How to connect a 10-year-old Apple Cinema Display?

I have a beautiful, 30-inch, Apple Cinema Display that I bought with a MacPro tower way back in November 2006. The computer itself is so obsolete and limited now that it no longer makes an adequate back-up machine in my studio -- but I want to save and keep using the wonderful, matte, 2560 x 1600 display.


The problem is how to hook it up to a more modern Mac.


The display originally hooked up to the computer with the then-standard, proprietary Apple Display Connector (ADC) cables, but that standard was phased out years ago. Luckily I picked up a used Apple ADC to DVI adaptor, which gets me closer to contemporary hardware . . . and I'm wondering if I can then get a DVI to hdmi or mini hdmi or some other adaptor(s) that would allow me to connect the display to a new mac mini -- or better yet perhaps to connect via some other adptor to a USB-C port on a new MacBook Pro, which could handle the full, 2560 x 1600 resolution better than a mini.


Has anybody done something like this, and did it work?

Mac Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6)

Posted on Dec 10, 2016 1:55 PM

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2 replies

Jun 21, 2017 11:32 AM in response to Ed Schummer

This is an old post, but the adapter you linked is Single-Link DVI. To use the full 2560x1600 of the 30" Apple Cinema HD Display you need either a desktop graphics card which supports Dual-Link DVI or the Apple Dual-Link DVI Adapter -


https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MB571LL/A/mini-displayport-to-dual-link-dvi-a dapter


The graphics hardware in most MacBook Pros outclass whatever was in desktops at the time this monitor was released.

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How to connect a 10-year-old Apple Cinema Display?

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