Mac mini + triple monitor + windows pc

Question

Mac mini + triple monitor + windows pc

Sorry for the long post ahead, but want to give as much information as possible.

I currently run a 2012 27” iMac which I have connected to another 2012 27” iMac which I run in target display mode. In addition to this, I also have a 27” dell monitor also connected, giving me a triple monitor setup (iMac + dell + iMac arrangement).

to complicate issues, I also have a windows machine with an RTX3090 GPU.

in order for me to utilise the existing dell monitor on this pc, I have it connected to a basic (2 buttons) KVM switch. This allows me to switch between “Mac mode” and “pc mode” at the flick of a switch for this central monitor. I also have a separate KVM for keyboard and mouse, removing the need to have duplicate peripherals.

im getting to the point….. bare with me.

so I’m looking to upgrade my Mac hardware, potentially doing away with the iMacs and going for a Mac mini m2 pro. Now this has 1 HDMI, and 4 thunderbolt ports.

the windows pc GPU has HDMI and 3 x displayport outputs.

doing away with the 2 iMacs will of course require the purchase of 2 more monitors, however I’m struggling to figure how I’ll connect all of this up, given the difference in ports and outputs.

I ideally would like to daisy chain all 3 monitors together, which I believe can only be done with displayport (not HDMI). If the KVM switch to first monitor was displayport cable, and the input from the windows pc was displayport, is it possible for the connection from the Mac mini to the KVM to be thunderbolt (which then continues to use displayport through the chain)???

ideally, I want to be able to switch between all 3 monitors being used on the Mac, and then switch to all 3 monitors being used on the pc.

as it stands currently, only the central (dell) monitor can be used on the PC - naturally because the iMac displays can be used as PC monitors. This is what I want to change.

bit of a brain teaser this one, so hoping someone can help me figure this out and the best way of setting up. If diagrams are required. Let’s get drawing.

thanks!

iMac 27″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Jun 25, 2023 1:08 PM

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Answer 1

Jun 25, 2023 9:31 PM in response to jonathanfrompolebrook

jonathanfrompolebrook wrote:

so I’m looking to upgrade my Mac hardware, potentially doing away with the iMacs and going for a Mac mini m2 pro. Now this has 1 HDMI, and 4 thunderbolt ports.

The M2 Pro Mini can drive three displays … if you use the HDMI port. There's a limit of two USB-C / Thunderbolt displays, which would be another issue if you were hoping to drive three monitors via DisplayPort.

Mac mini (2023) - Technical Specifications

Apple M2 Pro chip

Simultaneously supports up to three displays:
- Up to three displays: Two displays with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz over HDMI
- Up to two displays: One display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one display with up to 4K resolution at 144Hz over HDMI
- One display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz or 4K resolution at 240Hz over HDMI

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Answer 2

Jun 25, 2023 10:40 PM in response to BDAqua

another alternative to the setup could be to work in a similar setup to what I already have, which is:

monitor A: thunderbolt to mac

monitor B: thunderbolt to mac

montior C: HDMI connected via KVM

the KVM would have input from both the mac and the pc, allowing the switch to occur ONLY on monitor C.

not ideal, as would like all 3 monitors for both machines

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Answer 3

Jun 26, 2023 1:21 AM in response to jonathanfrompolebrook

jonathanfrompolebrook wrote:

is the Mac mini m2 pro the wrong machine to be doing this with!?

Let's set the KVM thing aside for a moment, and look just at ports and maximum number of 4K displays.

M2 Pro Mac Mini – 4 Thunderbolt ports, 2 USB-C / Thunderbolt displays, 1 HDMI display.

M2 Max Mac Studio – 4 Thunderbolt ports, 4 USB-C / Thunderbolt displays, 1 HDMI display. (Also has two plain front-panel USB-C ports that do not carry DisplayPort or Thunderbolt signals.)

If you insist that all connections be through USB-C (DisplayPort), then the M2 Pro Mac Mini would come up one short on the number of supported monitors.

The M2 Max Mac Studio can drive three USB-C (DisplayPort) monitors – and still have one Thunderbolt port and two plain USB-C ports left over for other things. But that's only one piece of the puzzle. It doesn't solve the KVM issue.

