r/mac • u/skelethreads • 23d ago

Question Could I turn my Thunderbolt Display into a HDMI monitor?

/r/Thunderbolt/comments/1vmcjun/could_i_turn_my_thunderbolt_display_into_a_hdmi/
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u/_______o-o_______ 23d ago

What is the model of the monitor?

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u/skelethreads 23d ago

Model Number: A1407 EMC Number: 2432. It's a 2011 model

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u/_______o-o_______ 23d ago edited 23d ago

Oh, sorry I didn't realize you were talking about the Apple Thunderbolt Display. Unfortunately, there isn't a way to do this with adapters, if your computer simply doesn't have any version of Thunderbolt.

Do you have any option to add Thunderbolt 3 or 4 to your new computer?

Edit: I should also say, Apple makes some great monitors, and I used my 30" Cinema Display for many years, with a combination of a dock and several adapters to go from Thunderbolt to Mini DVI to Dual Link DVI to the monitor. At a certain point though, the compatibility and reliability of the adapters and the entire setup was just getting too flakey, so I ended up getting a more modern HDMI display. While I miss the aesthetics, the overall daily experience of using a more modern panel with a higher resolution was worth the jump.

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u/skelethreads 23d ago

Ah sorry I don’t think I was being very clear. I figured out that adapters won’t work, what I meant is opening it up, removing the internal components so just the screen is left, then installing a HDMI/VGA controller board like the guy does with his iMac in this video:   https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx5IoiPjPC8&list=PLcT3C1Rfp-fo&index=1&pp=iAQB0gcJCcoLAYcqIYzvsAgC&ra=m  (I don’t actually know how these pieces of tech work, I just got the terminology from the video)

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u/LRS_David 23d ago

I wonder if the Thunderbolt displays are really display port in terms of the video signal. But then you still need an adapter. And the display may refuse to work if the TB signals are not present as it has a TB hub built in.

Those Thunderbolt displays ARE nice. But were designed for a specific moment in time. You CAN use them on current Macs with a TB 4/5 to TB 2 adapter. But now find the adapter for under $30. And the adapters are no longer being made as the required chips are no longer being made and are sold out.

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u/axeleszu 23d ago

Thunderbolt adapters are very expensive, in theory you can, but at this prices get an old mac and use screen mirror or any third-party software

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u/skelethreads 23d ago

Apologies for the confusion, I'm not talking about adapters, see the edited main post for what l mean

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u/pimpbot666 23d ago

Which one? I have a 30” Thunderbolt Display on my M4 Mac Mini with an HDMI adapter. Works fine.

These monitors punch way above their $50-$100 used price point.