How can I use a 2017 iMac as a Monitor with 2013 MBP?

[pothypine]

The subject says it all. I've been told 2014 is the last year the iMac was able to serve as a monitor. I imagine there has to be a 3rd party app or software that has figured out how to do this. Has anyone done this with pleasant success?

thanks!

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Yes, this was functionality supported by the OS and hardware. As stated in this document, you need something up to 2014 and High Sierra and earlier.

Use your iMac as a display with target display mode - Apple Support

Target display mode is a feature available with certain older Mac models.

support.apple.com

If your iMac is functioning, but slow, then just re-install the OS and use it for what it's good for. If it isn't good, safely recycle it.

Just grab a regular monitor for your MBP which, btw, is also very long in the tooth.

 

[pothypine]

Thanks Ashwin...

All understood on the functionality of the iMac, that's why i'm seeking advice. And, yep, old computer for sure...functions perfect as of now, so I'm not so inclined just to recycle it because it's old. And, I came into this iMac under specific circumstances, so I'm trying to use what I have instead of just discarding materials for the sake of updating....clearly, I know I'm lacking some functionality with older machines....but, for now, all good...thanks again

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Yup, if it's working right now. Then by all means continue using it, but you can't use it as an external monitor.

So you'll need something else for your MBP.

 

[pothypine]

Yup, if it's working right now. Then by all means continue using it, but you can't use it as an external monitor.

So you'll need something else for your MBP.

Do you know anything about Luna Display?

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Do you know anything about Luna Display?

This is a recent thing that I haven't looked at any depth.

My question to you is are you looking for a once-in-a-while second display for the MBP or a permanent one? The iMac being newer, I think is better than your MBP, so want to understand what you are trying to accomplish here.

 

[pothypine]

This is a recent thing that I haven't looked at any depth.

My question to you is are you looking for a once-in-a-while second display for the MBP or a permanent one? The iMac being newer, I think is better than your MBP, so want to understand what you are trying to accomplish here.

probably less than permanent, more than once-in-a-while...if I had to choose, I'd lean towards the latter...i'm looking into reviews of Luna and it seems like the choice. I also am thinking about a new Laptop come Black Friday...I am a photographer and use Lightroom extensively, but don't do much video, so I don't need a huge mega-workhorse, I have only heard a little bit about the M1 and M2 processors. Do you have any opinions on them? Are they the only processors available in the new Macbooks?

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Answering backward, yes Apple moved to Apple Silicon based on the ARM architecture a couple of years ago and now has completed that transition now across all of their devices.

Apple Silicon is WAY more performant than the Intel chips they'd been using. The current gen M2 is literally more powerful than the most expensive Mac Pro's from back in the day.

Black Friday is a good time, but also check out the Refurbished store for pretty good pricing.

From a workload perspective, to get a real quick idea, go to Mac Browser for Geekbench and then look at your current iMac and MBP config. Now compare that to the newer Macs to see how many times better it is.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

The subject says it all. I've been told 2014 is the last year the iMac was able to serve as a monitor. I imagine there has to be a 3rd party app or software that has figured out how to do this.

Yes, there is.

Luna Display ($100)
Luna Display — by Astropad
allows you to use iMacs that otherwise can't be used as an external display as one (unfortunately, it's priced close to what you would pay for a brand-new external display)

OR

ScreenRecycler (free?)
ScreenRecycler (Mac)
Using a combination of Ethernet and VNC, ScreenRecycler allows you to use an iMac as a *second* (NOT the primary) monitor. That is, it allows a two monitor setup.
(This is an old app. I don't know which versions of the Mac OS are supported.)