Mac mini dual monitors setup

Hi, i just got my mac mini and have placed the order for 2 Dell U2312HM monitors. I want to get the correct cables for the dual monitors setup before the delivery. Could any one comment if i got it right? Thanks. -Jason
- Mini DisplayPort to DVI adaptor x 1
- HDMI to DVI-D Cable x 1

You have it right.
Your monitor has:
Full HD resolution, 1920 x 1080 at 60 Hz
The 2012 mini supportds:
supports 1920x1200 on an HDMI or a DVI display (using the included HDMI-to-DVI adapter) and2560x1600 on a Thunderbolt or Mini DisplayPort display or even a VGA display (with an optional Mini DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter, which is compatible with the Thunderbolt port).

Similar Messages

2014 mac mini dual monitor problem

I just brought a mac mini (Late 2014) i have two displays monitors connected, one HDMI to DVI. and one thunderbolt to DVI. I can have both thunderbolts connected and the problem its the same, when back from sleep ,one monitor doesn't turn on. i have to disconnect one and then both work, it only happens when the mac goes to sleep. on cold restart or turning the mac on, this problem doesn't occur. any help.

I have this same problem too. I purchased the Mac Mini with the intention of running dual monitors. I'm using the HDMI and mini-display/Thunderbolt to DVI. I've also tried MiniDisplay/Thunderbolt to HDMI and I'm experiencing the same problem as angelfromfullerton. Whenever it tries to wake from sleep, it can't decide on monitor arrangement and keeps flicking between the two, making the OS unusable and forcing a reboot... EVERY TIME. I've also experienced the issue once or twice on a cold boot. It doesn't matter which Thunderbolt port is used either.
I'm going to have to return my Mac Mini unless this problem is fixed asap.
Mac Min, OSX Yosemite (10.10).

Advice: Mac Mini / Dual Monitors / PC Mac Configuration

Hey Guys, need some advice for a semi-switcher friend.
I have a business associate who has asked me the following questions and wanted some advice from the mac forum.
My friend's background is as professional web site developer. He is currently using Windows XP with dual monitors.
His boss is going to buy him a Mac Mini to work along side his PC. He wants to know what would work for dual monitor / PC / Mac Mini configuration.
Here are his questions:
"One, what do I need to do to run dual monitors on a Mac Mini since it doesn’t have another graphics card like my PC?"
"And two, what is the best way to use my dual monitors with my Mac and PC? Should I trash the PC and use Bootcamp/Parallels or use something like a KVM switch since the Mac doesn’t come with a keyboard or mouse?"
"I still need to be able to do testing with IE7 and Firefox (which I believe is different on a Mac than a PC), so that’s why I considered using Bootcamp or Parallels. (I prefer Parallels due to the rebooting of Bootcamp, but am wondering if I might experience any troubles otherwise and am better off with Bootcamp since it’s a Mac product and not third-party software. I’m neutral on this.)"
Any help or suggestions would be welcomed.
Thank you in advance.
Mac Mini Mac OS X (10.4.3)

There is one factor you might want to pass on to your semi-switcher friend in his consideration of a mac system.
There's a subtle difference between MacOS and Windows that can significantly impact on how well a Windows user adjusts to the Mac, particularly when used to dual head operation. Windows attaches a menu to each and every window (and application) whereas MacOS does not. While a Windows user only has to navigate to the menu bar at the top of each window, a MacOS user has to navigate to the single menu bar along the top of the screen (or primary screen if on a dual head system.
It's not a major issue, but for a pro used to simple and quick navigation off on the secondary display, having to navigate over to the top of the primary display to do something instead of quick flick up and done, there can be a small degree of frustration and a slight impact on workflow.
I hasten to add that with those I have seen make this very transition, the effects were short lived, but it leads to the thought that where the Mac is concerned, it might be marginally better to go for a single widescreen display than dual head.

Mac Mini dual monitors?

Hi Guys!
Can a brand new Mac Mini (latest edition) support 2 monitors, and if so how (what should i buy)?
** I have 2 brand new monitors with DVI cables.
Cheers!
I.

