I just purchased a Mac Mini and I want to use my 27" iMac (late 2009) as the monitor/display. My iMac has a mini display port and the mac mini has a thunderbolt port. How do I connect them? (I have a thunderbolt cable and have tried using it, nothing happens when I press command + F2 for target display).
Mac mini
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Did you press Command and F2 keys on the iMac? You have to press the keys on the iMac to activate target
Display
Thanks for the quick reply. I have tried pressing command + F2 on the imac. Nothing happens.
Did you try a MiniDisplay port cable?
I haven't, but I didn't think a mini display cable worked with the new thunderbolt port?
I think I'm going to try and find a MDP to MDP cale today... I'll post the result.
BDAqua is spot on, you need a male to male MiniDisplay Port cable.
see > Using a 27-inch iMac (Late 2009 or Mid 2010) as an external display
Thanks. I went to the local apple store and they had no clue at all about what to do. We came to the conclusion that a mini display to hdmi linked with an hdmi to hdmi would do the job... but it didn't. I'm sold on the male to male mini display port cable... you just can't find it anywhere (went to six different stores with no success). Looks like I'll have to order it online and wait for it. Thanks for the help!
A notable peculiarity of Thunderbolt is that it uses exactly the same connector as Mini Display Port, and that's not all. The Thunderbolt connector also carries Mini Display Port video signals. That means you can plug a Mini Display Port video cable/adapter in to a Thunderbolt connector and your monitor will work.
If you plan to do other things with your Thunderbolt connector and don't want it wasted on a monitor, you can also choose an HDMI --> DVI adapter, which for your purposes will be functionally equivalent.
You can even use both at the same time.
- Anonymous
http://x704.net/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=6134&p=75115&hilit=thunderbolt#p75115
iMac (late 2009) as display with Mac Mini (new)
