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Hi there,
I wonder whether it is possible to use the new 27" Thunderbolt Display with a "previous edition" MacBook Pro - which has a only a Mini DisplayPort?
(I only want to use the display as such, i. e. I am not fussed about the additional Thunderbolt functionality.)
Any ideas?
Kind regards from Berlin,
jan
MacBook Pro 13", Mac OS X (10.6.1), 4 GB RAM, 500 GB HD
Seems I should have read the posts before running out and buying a new thunderbolt display to plug into my late 2009 27 inch iMac with ATI Radeon HD 4850 512 MB . Screen is totally blank. Could not find any adaptors on line either. I guess this means need to by a new iMac?
You can NOT run your thunderbolt display with a displayport. The monitor never turns on.
The reply ticketed like ok in the original question is incorrect and can lead to confusion.
Yes, you can attach the interface and perhaps video signal is transmitting, but as the screen does not switch on, your monitor is useless.
I bought this screen and it has been a great error.
I too should have read this before I ordered the thunderbolt display. I can confirm that it does not work with my 2010 21.5' iMac with firewire 800. I searched online and found no connector. Will return this one later. I actually like the monitor very much.
Please change the "correct answer," as it is clearly wrong.
I made a huge mistake purchasing the Thunderbolt Display. It's beautiful and works great with a Thunderbolt-equipped Mac, but that's it. There's zero compatibility, even backwards with DisplayPort, a technology that uses the same video protocol and connector form factor... even with MacBooks released after the fact! It's unfortunate, because the potential was so great for this display... but producing a high end monitor today that doesn't support any common video standards even via adaptor? Absurd and outrageous.
For a while (2005-2010), Apple was moving towards MORE compatibility and utility and I was one of their biggest evangelists, but it's like they decided that philosophy was for the birds and what people really want is expensive silicon that contains as little function as possible. Jobs gets such a bad rap regarding this, but under his direction Apple's devices were more connectable than ever and open standards flourished in the Apple ecosystem. Since his departure, our devices might as well be in a glass box.
Thunderbolt is awesome. I love it. But there's absolutely zero excuse for omitting a theoretically compatible technology from a so-called "professional" monitor. It's just assumed (rightfully) that a modern display will support more than one device.
/rant
Looking forward hopefully, with the release of USB Type-C, we will see Thunderbolt as a standard output in GPUs and I can start to get some use out of this display, again. I'm still a Mac guy, but I've been building PCs for gaming, server functionality, and other workhorse applications for over 10 years. This ordeal has certainly taught me to do extra research before buying any Apple product, as normally standard functionalities can no longer be assumed and their absence is often revealed after the fact with little fanfare.
@ToothpickProductions:
Thank you for your advice.
May I ask where you found the information that Thunderbolt Display on a mDP is a no-go?
Cheers,
jan
I am using a Mac Mini 2011 (Thunderbolt) with a Display Port cable and a DisplayPort Monitor. From what I know, Thunderbolt is back compatible. The best would be to try out.
The 24" flickering is an issue which appears to only happen with the new Mac Mini's. See other threads for details.
hi darrell, i have the exact same problem as you... also on a mid 2010 mac book pro. could you find any solutions yet?
i had a chat to apple support before i ordered to check compatibility issues and they assured me it will work... now i'm getting no picture on the thunderbolt display.
any help will be great!
thks darrell... wow, thats pretty shocking! will be taking mine back too this weekend. thks for the info.
Did you try this?
http://www.datapro.net/products/mini-displayport-extension-cable-male-female.htm l
I'm not saying it will work, but it might disable the PCI-E signal inside the TB-cable.
The "Correct Answer" above is absolutely incorrect.
Hey Adam. Did you manage to try out the adapter cable you noted yet?
Would be great to know if you or anyone else has spotted or tried out anything new which fixes the problem...
Sorry for the late reply. Yes!!! It did work. It's a good $7 workaround.
Doesn't... And hasn't on any of the Macs I service. Went with the adaptor from mono price. Works great.
Connect Thunderbolt Display to Mini DisplayPort?