Marina,
I do not know the exact pixel resolution of my monitors, but I did connect my mac mini to two 24" monitors of different make and I still like the result. The "HDMI to DVI" adapter was supplied with the mini (server with 8GB RAM but I use it as a normal mac only, not as a files server). I bought the "Thunderbolt to DVI" adapter separately and I needed two DVI cables (one I found in the office, the other I had to buy). That was it. I tried to connect the second monitor directly using a HDMI cable but that had a downside. That monitor was not switched on and off by the mac via the HDMI cable. The HDMI cable is more suitable for TV connections. With the DVI cable that problem was solved.
I hope that this helps.
All the best and merry Christmas
Ueli

Early 2009 MacPro with GTX 285 (Mac Edition) - Dual Monitor Setup

Hey Guys - I tried going through the forum to find this, and I think I see some common responses, but wanted to detail my question and make sure I have it right.
I have a MacPro (early 2009) with the EVGA GeForce GTX 285 Mac Edition GPU. I replaced the GT120 that came with the MacPro. I was initially planning on attaching two monitors to the GTX 285, but I have heard rumors that for smoother performance, I should hook up the GT120 as well and hook up one monitor to that one.
However, I am reading posts regarding other configurations (4870 and GT120, etc), and it seems like there are different responses. Basically, I am looking for better performance for graphics demanding application (gaming, photo-edit, movie, etc).
Thanks for your time and responses ahead of time.

I'm so happy that you're soooo happy. If you were so so happy, I would be disappointed. Blessed? You honor me Japamac-san. I have not bestowed blessings in years, it must have been accidental. Well, I am getting old, there's a reason people move away from me on the subway. I'm glad you interpreted it that way.
Well, ok, the cats out of the bag. I do expect 10.6.2 to do something significant for this card. For gosh sake something has to one day justify this investment...
Both EVGA and Nvidia say it's all up to Apple.
Apple says,... well Apple never says anything,.. but since they sell it on their website one would think it was in their interest to do their best. It's really not nice to sell one card as a 200 dollar option, granted 350 by itself, and another for well over 400 that is only marginally better. It's like looking for a Ford, changing your mind for the Porsche, and ending up getting a Ford with a Porsche sticker on it. This card wails in Windows, how can Apple deny that performance to it's own OS?
While OS changes are incremental one doesn't necessarily expect that all things related to the industry will be. CUDA and Open CL are emerging technologies, but the 285 is real and out there. And it has been for quite some time now. Perhaps more honest marketing campaigns are needed, something like, "Here's the best video card for the Mac out there in existence, you'll just have to wait a few years to see that for yourself, maybe".
Nah, it's not right, you buy a product for what it is, not for what it could be. If it gets better over time that's great, but right from the start it should be worth the price. The 285 hasn't been that yet.
And we 285 owners waited for Snow, with all the talk of Apple's unleashing the power of the GPU. It came and the card ran slower. 10.6.1,... well at least the OS ran better. 10.6.2, well I can't say much about it, but if one can believe what they read, it looks like Apple is at least aware of certain things to be especially worked on. The question for me is to what degree they fine tune things. Can it really be as difficult to create a driver for Nvidia cards, unlike the drivers for ATIs which seem to work with such ease? It's almost like Apple and ATI are intrinsically bound somehow. For instance, with the 285 a new game like COD4 runs just perfectly for me with a 30" monitor, but another game under Rosetta runs not too well at all. Put the 4870 in and COD4 runs very well but not as good as the 285. The Rosetta game however runs great with the ATI. It's things like that I find to be very weird.
If the history of OS X has shown us anything
The history of anything only shows me we learn nothing from it. That's my biggest fear in this case, but I'm encouraged by what I hear.
Expecting 10.6.1 or even 10.6.2, .3, or even .4 to be perfect
That's an odd thing isn't it? How long would car companies last if they fine tuned their cars by analyzing how they failed and crashed for their customers on the road? "Yo, Edsel, I think we need a way to stop them once they're going".
Yet as much as we pay for our computers and equipment we realize that the companies are using us as their R&D Depts. It's an interesting cycle, we're sold things that don't work well, give feedback to make them work well, and next time we buy the better product and it starts all over again.
Well, it's been an interesting chat, full of sound and fury, signifying... well, probably something.

Dual Monitor setup for Mac Mini???

I just bought a VGA Y-cable and split my monitor signal to two monitors. Unfortunatley the same thing is displayed on both screens where as I was looking for an extension to my desktop.
I found this http://www.national-tech.com/catalog/dvisplitter.htm (the top one for $ 146)
I was wondering if I split the signal with a dvi splitter rather than a vga splitter if i could have a dual monitor setup with more screen space...
Thanks,
Paulie
Mac Mini Mac OS X (10.3.9)

This will do it for you: http://shopmatrox.com/usa/products/datasheet.asp?ID=788
ibook g4, mac mini core solo, powermac g4 gigabit ethernet Mac OS X (10.4.5)

