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Old Mac used as second monitor

So, any external harddrive will work with this new IMac. The purpose of the additional HD is storage of “my” files. Keep the programs on the new and records on the extra which can be turned on and off by me as “I” needed.




Here’s a question, can I use my old IMac10 as a second monitor? Will the new IMac recognize the old as a monitor? I hate disposing of things I can use.




thanks all

iMac, macOS 10.13

Posted on Jun 12, 2023 6:53 PM

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Posted on Jun 12, 2023 7:16 PM

+1 on Servant's advice. The 21.5-inch iMacs in 2009 never supported Target Display Mode (TDM).


TDM was very limited, and neither of your devices is supported. See the restrictive TDM hardware and OS restrictions 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.




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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jun 12, 2023 7:16 PM in response to Harpo2416

+1 on Servant's advice. The 21.5-inch iMacs in 2009 never supported Target Display Mode (TDM).


TDM was very limited, and neither of your devices is supported. See the restrictive TDM hardware and OS restrictions 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.




Jun 12, 2023 9:44 PM in response to dialabrain

  • Astropad says that Luna Display is "NOT recommended for gaming, video playback, or other high-motion content." So it's not quite as good as a using a dedicated monitor.
  • If you're in the market for a budget monitor, look for one with an IPS panel, modern video input ports, and near-100% coverage of sRGB. Standard resolution for a budget 24" monitor is 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 pixels; for a budget 27" monitor, it is 2560x1440 pixels.
  • You can get 27" 2560x1440 monitors with very good specifications (including good coverage of DCI-P3) pretty cheap now. Dell has one for $315 and Asus has one for $350. Much better than $1,200 (the price which you would have paid for a 27" 2.5K monitor around the time the Late 2009 iMacs were released).

Old Mac used as second monitor

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