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Answer 4

Rudegar

Level 10

182,886 points

Jun 26, 2023 2:27 AM in response to jonathanfrompolebrook

I share monitors without using KVM's at all

have a 27" asus which has 2 hdmi ports 1 dvi port and one subD port on the front of the monitor there is a button to choose active input source between the 4 ports

same deal with old 17" samsung monitor

so my windows box has 4 monitors

and my mac mini have 2 monitors both which are shared by the windows box

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Answer 5

BDAqua

Level 10

250,873 points

Jun 25, 2023 3:42 PM in response to jonathanfrompolebrook

What video ports are on the KVM?

16-CoreVRAM Type:Integrated

Details:This model has an integrated Apple GPU with 16-cores.

Standard VRAM:IntegratedMaximum VRAM:Integrated

Display Support:3 Displays*Resolution Support:6016x3384 (6K)*

Details:*This model supports "up to three displays" -- two displays up to 6016x3384 (6K) at 60 Hz over Thunderbolt and one display with up to 3840x2160 (4K) resolution at 60 Hz over HDMI.

Alternately, this model can support "up to two displays" -- one display with up to 6016x3384 (6K) resolution at 60 Hz over Thunderbolt and one external display with up to 3840x2160 (4K) resolution at 144 Hz over HDMI or one external display up to 7680x4320 (8K) at 60 Hz or 3840x2160 (4K) resolution at 240 Hz over HDMI.

The Thunderbolt 4 ports support native DisplayPort output using USB-C as well as Thunderbolt 2, HDMI, DVI, and VGA output with adapters.

2nd Display Support:Dual/Mirroring *2nd Max. Resolution:6016x3384 (6K)*

Details:* Please refer to the earlier field for details, but if the primary display is 6016x3384 (6K) via Thunderbolt, the largest additional display this system can support is 6016x3384 (6K), also via Thunderbolt.

https://everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_mini/specs/mac-mini-m2-pro-10-core-cpu-16-core-gpu-2023-specs.html#macspecs1

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Answer 6

Jun 25, 2023 9:24 PM in response to jonathanfrompolebrook

jonathanfrompolebrook wrote:

I ideally would like to daisy chain all 3 monitors together, which I believe can only be done with displayport (not HDMI). If the KVM switch to first monitor was displayport cable, and the input from the windows pc was displayport, is it possible for the connection from the Mac mini to the KVM to be thunderbolt (which then continues to use displayport through the chain)???

I don't know whether modern Macs support DisplayPort daisy-chaining, i.e., USB-C (DisplayPort Alt Mode) -> Display1 -> Display2.

The ones that support multiple external USB-C / Thunderbolt monitors probably support TB daisy-chaining – of the sort USB-C (Thunderbolt Alt Mode) -> TB_Display1 -> TB_Display2 (if both displays use Thunderbolt - and both displays have a resolution less than or equal to 4K).

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Answer 7

Jun 25, 2023 10:32 PM in response to Servant of Cats

Yes. This would be fine if I was only using the Mac, as would connect the monitors directly via the TB and HDMI ports, but I also need to run the monitors for the PC also.

note for all: I don’t need to run the monitors at 4k or 6k (although 4k would be nice)

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Answer 8

Jun 25, 2023 10:36 PM in response to Servant of Cats

thanks, hence the question here for the community. Short of buying the Mac mini, just to test, only to find out it can’t be done.

trying to find the solution before doing that, in whatever configuration, to achieve the desired result.

is the Mac mini m2 pro the wrong machine to be doing this with!?

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Answer 9

Jun 26, 2023 11:06 PM in response to Rudegar

Got it - and thanks for the drawing! So switching between systems, you are effectively just switching each monitor input source directly on monitor, so in your instance you push the buttons individually on each monitor.

I mean, it’s a solution, just a faff going through each monitor toggling input source (x3) to get to the correct source.

not quite as elegant as a KVM, but it works, and may be the only option! Oh, and a LOT of cables :-/

thanks again for this, very helpful.

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Answer 10

Jun 25, 2023 10:27 PM in response to BDAqua

Sorry, should have said - I’m happy to purchase a different KVM to support the setup, the one I have is very basic (and cheap), so will get whatever is needed to make it work.

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Answer 11

Jun 26, 2023 1:17 PM in response to Rudegar

Could you share a picture, as I’m not quite sure I’m following your setup.

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Answer 12

Rudegar

Level 10

182,886 points

Jun 26, 2023 10:57 PM in response to jonathanfrompolebrook

the samsung and asus has front buttons to switch between their active input source

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Mac mini + triple monitor + windows pc

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