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Mac Mini can it run 2 24" Cinema Displays
- Thread starter tchockey
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You'd need a convertor to run the mini-dvi to mini displayport, but I cannot see why it can't be done no.
This product, DualHead2Go, was made for that kind of use:
http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/gxm/dh2go/
It exists as an Analog (VGA/D-Sub), Digital (DVI) and also as a Display Port version. I am pretty sure this product would work with two 24" LED Cinema Displays. See this page for Mac specific info: http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/solutions/mac/choice/
They also have a TripleHead2Go version for connecting 3 displays, but this version would not work on three 24" LED Cinema Displays, since the resolution would be too low.
Anyway.. just look around on that page.. and maybe contact them to check if the 24" LED Cinema Displays are fully supported
http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/gxm/dh2go/
It exists as an Analog (VGA/D-Sub), Digital (DVI) and also as a Display Port version. I am pretty sure this product would work with two 24" LED Cinema Displays. See this page for Mac specific info: http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/solutions/mac/choice/
They also have a TripleHead2Go version for connecting 3 displays, but this version would not work on three 24" LED Cinema Displays, since the resolution would be too low.
Anyway.. just look around on that page.. and maybe contact them to check if the 24" LED Cinema Displays are fully supported
thanks for all the replies, right now I have 24 imac 3.06 with 4gb ram and 1tb hd with 512 gt 130. I put ssd x25 160 into optibay also running my 24" led display. It is super fast but I hate how the 2 24" screens look together. I love the new 24" display. perfect size 21.5 was to small and the 27 gave me headaches. so brings me to mac mini.
I was on the road picking up mac mini. 2.0 2gb with 320gb hd for $300.00. not a bad deal. I'am going to 4gb ram (that I already have plus put x25 160 ssd and optibay with 500gb. into the mac mini.
see what kind of little super mini I can make. only thing I will be giving up the 512 video card and alittle hd space, but can gain 2 great displays.
let everybody know how it turns out..
thanks
I was on the road picking up mac mini. 2.0 2gb with 320gb hd for $300.00. not a bad deal. I'am going to 4gb ram (that I already have plus put x25 160 ssd and optibay with 500gb. into the mac mini.
see what kind of little super mini I can make. only thing I will be giving up the 512 video card and alittle hd space, but can gain 2 great displays.
let everybody know how it turns out..
thanks
Please take some pics if you do go for this
I've not seen any mini's with two 24in ACD's yet.
but there are different 2.0 minis , pre early 2009 only support a single display 1920x1200 ,
the early 2009 model supports 1920x1200 on a DVI or VGA display using the Mini-DVI port and 2560x1600 on a dual-link DVI display using the Mini DisplayPort (with an optional Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI adapter).
the early 2009 model supports 1920x1200 on a DVI or VGA display using the Mini-DVI port and 2560x1600 on a dual-link DVI display using the Mini DisplayPort (with an optional Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI adapter).
The current mini's (3/2009+) have miniDisplayPort and miniDVI. The 24" LED ACD plugs into the miniDP.
Hooking up the 24" ACD to the miniDVI port is harder and requires an adapter such as Atlona AT-DP200 - along with a miniDVI to DVI cable the adapter runs about $150.
Hooking up the 24" ACD to the miniDVI port is harder and requires an adapter such as Atlona AT-DP200 - along with a miniDVI to DVI cable the adapter runs about $150.
hi
will I loose picture quality with the 2nd 24" display.
Just another note: finished mac mini upgrade.
Mac Mini 2.0ghz
4gb ram (upgraded)
Intel x25 160 GB (upgraded in reg. HD slot my bootup drive)
WD blue 500 GB ( upgraded in a optidrive bay)
Cd rom drive Mac air out board drive (upgraded back board so it can be booted in any usb port)
this system is humming, fast !!!!!! Can't believe how fast !!!!! this little thing is amazing.
Much faster than my 24" 3.06.
thanks for all the help.
will try to put pictures up.
will I loose picture quality with the 2nd 24" display.
Just another note: finished mac mini upgrade.
Mac Mini 2.0ghz
4gb ram (upgraded)
Intel x25 160 GB (upgraded in reg. HD slot my bootup drive)
WD blue 500 GB ( upgraded in a optidrive bay)
Cd rom drive Mac air out board drive (upgraded back board so it can be booted in any usb port)
this system is humming, fast !!!!!! Can't believe how fast !!!!! this little thing is amazing.
Much faster than my 24" 3.06.
thanks for all the help.
will try to put pictures up.
Wow that sounds like a superb mini. How easy was the optidrive/ssd upgrade? I plan on doing something similar when the ssd prices come down some more.
Pictures would be great if you can
You should not.
There have been some problems with the Apple Dual-Link adapter, but I have not heard of (or looked for) any problems with Altona adapter.
I have a mac mini that's about a month old. I have the mini dvi to dvi (included with purchase) connected to my monitor(23 in) via dvi($15). The minidisplay port has a converter (about $15) to hdmi and is connected to my HDTV. I can watch videoes on the tv while using other programs on the monitor. No loss of quality. It's perfect.
I can't see how that's possible. I had the early 2009 (2.0, 4GB, 500GB 7200 Seagate) mini with the nvidia 9400m and while it was a very nice system it was noticeably slower than the 24" iMac 3.06 4GB 8800GS that replaced it.
Even after passing it down to my wife, she complained it could not handle her OS X and Windows (Fusion) tasks fast enough.
I upgraded her to a 21.5" 3.06 base unit with 4GB ram and she is much happier.
