Use iMac with New Macbook pro M1 Max

Question

Level 1

4 points

Use iMac with New Macbook pro M1 Max

I have a 2013 iMac which is fine, however, I was thinking of purchasing an Apple Macbook Pro Apple M1 Max chip with 10-core CPU, 32-core GPU and 16-core Neural Engine
64GB unified memory
1TB SSD storage
16-inch Liquid Retina XDR display
Three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, SDXC card slot, MagSafe 3 port
140W USB-C Power Adapter
Backlit Magic Keyboard with Touch ID - British

I have been impressed with the reviews and feel it has what I need in terms of CPU /GPU power, may seem strange and a bit over the top, overkill in fact, but the laptop is to be used for Fight simulation (namely Xplane 11 initially and 12 when it arrives) anyway was wondering is there a way to make the iMac a second display or mirror at full resolution what is being shown on the Macbook. I have read many things but it's a confusing picture due in part to the peripheral connections I will need for Joystick and Bluetooth mouse for which I think I will need some sort of hub anyway I digress, while I know the Macbook has an HDMI output I was just wondering if the iMac could be used in some way as a monitor instead and what would I need to achieve a fullscreen replication of the Macbook

any help suggestions appreciated

iMac 27″, 10.15

Posted on Nov 2, 2021 7:07 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Nov 2, 2021 7:46 AM in response to DavidHHughes

You will not be able to use the iMac as a monitor via a hardware connection. There are some software solutions, like Duet, but it might not be snappy enough for a flight simulator.

Reply

Answer 2

DavidHHughes Author

Level 1

4 points

Nov 2, 2021 8:13 AM in response to Allan Jones

Thanks, Allan yea as I said it got a little darker the more I read, I thought at one point I saw some light, unfortunately, no, just thought I would ask as you say some lead you to believe anything is possible.

So basically I have two options really take the plunge and use the HDMI to a screen of some sort (wonder if I can whisk away the 55" quietly and her indoors not notice) or maybe wait see what comes in the form of new iMac's in 2022

Reply

Answer 3

DavidHHughes Author

Level 1

4 points

Nov 2, 2021 8:03 AM in response to Keith Barkley

Ahh ok that sort of puts a bit of a damper on things, I have some large screens I can use but not ideal due to where they are and using peripherals, etc don't think the other half would appreciate me taking any of them over and not an option to move one where all my hardware is ...poop

Reply

Answer 4

Allan Jones

Level 9

78,512 points

Nov 2, 2021 8:06 AM in response to DavidHHughes

You have two things working against you:

Only 2019 and older Macs running macOS 10.15 Catalina or less can be the video source computer for Target Display mode. No M1 Macs are supported.
The iMac to be used as the external display cannot run a macOS version higher than 10.13 High Sierra.

Either is a deal-breaker; you have both. It is all in this Apple article:

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

Apple started the deprecation of Target Display Mode in late 2014 and threw the last shovel of dirt in its face in early 2020. It's dead, in spite of the tons of poorly-researched internet articles attributing everything to any iMac, from working with non-Apple devices to parting the Red Sea.

Reply

Use iMac with New Macbook pro M1 Max

Similar questions