I wish to purchase a 2nd monitor for my 09 IMAC (OS X 10.9.2) - is there a plug-n-play monitor for IMACs?

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lulajean Author

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I wish to purchase a 2nd monitor for my 09 IMAC (OS X 10.9.2) - is there a plug-n-play monitor for IMACs?

I wish to purchase a 2nd monitor for my 09 IMAC (OS X 10.9.2) - is there a plug-n-play monitor compatible with IMAC?

iMac, OS X Mavericks (10.9.2)

Posted on Apr 23, 2014 4:55 PM

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Answer 1

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den.thed

Level 9

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Apr 23, 2014 5:25 PM in response to lulajean

Just about any HDMI, DVI, DVI-D, DisplayPort or VGA monitor will work with the correct adapter plugged into the 2009 iMac's Mini Displayport.

For HDMI, get a > Belkin Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter - Apple Store (U.S.) and a good HDMI cable.

For DVI under 24" get > Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter - Apple Store (U.S.) and a good DVI cable.

For DVI-D 27" and over, get > Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter - Apple Store (U.S.) and a good DVI-D cable.

For Display Port, get a > Mini DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort Cable

For VGA, get a > Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter - Apple Store (U.S.) and a good VGA cable.

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Answer 2

lulajean Author

Level 1

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Apr 24, 2014 6:31 AM in response to den.thed

*Disclaimer: I am very much a novice when it comes to the tech end of using a mac.

That being said what you say makes total sense - anything with the right cables will match up, some monitors will match up easier than others but my first attempt did not support your hypothesis.

Ex.) I bought a refurb ( still expensive) Apple Cinema 20-inch Flat-Panel Display thinking "if its mac it will fit", only to find out it uses a 80 nail firewire (?) where mine is only a 40 (* someone told me these numbers - I may be getting them backwards or wrong all together) - and there is no "adaptor" for that situation, so I had to send it back.

Many of these monitors need DVI, Firewire and USB 2.0 connections- which is a heck of a lot of ports! In my imaginary "easy street" world there is a 20" monitor out there that plugs into my Imac via (1) DVI cable and I turn it on & I am done. If I walk into Fry's , or one of the better electronic stores with my stats, do you think someone can hook me up?

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Answer 3

varjak paw

Level 10

170,200 points

Apr 24, 2014 7:11 AM in response to lulajean

Apple's displays use those other ports since they also act as Firewire and USB hubs. The Cinema Display you purchased uses a full-size DVI port, so all you need to use that would be a mini-DisplayPort to DVI adapter and a FW 800 to FW 400 adapter:

http://www.startech.com/Cables/Firewire-Cables/Firewire-Adapters/IEEE-1394-FireW ire-Adapter-9-Pin-to-6-Pin-Male-to-Female~FIRE96MF

If you don't want to use that monitor, you can get just about any brand and model of monitor from other manufacturers. Very few third-party monitors have the extra ports. Some have USB, but none other than Apple's to my knowledge have Firewire, so any monitor with VGA, DVI, DisplayPort or HDMI ports will work with only the appropriate adapter for your Mac. Whether Fry's or a similar consumer electronics store will know anything about computer displays I don't know. Best to go to a store that sells computers, at least, and preferably one that sells Macs.

Regards.

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