Unless there was a serious problem with your iMac I can't see how the mini with slower CPU is faster with most application. The SSD would obviously make a difference in disk access (even so you had that in your iMac) but doing any type of processing intensive tasks can't be faster on the 2.0 CPU.
We liked the mini but we certainly did not find it faster than either iMac.
Cheers,
hi
Let me start by saying , I love my 24" imac. its the 2nd 3.06 I have had.
I sold my first to buy the i7 quad core. Now thats fast but the screen size was a big issue with me. I sold it in a week. I have had 2 i7 in the last 2 months from mac mall. I thought I jump the gun on the first one, Bought the 24 i have now and another i7. Same thing just to big but amazing mac for the money. sold that one as well. So I know what speed is. real world speed. In imacs anyway. my daughter has the 21.5 3.06 500 gb and my wife has macbook pro 13" unibody 2.26 , i put samsung ssd 256 in that and i know people have been ripping the samsung. But i have both the samsung and intel. I can tell you again real world, its much faster than stock hd. But thats for another day.
but getting back to the mac mini, yes when I first picked it up and plugged it into my 24 cinema display, perfect size for me. With the same display as the 21.5 and 27. I said this is a slug. it had 2gb ram and 320 hd picked it up local for 300.00. I already owned the ram and ssd to upgrade. I upgraded the ram and put ssd in the boot up drive and 500 gb in optibay. I was amazed how it works. not to say at all thats its as fast as the i7's I had but fast. it boots up in under 20 secs. at least 10 to 15 secs faster than my 24". it opens all my programs faster. I thought for sure I would lose out on the video card end of things, but it holds its own and opens photo's that i shot in raw with my nikon d90 as fast or faster than my 24 and opens my apps faster than my 24. all of them. photo shop, ivideo, iphoto to name a few. I don't know how it would do with super big files, video wise or gaming not a gamer. It should be as limited as the card. I don't care what anybody says, the biggest and best bang for your buck in upgrades is SSD drive. It is night and day. you can change all the ram you want, for the average non gamer or graphic designer
you won't know if you had 4gb or 8gb ram in your mac.
I'am going to hold onto this mac mini until mac comes out with a 3.0 plus mini. I hope this year. Then I will upgrade one of those.
I also put the ssd in the optibay of my 24 at first. and used the ssd as boot up. that was really fast. much faster than the stock drive and the upgraded mini. I just really wanted one of the new screens, and I had the 24 running the 2nd 24 display, works great. just want 2 of the same displays.
well that was the most I typed in years.
so I hope you don't think I'am putting down the 24 imac, because I love mine.
just its amazing what you can do with those little mini's. It just floored me.
Why don't you try taking your old one apart and try it. you will come out shaking your head like i have.
For most people real world (not there ego !!!!) that little mac mini with the upgrades is all most of us would ever need. (but i have ego too and like to play)
thanks
Let me start by saying , I love my 24" imac. its the 2nd 3.06 I have had.
I sold my first to buy the i7 quad core. Now thats fast but the screen size was a big issue with me. I sold it in a week. I have had 2 i7 in the last 2 months from mac mall. I thought I jump the gun on the first one, Bought the 24 i have now and another i7. Same thing just to big but amazing mac for the money. sold that one as well. So I know what speed is. real world speed. In imacs anyway. my daughter has the 21.5 3.06 500 gb and my wife has macbook pro 13" unibody 2.26 , i put samsung ssd 256 in that and i know people have been ripping the samsung. But i have both the samsung and intel. I can tell you again real world, its much faster than stock hd. But thats for another day.
but getting back to the mac mini, yes when I first picked it up and plugged it into my 24 cinema display, perfect size for me. With the same display as the 21.5 and 27. I said this is a slug. it had 2gb ram and 320 hd picked it up local for 300.00. I already owned the ram and ssd to upgrade. I upgraded the ram and put ssd in the boot up drive and 500 gb in optibay. I was amazed how it works. not to say at all thats its as fast as the i7's I had but fast. it boots up in under 20 secs. at least 10 to 15 secs faster than my 24". it opens all my programs faster. I thought for sure I would lose out on the video card end of things, but it holds its own and opens photo's that i shot in raw with my nikon d90 as fast or faster than my 24 and opens my apps faster than my 24. all of them. photo shop, ivideo, iphoto to name a few. I don't know how it would do with super big files, video wise or gaming not a gamer. It should be as limited as the card. I don't care what anybody says, the biggest and best bang for your buck in upgrades is SSD drive. It is night and day. you can change all the ram you want, for the average non gamer or graphic designer
you won't know if you had 4gb or 8gb ram in your mac.
I'am going to hold onto this mac mini until mac comes out with a 3.0 plus mini. I hope this year. Then I will upgrade one of those.
I also put the ssd in the optibay of my 24 at first. and used the ssd as boot up. that was really fast. much faster than the stock drive and the upgraded mini. I just really wanted one of the new screens, and I had the 24 running the 2nd 24 display, works great. just want 2 of the same displays.
well that was the most I typed in years.
so I hope you don't think I'am putting down the 24 imac, because I love mine.
just its amazing what you can do with those little mini's. It just floored me.
Why don't you try taking your old one apart and try it. you will come out shaking your head like i have.
For most people real world (not there ego !!!!) that little mac mini with the upgrades is all most of us would ever need. (but i have ego too and like to play)
thanks
OK, so what you really were trying to say was:
"My mini boots, loads programs and opens large files faster with a SSD drive installed than my iMac with a standard hard drive"
This I can believe since disk access is an important factor in performing such tasks.
Cheers,