Dual monitor setup MBA 2013

Hello Everyone,
This is my first post on the Apple Support Community.
Nice to meet al of you!
System information:
Macbook Air medio 2013
Model MacBookAir6,2
Intel Core i7 1,7GHZ
8GB
512GB SSD
I am wondering if it is possible to have a dual monitor setup using the thunderbolt feature daisy-chain.
The configuration i am looking for is:
MBA --> Belkin Thunderbolt™ Express Dock (for using gigabit ethernet) --> Dell U2414H --> Dell U2414H
Specs:
Belkin Thunderbolt™ Express Dock = http://www.belkin.com/us/p/P-F4U055/
Dell U2414H = http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&cs=04&l=en&sku=860-BB CG
Do i have a chance this could work?
I'm looking forward to hearing from you all.
Thanks!
Kind regards,
Njamo187

Hello,
I had the same problem with a nVidia GT120 card (2009 Mac Pro standard). OSX wouldn't show the gray screen on the 3090, even when it was connected alone (to the DVI port). Also, the login screen would always revert to the secondary display (connected thru the mini display port to DVI adapter).
After login, all was well.
Now I've solved the problem with an nVidia GTX 285 card. The 3090 is connected to the n.1 DVI port and the secondary display (a 1600x1200 Eizo L997) to the n.2 DVI port, and the Mac Pro boots correctly on the 3090 (gray screen and everything, at full 2560x1600 resolution).
Note that the first time I booted up the Mac after replacing the GT120 with the GTX 285 I had the same problem, and solved it by disconnecting the secondary display and then rebooting with the 3090 alone. Now everything works as it should.
Dont't know if there is a bug somewhere (EFI, maybe) of if the GT120 and your ATI are simply unable to work at full resolution before OSX desktop loading.

Dual monitor setup without using the ADC?

Would it be possible to run a dual monitor setup using a DVI splitter cable from my (2009)Mac Pro?
I've seen some old forums referring to the 2006 models saying that this wouldn't work and instead you'd get the same image on both screens but the newer Mac Pros state they have "Dual-Link DVI ports".
Just wondering whether this means what I think it means and you can connect two monitors via a dual link cable and get essentially, two monitors running independently as opposed to the same thing on both??
Hope it's staightforward and me just being slow.

The GT120 features one Dual Link DVI-I port and one Mini DisplayPort .
The DVI-I is Dual Link capable, and also can be directly adapted to VGA.
Single-Link DVI is a serial interface that carries three data bits in each signaling interval, as well as control signals. In general, Single-Link supports displays up to 1920 wide. Dual Link DVI is the same except that it carries six data bits in each signaling interval, supporting displays over 1920 wide.
DVI screen drawing is very similar to VGA screen drawing, and the data sent are digital "scan lines" left-to-right row data, top-to-bottom with entire screen data sent about every 60 Hertz. Analog VGA signals are sent at the same time on a separate set of pins.
DisplayPort and its Mini variant are inherently a packet interface, but can be coerced to produce a "Dual Mode" signal that approximates Single-Link DVI. Getting Dual-Link DVI or VGA from DisplayPort interface requires a non-trivial converter than contains chips and requires power.
Executive Summary:
If you have one display that is wider than 1920 or VGA, attach to the DVI-I connector with an appropriate cable.
Running a Mini DisplayPort display from the Mini DisplayPort requires only a cable.
Single-Link DVI can be had from the Mini DisplayPort with a cheap adapter.
Dual-Link DVI or VGA requires an expensive Active Powered converter which can cost US$100.

I have 12 core with Quatro 4000 and 5770, I want to use dual monitor setup, monitors are NEC with Spectraview-II. How do I connect? 4000 only has 1 Display Port and 1 DVI. 5770 has 2 of each, if I use both 5770 Display Ports, does the 4000 contribute?

I just bought a 12 core with Quatro 4000 and 5770, I want to use dual monitor setup, monitors are NEC with Spectraview-II. How do I connect? 4000 only has 1 Display Port and 1 DVI. 5770 has 2 of each, if I use both 5770 Display Ports, does the 4000 contribute any work at all? I read where on a PC they would work together, but on a MAC they do not.
I read that Display Port has higher band width than DVI, NEC monitors for best performance they recommend using DIsplay Port.
When I was setting this up I looked at a Nvidia Quadro 4000, unfortunately it was for PC, it had 2 Display Ports, in the Mac version they reduce it to one. I did not think there could be a difference.
Mainly want to use it for CS6 and LR4.
How to proceed???
I do not want to use the Quadro 4000 for both, that would not optimize both monitors, one DP and 1 DVI. Using just the 5770 would work but I do not think the 4000 would be doing anything, and the 5770 has been replaced by the 5870.more bandwidth.
Any ideas, I am a Mac newbie, have not ever tried a Mac Pro, just bought off ebay and now I have these problems.
As a last resort I could sell both and get a 5870. That would work, I'm sure of that, it's just that I wanted the better graphics card.
Thanks,
Bill

