Second display With iMac

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Level 1

29 points

Second display With iMac

I am currently thinking about getting a second display for my iMac.
Because my iMac is only 17" i need a bigger screen.
I have 3 questions-

1. Can i use my imac as the second display and have my new display as the main screen displaying the menubar and dock?
2. Are there any monitors other than the apple displays that look really good with the imacs?
3. With an intel graphics card is there a maximum screen size it can cope with?

Cheers

iMac 17" intel core 2 duo 1.83GHz, Mac OS X (10.5), 2GB RAM & iPod Touch

Posted on Mar 22, 2008 5:49 PM

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Answer 1

Mar 22, 2008 8:49 PM in response to -Brad__

1. Yes. Go to System Preferences -> Displays -> Arrangement. Once the external display is recognized by the system, you can drag and drop the white bar at the top to the screen you want to be your main display.

2. That is a very subjective question. If you're not sure, it would be best to see the display in person. Pay attention to pixel density. All displays are not created equal. I have Sony LCDs from a few years ago and they're fine for my purposes. I use a newer Dell display at work, it has a nice tilt feature my Sony displays don't have, something to think about. USB ports, VESA, speakers are some other things to keep in mind.

3. In the tech specs for the iMac (Late 2006) the support for both chipsets appears to be the same: Digital 1920x1200 and Analog 2048x1536. This goes for the early 2006 Model also. This is for both the Intel GMA 950 and the ATI Radeon X1600.

http://support.apple.com/specs/imac/iMacLate2006.html

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Answer 2

Mar 22, 2008 9:23 PM in response to -Brad__

YES. I bought an iMac 17-inch to use in this way. You can move the menu bar to either display in System Preferences Displays. The Dock will also move along with the menu bar.

I don't know of any solid white displays, but Samsung makes some nice, relatively inexpensive, displays that are mostly black. The white/black contrast might look good.

You should get a display with a DVI interface, or both DVI and VGA. You will need a mini-DVI (on the back of iMac) to DVI adapter.

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=7E4 EB91E&nplm=M9321G/B

You can use a VGA-only display. I happen to use a 1600x1200 (21-inch) CRT as my main display display. Then you need this adapter.

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=7E4 FA1DC&nplm=M9320G/A

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Answer 3

dwb

Level 7

32,920 points

Mar 23, 2008 8:12 AM in response to -Brad__

1) Intel iMacs can do monitor spanning. After setting up the second display and restarting your computer, go to the Displays control panel of system preferences and set it up how you like. When you first start up the control panel you'll see that the dialog box on the iMac has the menubar. Drag that over to the other monitor and drop it into the dialog box there. That will make the new display your main.

2) I've been happy with the Dell and Samsung wide screen digital displays we've been getting at work. We got a few Acers and they weren't so great. But your best bet is to go out and look at some displays. Don't forget that you'll also have to get the appropriate dongle from Apple since the iMac doesn't have a standard video out port.

3) Not sure - check Apple specs

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