TV

Now, I just bought a new iMac 27" for my wife. Wow, really like Mac OSX.
So I just went on the applestore, configured another 27", fully loaded...but then given the delay on SSD, I read a bit more (luckily)...and realized I would not be able to use it as external screen for my PC (as apparently you could on the 2010 iMacs)...as the thunderbolt port will only access video from thunderbolts enabled devices (such as the MacBook Pro)

My constraints:
1) No I will not give up the PC (hardcore gamer) and 2) I do not have enough space for 2 screens on my desk. 3) Mac will be used for anything but gaming, mostly lightroom, premiere and photoshop + the usual office stuff.

Therefore, I was thinking:
1) Mac Pro. But too expensive, big and noisy
2) then Mac Mini, but current model is too low on spec for my tastes.

Therefore:
1) Any chance for PCI EXpress 3D card to come out with a TB port?
2) Any chance for a thirdparty vendor to release a DVI to TB converter (in definitions above 1080p)?
3) Any other idea?

Any help appreciated!

Have you considered just trying a couple games on your wife's iMac to see how they work out? You might be surprised. These new ones, especially when fully pimped, are very competent machines. I'm sure you know this already, but you can use any mouse/keyboard of your liking with Macs, and of course dual-boot Windows. Although in all honesty, Apple's graphics drivers for Windows aren't as well optimized as what you can get from AMD.

You are right that the new iMacs won't work as a display, except when connected to another Thunderbolt-equipped computer. I would expect someone will eventually out out a PCI-E expansion card to add that capability to PCs, though that may not be any time real soon, and from what I just read, it may not see peak speeds (though for a display, should be adequate).

There likely will be an adapter at some point. Kanex is well known for their adapters, and strongly suggested here that they are working on this now.

The Mac mini is due for an update and should be coming real soon. I personally wouldn't consider the existing one for your needs, especially since you aren't pressed to get one now and an update is due.
 
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Thank you. Yes, looks like i am not the only one who wants to do this...
I know the latest iMac could run recent games decently...but in 3yrs? its not like they are cheap and that i could swap the video card...
 
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Thank you. Yes, looks like i am not the only one who wants to do this...
I know the latest iMac could run recent games decently...but in 3yrs? its not like they are cheap and that i could swap the video card...

Well in 3 years, with the way tech moves forward, a simple video card swap even in a PC isn't really enough. I used to do minor part upgrades annually, full rebuilds every 3 years before I switched. Macs tend to hold their value much better than PCs, so while your initial purchase may seem high, the cost of a new one can be mitigated quite a bit when you sell the old.
 
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As an additional thought… if the iMac does indeed meet your currrent gaming needs, then in 3 years it will be an absolute certainty that the PC world will have caught up by then so tweaking your current PC to add Thunderbolt (via a new motherboard or PCI-X card) will be viable.
 
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you are right, i should probably go for one now, install bootcamp...and see how it goes with the newer games.
true a PC video card would need an update too. but usually any current $300 model will be ok for all games unless you really need 200fps...
 
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2019 iMac 27"; 2020 M1 MacBook Air; macOS up-to-date... always.
you are right, i should probably go for one now, install bootcamp...and see how it goes with the newer games.
true a PC video card would need an update too. but usually any current $300 model will be ok for all games unless you really need 200fps...

True that. Really, GPU processing power has been advancing faster than the other components in the past few years.
 

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