2011 MBP 17" with two 27" Cinema Displays

I know this question has been asked several times, but I have not found a satisfactory answer to the question whether with the new 2011 17" MacBook Pro, one can use two 27" Cinema displays *at full 2560 x 1440* resolution each? I do not care about the LCD panel, I only want to power the two external 27" cinema's at full resolution.
The Matrox DualHead2go adapter seems to be limited at 1920 x 1200, and that is not good enough for what I want to accomplish. The USB adapters seem to be too slow for video playback as well and they seem buggy.
Any ideas?

I'm looking for the same solution.
I have found this external pci solution but not 100% it will work. I was just gonna buy the raedon card with dual minidp output and run it externally. It says it's Mac compatible I'm just not sure if the video card will fit the enclosure. Heres the link. http://www.magma.com/2slot.asp

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How to Connect Early 2011 MBP 13" to Apple 20" Cinema Display at 1680x1050?

My early 2011 MacBookPro will only display 1280x800 on an external Apple 20" Cinema Display. The MBP's specs say that it will support dual displays and video mirroring simultaneously at full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 2560x1600 on an external display. The 20" Cinema Display specs indicates that it supports an optimum resolution of 1680x1050. The 20" display is connected to the MBP through it's Thunderbolt port using an Apple Mini Display Port to DVI connector. No luck.
I've tried using the latest version of SwitchResX set to 1680x1050. It says it is configured to 1680x1050 but the display does not respond.
Anyone had success setting up this combination of MPB and Cinema Display at the max resolution of 1680x1050?

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The MPB has 16GB ram so 512 SDRAM is available to the Intel HD Graphics 3000 chipset.

2010 13" MBP performance with the 27" Cinema Display

Hi. I have a 2010 13" Macbook Pro bought about a year and a half ago (my first Mac and despite the problems described below, I'm a very happy camper), with RAM upgraded to 8 GB but otherwise it's pretty much a standard issue machine, certainly still a good computer. Last summer I bought the 27" Cinema Display to go with it and I just love it. From time to time, though, I'm a bit concerned about the performance of my computer with the display. I usually use a lot of apps at a time (hence the maxed out memory) and with the display, more often than not, the computer runs a bit on the slow side, the animations are not the smoothest, the "beach ball" is oft-present, or, very prominently, there's no way flash video (such as on YouTube) plays smoothly in full screen, making it unwatchable (I often "cheat" by using the universal access zoom to magnify the video, which does the job pretty well). The fan inside the laptop usually spins audibly at the maximum RPM and the CPU temperature is usually around 70°C (rarely less, but rarely much more). None of these problems happen when I'm using it without the display, on the road. I have already given up on keeping the see-thru Zagg plastic case when at home and not traveling, to keep the computer cooler in the clamshell mode and I'd be willing to buy an external cooling system (the Moshi Zefyr 2 cooler looks really worthy) but do you think the performance degradation could be heat-related at all? I know my MBP is really the entry-level model and still has the ancient C2D CPU, only 256 MB of video memory and I shouldn't expect miracles. But I just wanted to make sure I'm doing everything right and my computer is really "supposed" to perform worse with such a large display. Thank you very much for any kind of help or advice.

Thanks a lot for your reply. Isn't it weird, though, that Apple would make the display compatible with all of their notebooks without any warning about the possible performance penalty with some of the lower end models? Why aren't they offering smaller external displays? And the MBP 7,1 is no slouch too, when this particular Cinema Display originally shipped, it was the most powerful Apple laptop after the 15" and 17" MBPs.
Oh well, it still works OK though, and I'm going to stick with this setup for at least another year or so, certianly till after the rumored MBP redesign takes place and I hope the graphics on the future machines will be powerful enough to drive large displays smoothly. It's a good thing the Cinema Display is future-proof and forward compatible with the Tunderbolt port. All in all, it's a beautiful display and will remain so for a long time.
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Is it possible the current Mac Mini 2.7 Ghz i7 with two full-resolution displays and Thunderbolt operate?