The Hatter,
I am a novice at Mac so I read all I can. From what I understand the NEC monitors I bought require Display Port for their maximum performance. The GTX 680 only has DVI outputs. Difference from what I understand is larger bandwidth with the DP.
You said I have the 4000 for CUDA. I am not all that familiar with CUDA and when I do read about it I do not understand it.
A concern I have is, that if I connect the 2 high end NEC monitors via the 5770, using it's 2 Display Ports I would have nothing connected to the 4000. Is the 4000 doing anything with nothing connected? I read where in a PC system the 2 cards would interact but in a Mac system they do not.
Bottom line, as I see it, the 4000 will not be useful at all to me, since I want a dual monitor set-up.
So far the 5870 seems the best choice, higher band width than the 5770, and it has 2 Display Ports to optimize the NEC monitors.
I'm not sure how fine I am splitting hairs, nor do I know how important those hairs are. I am just trying to set up a really fast reliable system that will mainly be used for CS6 and LR4. Those NEC monitors are supposed to be top notch.

Short Brush Stroke Lag CS6 in Dual Monitor Setup

When I use a brush or any of the clone\healing tools the brush start lagging when I do you short and quick strokes.
Longer and continuous strokes don't have any lagging going on.
I have reinstalled the driver and tried a few different versions as well but the issue persists. I also tried different settings for the Graphics Processor in preferences but no change.
I am on an Intuos5 L and before that I had the Intuos 3 A4 and I had the problems with that tablet as well.
I am on i5 iMac Quad-Core 2.5ghz, 32gb ram Radeon HD 6750M 512 MB - Mac OS X 10.7.5
Update:
After a few testing I realized this lagging appears to happen only when I am on Dual monitor setup.
My main monitor is an Eizo CG222W I have Photoshop setup whereby all my tools and panels are on my iMac and the main window with the image is on my Eizo.
When I only use my Eizo with tools and panels then the lagging disappears.
Any suggestion?
Thanks

I guess I was thinking that if the Histogram Panel requires more processing so as to fill it out, then you could expect its display to take more computer time.
For what it's worth, I did some testing and with a sufficiently large brush I can certainly get ahead of Photoshop - that's pretty well known. I couldn't see for myself where having the Histogram Panel open made any difference, though.
-Noel

Dual monitor setup - need laptop on the left

Hi All
I'm running a dual monitor setup - specifically a HP G72 laptop and a widescreen monitor. I use the monitor as the default and sometimes I want to use the Laptop as a secondary screen for watching TV etc. My desktop is Enlightenment, I just changed to it from Gnome. My issue is that I want the laptop to be on the left of the monitor - that's how it is physically positioned - but when I switch the Laptop screen on all my applications shift over to the laptop screen. I've written 2 scripts, attached to hotkeys, one to turn the laptop off and the other to turn the laptop on. The script to turn the laptop on is as follows:
xrandr --output LVDS1 --mode 1600x900 --pos 1600x0 --rotate normal
--output VGA1 --primary --mode 1920x1080 --pos 0x0 --rotate normal --left-of LVDS1
This works fine, applications stay where they should be, except that the physical position is incorrect; VGA1 should be to the right of LVDS1 like this:
xrandr --output LVDS1 --mode 1600x900 --pos 1600x0 --rotate normal
--output VGA1 --primary --mode 1920x1080 --pos 0x0 --rotate normal --right-of LVDS1
However, when I use the second script all of the applications shift to the laptop but at least the physical position is correct. The issue appears to be something to do with laptops, almost as though when it's a laptop the default monitor is forced to be on the left. Has anybody got any suggestions how to get around this issue?
Thanks
Richard

This is due to your window manager treating the two monitors as a larger 'desktop' area - that combined with your specification of the pos=0x0 you are telling it to do this.
If you have only the VGA output on, the top left corner of the VGA monitor is 0x0. If you open a window, and it is placed 10 pixels in and down from the top left, it is at coordinates 10x10 in the x session. Then you turn on the laptop monitor and specify that the top left corner of the laptop monitor should now bo considered 0x0 - but nothing is done to move the windows, so the window with coordinates 10x10 is now near the top left of the laptop monitor.
I see 3 possible ways of acheiving what you want:
1) swap the "pos" parameters in your xrandr commands so that the monitor on the left is always at 0x0 and the one on the right is always at 1920x0 (or whatever). This will leave a large area of available X desktop that is not visible - I don't know how your window manager will treat this. It might try to map windows on the laptop screen space even though that screen is not on. I know openbox is easy to configure where it tries to place windows.
2) Keep the VGA monitor always at 0x0, but place the laptop monitor at a negative offset when you want it on. I don't actually know if X allows negative coordinates like that, but it's worth a shot.
3) Configure your window manager, or use a different window manager, so that it is aware of the two screens and treats them reasonably (e.g. moves windows when the desktop area is changed).
Last edited by Trilby (2014-07-12 12:15:42)

