27" iMac displayport Input

Hi Fuzzb

As it turns out, I uninstalled Catalyst CC and uninstalled the video drivers to try and fix another BSOD problem I was having when trying to load games and change profiles (i had no flickering though)!

After uninstalling and rebooting, I initially let windows 7 automatically install the drivers (version 8.681.0.0) from the internet. The flickering had come back when trying to play crysis warhead and left4dead 2 (didn't try other games). The flickering was there in single and dual monitor mode, but it went away and worked well in 3 monitor mode (all 3 monitors were always plugged in, but some disabled in windows display settings). Catalyst was not installed at this time. Again, 59 vs 60Hz made no difference.

So, once it was working in 3 monitor configuration I installed Catalyst 10.2 (driver ver 8.702.0.0). I now get the flickering (100%/80% screen size with tearing) again in ANY monitor configuration!

The flickering is only there in full screen mode. It disappears when the game is windowed, or if AI is disabled. Neither of these are suitable solutions really. I wish I could remember what I did the first time to fix it!
 
I confess that I'm a bit confused by some of the comments in this thread and I'm seeking clarification.

I am considering buying the 27" iMac for two purposes... both to use as a Mac running OSX and bootcamp... and to run my existing PC to it from a display-port equiped ATI card. At the moment I have the HD 5870.

So, just to clarify the CURRENT position:

1. Is it correct that the HD 5870 series will NOT talk to the mini-display port in the 27" iMac, even with the appropriate display port to mini display port adaptor ?

2. Is it correct that a single (non-crossfire) ATI 4890 with a display port output WILL display on a 27" iMac if I get a "display port to mini-display port adaptor"

3. Assuming I can get a 4890 to play with the iMac, are there any catches ? I.E. can I still run the full range of resolutions (particuraly the maximum resolution) of the 27", are there any other issues such as flickering, banding etc etc that I need to worry about ?

4. If I run a display port from the 4890, can I still run a DVI to a secondary display while using the iMac 27" as the primary ? or does using the display port on the 4890 kill or cripple the other outputs on the cards ?

Cheers

1000
 
Is there any way we could make a sticky with a list of all compatible hardware cards that you can use with the iMac mini displayport input?
 
Is there any light at the end of the tunnel for 5XXX series cards working with the display port>mini display port to the 27" iMac ?

If there isn't I am going to get rid of my 5870 and trade down to a 4890. I only play WOW and CS:S anyway and neither really need much in the way of GPU beef.

That said, if I could keep my previous 5870 I sure would.

1000
 
Did anyone try a HD4870 to use the iMac as a display? I sent back my HD5770 and got a HD4870 with DisplayPort in a forum. But everybody's writing about the HD4890. I never read about someone who got the HD4870 working.
 
My understanding is the all 4XXX series cards equipped with a display port will work but don't quote me on that.

1000
 
It doesn't seem to have DisplayPort so I wouldn't choose this one. BTW my Palit Sonic HD4870 works perfectly :).
 
Anyone know who still sells the 4890 with display port? Also what are you guys using to convert DP to MiniDP???
 
One other question, do I need to have a 2nd monitor to get this working properly?

I only have my 27" iMac for a monitor so I am worried that may be problematic.

I do have a 42" hdtv somewhat close that I could hook up via HDMI if I had to.
 
Hi xveganx and 1000

I have posted above with a couple of problems I had with my ATI 5970 and iMac monitor via DP (also with 2 Dell 22" monitors via DVI), but just to clear things up, my system is now working fine with the official 10.3 driver update. (No flicker in full screen mode, no more BSOD).

I don't have a 4xxx card, but I have done a bit of reading around many forums trying to sort out my issues, and from what I understand, the 4xxx series, including the 4890 should work, and it should work fine with only the iMac plugged in and also with additional monitors. As I say, this is what I remember reading elsewhere, I have not got that card. I can tell you for sure that the 5770 cards do not work with iMac via DP (or at least didn't when I was trying).

When I was trying my 5770, I got a miniDP to DP cable from circuitassembly:

http://estore.circuitassembly.com/products/Mini-Displayport-to-Displayport-Adapter-Cable.html

This cable seemed good quality and it was delivered to Australia very quickly!
 
My understanding is, in terms of what works with the 27" iMac:

1) Radeon 5800s and 5700s do not.
2) Radeon 5900s do.
3) Radeon 4000 series cards also work.