Hello,
Is it possible the current Mac Mini 2.7 Ghz i7 with two full-resolution displays and Thunderbolt operate?
Thanxs for your answers.
Gerald

On Second thoughts...
I don't really know how well Logic Express 7 performs on the Mac Mini because I have not yet had the chance to experience the two together. Don't let that put you off the idea though! From my understanding of the system requirements printed on the Logic Express homepage, it states that a G4 or faster system is required, however Apple personally recommend a Dual G4 or G5 is recommended alongside a minimum of 512MB of Ram. This Does mean that Logic Express will run on the Mac Mini but you will most probably find it lags when moving samples in real time and rendering them onto your hard drive. If you really want to enjoy making "serious" music on the Mac then you really need to be looking at the iMac G5 or the iMac Core Duo (Intel) purely for your tempers sake. As for an Intel Mac Mini, there is no indication as to when we will be seeing one on the market and therefore you may find yourself on the fence between keeping your fixed budget and holding on a little or jumping in and getting on the right road to a digital musical life - mac style.
Maybe this will inspire your decision:
http://www.engadget.com/2005/02/08/how-to-turn-your-mac-mini-into-a-low-cost-rec ording-studio/
Hope this helps
-Pos

DVI KVM switch to use with iMac and Cinema Display

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Using the MacPro with the LED cinema display

When using the MacPro with a LED cinema display (or any other external monitor in fact), is it possible to make it so that the main display (the screen showing the dock and menu at the top) is assigned to the external monitor?

Hello.
Yes, you should be able to do this through +System Preferences>Displays+.
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Best
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I have a 27" iMac with a 27" Cinema display. If I have Photoshop running on the cinema display, the menu bar is on the iMac. Is there any add on that I can install to make the menu bar follow the open app?

I have a 27" iMac with a 27" Cinema display. If I have Photoshop on the cinema display, the menu bar is way over on the iMac. Is there any add-on that I can install to make the menu bar follow the open app?

Look at SecondBar gives you a second menubar
<http://blog.boastr.net/?p=3>
Also see DejaMenu
Also see MenuEverywhere (Shareware)
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MBP won't detect 20" Cinema Display

I am trying to connect my two-year old 20" Cinema Display to a last gen MacBook Pro 15". When I plug in the power to the monitor and the DVI cord, the white indicator light on the monitor is on and stays on - as if power is consistently being fed to the display.
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Is the Macbook Air 2011 able to run the Apple Cinema Display 30" ?

Hello Everyone.
So, I am about to buy a Macbook Air 2011 11".
I want this product because of the ssd driver and the versality of such a light object.
The things is that i work at school with a laptop, and when i come back home, i use my Apple Cinema Display on my Macbook Pro with the Dual Link dvi Adaptator (which cost me 98€ ouch !! ).
So i read that there were kind of retro-compatibility between Thunderbolt and Mini-Display Port on the new Mba.
Is the 2011 mba able to run my external display ?
Thank you.
Nicolas.

Yes.
(60424)

Select Default iSight Cam with Dual LED Cinema Displays

Hello
I have two 27in LED Cinema Displays, both of which have iSight Cameras. When I try to facetime, by default, the right monitor camera turns on, but I want to use the left camera.
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You can try the old trick of first launching a camera app that you do NOT want to use - QuickTimeX > New Movie Recording perhaps - to have it engage the ONE display iSight camera. After you can see that your camera is engaged with the unwanted app, you can hide that app if desired. Then launch FaceTime and see if the other connected camera is accessible to FaceTime.
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Message was edited by: EZ Jim
Mac OSX 10.10.2