Maximising Safari on a dual-monitor setup (GUI behaviour in Window XP Pro)

When I maximise Safari on the 2nd monitor of my two-monitor setup, it disappears off-screen (but its icon still remains in the XP taskbar) and I am unable to bring it back into the viewable area. Consequently, I have to close Safari and reopen it to continue.
When I maximise Safari on the 1st monitor it fills the screen as I'd expect.
Windows XP Pro

Confirmed on another Dell D610/Windows XP dual-monitor setup.
However, when I maximise safari on the secondary monitor it still appears on the task bar, enabling me to right-click and Restore the window (whereupon it reappears).
Jon

Dual monitor setup with seperate resolutions

hey guys!
i currentley run thye latest version of archlinux with the cinnamon desktop environment and an nvidia geforce 7300SE graphics card.
im running a dual monitor setup with one 27" 1920x1080 monitor and one 27" 1024X768 monitor
because they have the same physical size they line up perfectley but because the resolution is different programs/mouse cursor movement doesnt, is there any way (without changing the resolutions) to compensate this effect so that in the eyes of linux/cinnamon the monitors line up so that for example dragging a window goes seamlessley between the 2 monitors.
i HAVE found out the panning option in the nvidia x server settings, but that really isnt what i am looking for...
Last edited by RikSolo (2014-08-04 11:25:02)

A magnifier following the window down to the pixel, zooming to the exact size of 540 pixels the 384 pixels window could create an illusion of just that. It would be highly impractical however, not mention all the hacking time. Even if you would manage to get two screen with different sized icons, so that they match visually, the windows and fonts resizing on the fly, wmctrl might help with windows alone, no their themes (buttons, borders thickness etc.), you would still be left with a visually differently sized mouse cursor. Technically such a feat should be possible, but who is going to code it? Nvidia?
Last edited by emeres (2014-08-04 18:48:59)

Dual monitor setup flashes constantly

I am trying to set up a dual monitor setup with a Lenovo Thinkcentre Edge computer. I reset the BIOS to enable multimonitor support and IGD Active Video. One monitor is plugged into the VGA port. But when I plug the second monitor into the DVI-D port, both monitors flash constantly and the speakers make the sound of a device being disconnected. Unplugging the DVI-D monitor stops the problem on the VGA monitor. I checked the drivers and they are all up to date. Any ideas?

Bad cable?
Disclaimer: While I do work for Lenovo Partner, all my contributions are my personal, non-official and not that of Lenovo or my employer.

Monitor Profile incorrect on Dual Monitor Setup

Hello,
I've searched the forums and I can't find an answer to my problem. I've read about dual monitor setups in Windows and how to set the defaults and whatnot, but it doesn't seem to fix my problem.
I am running on an nVidia GeForce 8600M GT, Windows 7 x64, Photoshop CS4 x64. I calibrated my main display (Dell Vostro 1700) as well as the attached monitor (ASUS VK246H) using Datacolor Spyder3Elite. Both monitor profiles seem to load just fine. I've also went into Windows' color manager and set the system defaults for each monitor respectively. The problem I'm having is that if I were to load Photoshop on the 2nd monitor, Photoshop only uses the main display's color profile (Vostro 1700) and not the ASUS VK246H profile. What could be going wrong?
Just to clarify, what I mean by "loading PS on the 2nd monitor" is that when I execute Photoshop.exe, the splash screen and main window shows up on the 2nd monitor, not the main monitor (which is what I want).

function(){return A.apply(null,[this].concat($A(arguments)))}
Chris Cox wrote:
What if the image is in between two monitors?
The piece on each display is corrected for the display it is on.
Is it supposed to work that way? Because it doesn't. Not with Photoshop CS5 x64 at least.
As a test I intentionally misconfigured the profile for my Monitor #1 (left) so that it's REALLY OBVIOUS which profile is being used. When set this way, on Monitor #1 red colors will appear pale orange.
An open document, floating in a window:
If COMPLETELY displayed on Monitor #1, Photoshop will use the Monitor #1 profile.
If even 1 pixel of the edge of the image is moved onto Monitor #2, it will use the Monitor #2 profile on the entire image.
See for yourself:
-Noel

Mac mini dual monitors setup

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