Dual Monitor with old iMac (hard drive busted)

My wife wants another monitor to use alongside her relatively new (2014) MacBook Pro. She wants the display on the 2nd monitor to be of a different app than what she is using on her Macbook. (not mirrored)

I have an old iMac that won't even start up (hard drive is fried). I believe it has the old mini-display port. Can I use this old iMac for this purpose?

If not, can I buy any monitor with an hdmi port and use an hdmi cord from the Macbook Pro to the new monitor? Will I be able to use the different screen displays if I connect hdmi to hdmi, or will that just mirror the display? Thanks.

n8cas said:

My wife wants another monitor to use alongside her relatively new (2014) MacBook Pro. She wants the display on the 2nd monitor to be of a different app than what she is using on her Macbook. (not mirrored)

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Any Mac can do this, it's a simple preference in the "Displays" control panel in System Preferences. Just attach the second monitor and visit the displays preference.

If not, can I buy any monitor with an hdmi port and use an hdmi cord from the Macbook Pro to the new monitor?

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Nope. Older iMacs only have video OUT, not video IN. Plus your machine is broken, so it won't boot, so you can't control its video preferences even if it did have a video in.

Monitors are stupid cheap these days, just get a new one. I recently bought a 24-inch Monoprice LED monitor, and my only regret is that I didn't get a 27-inch.

chas_m said:

Any Mac can do this, it's a simple preference in the "Displays" control panel in System Preferences. Just attach the second monitor and visit the displays preference.



Nope. Older iMacs only have video OUT, not video IN. Plus your machine is broken, so it won't boot, so you can't control its video preferences even if it did have a video in.

Monitors are stupid cheap these days, just get a new one. I recently bought a 24-inch Monoprice LED monitor, and my only regret is that I didn't get a 27-inch.

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Thanks. A decent 24 Acer is available for 129 $ 27 in are tough to find cheaper than 150 with an HDMI