Want to run two 30" cinema displays from Mac Pro

I'm running Avid Media Composer software to edit a film that I made, and I would like to run (if possible) two Apple 30" cinema displays next to each other off of my Mac Pro (the computer was purchased at end of 2009). While editing with Avid software, I like to spread out my work and bins in able to see everything, and strange as it may sound, I'd like more room than one 30" display can provide. Currently, I have one Apple 30" Cinema display in use, and could purchase another large display if I can find out-- definitively, if my Mac Pro computer will be able to handle it and power it effectively. I realize that Apple doesn't sell the 30" displays anymore, but I saw a few relatively inexpensive ones available on Craigslist recently.
The second monitor that I'm using now is a much older (non-Mac) monitor (and smaller) and the resolutions don't match the high resolution of my single Apple 30" display. So, my reason for wanting a second, larger display are twofold... 1) to see more of my work, and 2) to get the highest resolutions to match (2560x).
The ports on the back of the Mac Pro don't look like they will support the use of a second 30" display, just one. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Do I need to purchase another video card to run a second 30" Apple display? If so, which ones are best/do you suggest?
Do I need to upgrade my processing speed (get a faster processor) to run two large, high-rez monitors?
specs:
Mac Pro
10.6.6
Processor: 2 x 2.8 GHz
Memory: 2 GB
800 MHz DDRZ FB-DIMM
Quad-Core Intel Xem
Purchased end of 2009

If it has two DVI ports, just plug in the second display with an additional Dual-Link DVI cable -- the card can run both displays without issue.
If it has one DVI and one other type, Exactly which display card do you have installed?

Mac Mini with two 27" Thunderbolt Displays?

Hi all,
I'm looking into buying one of the new 2011 Mac Minis (2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5) and using dual 27" thunderbolt displays and/or 27" LED cinema displays.
1. Is this possible?
2. If yes, how do I do it?
3. Do i need to upgrade anything on the mac mini?
Cheers,
Pete

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5219?viewlocale=en_US#dispnum
the 2011 2.3 ghz only works with one thunderbolt display but the 2.5 will work with 2
Message was edited by: DM1000

Trouble with 30" HD Cinema Display using Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter

I bought a new MacBook Pro and I am having trouble getting the full resolution to work with my 30" HD Cinema Display (purchased in 2007 max resolution 2560 x 1600) using a Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter.
According to the specs page, http://support.apple.com/kb/SP581 , the max resolution of the HD external display is supported. Unfortunately the max that I can set it to is: 1280 x 800
Has anyone else had the same issue?
If this isn't resolved I'm likely going to exchange my MacBook Pro for one that can support this display.

So I went and bought the Mini DisplayPort To Dual-Link DVI Adapter as suggested and it seems to work great.
Now the problem that I have is when I open up Apple's DVD player, the screen is blank but I can still hear audio.
If I unplug the display, the movie will display properly. Rebooting with the display plugged in doesn't help either. I also deleted all the DVD players enc setting files so that they would re-initialize but no luck.
Any idea what this problem might be??
Chipset Model: NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M
Type: GPU
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 512 MB
Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID: 0x0a29
Revision ID: 0x00a2
ROM Revision: 3532
gMux Version: 1.9.22
Displays:
Color LCD:
Resolution: 1920 x 1200
Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Built-In: Yes
Cinema HD:
Resolution: 2560 x 1600
Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Rotation: Supported
Adapter Type: Mini DisplayPort To Dual-Link DVI Adapter
Adapter Firmware Version: 1.03

Mini with 22" ADC Cinema Display w/ADC-DVI

Greetings...
I've been playing with my new 1.4Ghz mini and the display I happen to have free right now is an original 22" Cinema Display. I have the ADC to DVI adapter for this display and it's rock solid on my old G4 Sawtooth. Anyway on the mini it works very nicely exept for one problem. I get a flicker that seems to tie to system activity. May be voltage variations effecting the internal video DVI drivers. OK my question it. 1) Has anyone else out there tried this combination? (Apple's monitor compatibility chart says it's supported so I know somone at Apple tried it). 2) Do you have any image stability issues like flickering. I'm asking this because I'm now wondering if maybe my little guy is a bit faulty in the video department. I'll try my new 20" display tomorrow to see if it has the same problem.
Anyway this is an amazing little box. BTW mine currently has the minimum RAM but that will change as soon as I put this video issue to bed. Hope to use it in my studio because it's so quiet... Very nice in the sound department.
Enjoy,
--Bryan

