2x LED Cinema Display A1316 with Mac Studio M4 Max

Hello there,

I’m looking to upgrade from my aging Mac Pro into a new Mac Studio M4 Max, but want to keep using my two 27" led cinema displays A1316 (for color grading). Is this possible ?

The Led Cinema Displays are just for the Davinci Resolve user interface and a have a third sdi monitor for accurate color reference. But my question is regarding the compatiblity of these minidisplay port monitors with a Thunderbolt port Mac Studio M4 Max.

I’m planning to be use the other 2 thunderbolt ports to feed the SDI monitor and an external SSD raid.


Is this possible ?


thanks





iPhone 11, iOS 26

Posted on Mar 8, 2026 7:40 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Mar 9, 2026 7:45 AM

MacTracker says that A1316 is the model number for the LED Cinema Display (27-inch).


That Is a 27", 2560x1440 pixel monitor that takes Mini DisplayPort connection. Its hydra cable has three heads: Mini DisplayPort, USB-A (USB 2.0), and MagSafe.


To connect one to a M4 Max Mac Studio, you would need something like

  • A USB-C (male) to Mini DisplayPort (female) adapter plugged into to a rear-panel USB-C port on the M4 Max Mac Studio, or into a downstream USB-C (Thunderbolt) port on a Thunderbolt dock or hub.
  • A dock with a regular DisplayPort, and a DisplayPort (male) to Mini DisplayPort (female) adapter


You might also need to plug in the USB-A cable. There are various ways of doing that. The MagSafe head can be ignored, as long as you aren't letting it touch metal and get shorted out or something.


Double-check that this is a 27" LED Cinema Display (with a three-headed hydra cable) and not a 27" Thunderbolt Display (with a two-headed one). The Thunderbolt Display's hydra cable also uses a Mini DisplayPort connector – but it expects to see a Thunderbolt signal on that connector, not a plain DisplayPort one. For the 27" Thunderbolt Display, you would need an Apple Thunderbolt 3-to-2 adapter. That adapter does not know how to output a plain DisplayPort signal and would thus be inappropriate for a 27" LED Cinema Display.

3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 9, 2026 7:45 AM in response to Rodrigo Lizana

MacTracker says that A1316 is the model number for the LED Cinema Display (27-inch).


That Is a 27", 2560x1440 pixel monitor that takes Mini DisplayPort connection. Its hydra cable has three heads: Mini DisplayPort, USB-A (USB 2.0), and MagSafe.


To connect one to a M4 Max Mac Studio, you would need something like

  • A USB-C (male) to Mini DisplayPort (female) adapter plugged into to a rear-panel USB-C port on the M4 Max Mac Studio, or into a downstream USB-C (Thunderbolt) port on a Thunderbolt dock or hub.
  • A dock with a regular DisplayPort, and a DisplayPort (male) to Mini DisplayPort (female) adapter


You might also need to plug in the USB-A cable. There are various ways of doing that. The MagSafe head can be ignored, as long as you aren't letting it touch metal and get shorted out or something.


Double-check that this is a 27" LED Cinema Display (with a three-headed hydra cable) and not a 27" Thunderbolt Display (with a two-headed one). The Thunderbolt Display's hydra cable also uses a Mini DisplayPort connector – but it expects to see a Thunderbolt signal on that connector, not a plain DisplayPort one. For the 27" Thunderbolt Display, you would need an Apple Thunderbolt 3-to-2 adapter. That adapter does not know how to output a plain DisplayPort signal and would thus be inappropriate for a 27" LED Cinema Display.

Mar 9, 2026 8:00 AM in response to Rodrigo Lizana

Another possibility might be something like this:

Other World Computing – Thunderbolt Dual DisplayPort Adapter

plus a couple of DisplayPort (male) to Mini DisplayPort (female) adapters.

StarTech – 6in (15cm) DisplayPort Male to Mini DisplayPort Female Adapter Cable - DP Computer to mDP 1.2 Monitor Extension Cable


That would tie up only one of the Thunderbolt ports on the back of the M4 Max Mac Studio (although the two monitors would still count as two, toward that Mac's limit of five).


SonnetTech used to have a similar adapter listed on their site, but I don't see it there any more.

Mar 8, 2026 9:20 PM in response to Rodrigo Lizana

The Thunderbolt 5 (USB-C) ports on the Mac Studio also support USB3/4 and DisplayPort 2.1.

I don't know just what that particular DP protocol requires in a monitor, but assuming it is backward compatible with the earlier DP protocol of the LED Cinema Display, then you should be fine.


You will need to add a USB-C to Mini DisplayPort adapter to connect your LED Cinema Displays.


You'll need an adapter similar to this:

StartTech.com USB-C to Mini DisplayPort Adapter - Office Depot


Mac Studio M4 Max Tech Specs - Apple Support

2x LED Cinema Display A1316 with Mac Studio M4 Max

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