Good news...
Well I managed to locate a rev B version of the DVI-ADC adapter. First good news is the price is now down to $99 from the original $150. Second good news is that the /B version seems to work. No more flicker!!
Hey Michael L... Thanks for the suggestion it worked!!
So while this isn't the cheapest solution, it does seem to work so far and considering the cost of a new 22 or 23" monitor vs. using my excellent 22" ADC Cinema Display I'm feeling OK about it.
So John you might want to give a rev. /B version of the adapter a try. BTW the actual adapter is absolutely identical to the REV /A version on the outside the only difference it the serial number is in a different range. If you buy an open box make sure the serial number matches on the box that shows the /B revision matches the actual unit.
Happy Hunting... They are not easy to find. Yeah I know this $600 Mac is starting to rack up the bucks but hey considering it has better performance than my original G4 Sawtooth that I paid like 5X as much for I can't complain too loud...
This will hold until Apple can produce a new truly drool worthy high end machine. The bar just went up with the introduction of the mini. The new once has got to be small, it's got to be silent and it goes with out saying it's got to be so fast it will make you cry. Until then I'll use what I have right now...
Next I need to track down a good 1GB stick of ram for the Mini...
Enjoy,
--Bryan

Apple TV not working with new 23" cinema display

OK so I finally found a functional use for my new Apple TV, which has been sitting unused in my living room. My MacBook Pro already connects to the HD projector in there, so Mac TV is just less functionality and redundant.
I decided the only use I have for a keyboardless Mac interface for just music, podcasts, photos, and videos is the bathtub.
Being the Mac fanboy that I am, I wanted the solution to be all Apple.
So I headed down to my local Apple Store with the intention of buying a new 23" Cinema Display for my Apple TV and an iPod HiFi for the sound. I was dismayed to see them showing off the Apple TV on Sony LCD TVs. Why wouldn't Apple want to sell people a triple-play package and have it set up as a demo? After all, they weren't selling the Sony TVs anyway.
But my first sign of trouble was the very nice store employee who didn't know if the Apple TV would work on a cinema display. But he definitely wanted to find out when I got home. Searching here, I found posts that seem to confirm that it would work, but the actual source is related to an older ADC cinema display, not the new ones.
I set everything up and used a Toslink-minijack adapter to run the optical digital audio from the Apple TV to the iPod Hifi. I used an HDMI-DVI-D adapter to connect the cinema display to the Apple TV. I powered it all up.
I got the white Apple logo on the screen, then everything went black. I used the Menu and + keys on the remote for 6 seconds to cycle through the resolutions. Still all black. I used the Menu and - keys on the remote to reset to factory settings. Again booted into blackness.
Interestingly, while using the + and - keys on the Apple TV remote, the iPod HiFi volume was lowered and raised simultaneously with the moving of the menu selections in Apple TV (I could hear the clicks). What this means is, 2 remotes, each paired to each device, will be needed for proper operation. This is why having too simple a remote is lame.
At this point I am dead in the bathtub water. I drop more money on Apple than it costs to get a new iMac (which is plan B) just so I can give the Apple TV a shot in my bathroom. But it all doesn't fit seemlessly together on first try.
Any suggestions? Could the HDMI-DVI-D adapter be blocking the HDCP signal needed to display an image? Is DVI-D the wrong adapter to use? Any help is appreciated.

I've not been convinced a monitor will work with the tv, but I have to accept the word of those that have had success. I'm not so certain that a monitor is a suitable first choice, maybe if you have one lying around OK, but to buy one instead of a tv is not only a very expensive alternative but even if it works you will have no way of controlling the brightness etc.
Any suggestions? Could the HDMI-DVI-D adapter be blocking the HDCP signal needed to display an image? Is DVI-D the wrong adapter to use?
Possibly, Did you ever manage to repeat getting the apple logo or indeed anything even if only for a few seconds. DVI-D or DVI-I would be the right connector, don't use a DVI-A

2011 MBP 17" with two 27" Cinema Displays

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