Now that the Eyefinity6 version of the 5870 is shipping, it gets me to wondering: Since it has MiniDisplayPorts (like the 5900), did ATI fix their bug so that this version of the 5870 will talk to the 27" iMac's DisplayPort input? Has anybody tried it?

Unfortunately, I'm not in the position to gamble the $500 on it being fixed. :)
 
RadiAnt04 said:
Hi Anders And

Yes, the audio is passed through the miniDP cable to the iMac speakers. I don't use them by default, but I tested them and they do work. (I assume that is what you meant by line-in). Just select "ATI DP Output" from the windows sound playback settings. BTW, I have a Powercolor 5970.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info RadiAnt04.

Getting tired of waiting for a 5850 solution I decided to go for a Sapphire 4890 VaporX. After a lot of trouble getting it to work, I found that the DP wasnt plugged completely into my card because the card was not aligned correctly with the cabinet (no room for connector). After cutting some of the plastic off the connector, it works every time :)

BUT event though I see the "ATI DP Output" in the Sounds settings, it is disabled, i.e. I can not select anything. I can make a sceendump when I get home.

Any idea whats wrong?

Regards

Edit: Here is the sceendump.
akix04.jpg
 
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I am having issues getting my XFX HD5970 to detect the iMac as a display. I plug the display port cable (mini displayport to displayport, then back to minidisplay port w/ the included adapter w/ my videocard). The iMac screen flicks to black for a second but then just comes back out of target display mode.
I've tried w/ and w/o having another display plugged in to the HD5970.

The cable I bought was from monoprice, is there an issues w/ these cables?
 
Today an EFI Firmware Update has been released which is supposed to solve problems with the target display mode! So I really hope that means the Radeon HD5000 series can now be used with the iMac. Could anyone try and tell? Because I would get back the HD5770 and replace my HD4870 again ;-).

Greetz..
 
lowfat said:
I am having issues getting my XFX HD5970 to detect the iMac as a display. I plug the display port cable (mini displayport to displayport, then back to minidisplay port w/ the included adapter w/ my videocard). The iMac screen flicks to black for a second but then just comes back out of target display mode.
I've tried w/ and w/o having another display plugged in to the HD5970.

The cable I bought was from monoprice, is there an issues w/ these cables?
Click to expand...

I have a MSI 5970 and a cable from monoprice and I have a similar problem when starting up my PC "cold."

When I have this problem I shut down the PC, disconnect the displayport cable, and then start up the PC with my DVI monitor connected. I wait until it has booted into Windows (or the Windows login appears) then connect the displayport cable to the iMac and this works every time.

I was hoping today's iMac firmware would have fixed this "cold start" target display mode problem for me but it doesn't seem to have. Curiously if I reboot my PC when in target display mode it reboots fine and target display mode isn't lost. It's only when the PC has been off for a while that it won't kick off target display mode when turned on.
 
jimmykane said:
Today an EFI Firmware Update has been released which is supposed to solve problems with the target display mode! So I really hope that means the Radeon HD5000 series can now be used with the iMac. Could anyone try and tell?
Click to expand...

It does not appear to be the case. I pludged mine, and attempted to connect the iMac to my 5870, and got the same failure mode that I got pre-pludge.
 
Until the screen transitions (e.g. changing from BIOS screen to raid card BIOS), the iMac will think that theres no signal on the other end. So after a few seconds, the iMac gets tired of waiting and just goes back to displaying OSX. It's a problem since the BIOS tends to take a while to scan all the HDDs. You can keep mashing cmd+F2 until it works. Ideally you hit it right before a screen transition. Personally I just wait for windows to be fully loaded first, then I hit cmd+F2 and it always comes up 100%. But I have multiple monitors hooked up so it might be more difficult to do this if you only have the iMac as your screen.
 
I am not totally convinced it is apples problem.

My ati 5850s in crossfire have given me a headache ever since I got them when it comes to detecting a monitor other than DVI.

When I first hooked up my pc after being built it would not boot up via hdmi, same with friends.

It took a bunch of plugging in and unplugging for my desktop to "learn" and even today, it could be better.

IDK just a thought, its hard to call fault with apple when my 5850 has always been finicky hooking up monitors other than hdmi.

What is unfortunate is I really want to get a 27" mac and use my gaming pc on it every once in a while.

edit* Anders, the same thing happens with my 5850, I have my pc hooked up via HDMI to a home theater and a PC monitor, at first the audio would be so freaking glitchy, I was able to get it to work by unplugging everything but HDMI. After a couple of months it works well, I now have everything plugged in and it works for some reason, but only if I display on ONE monitor at a time, so if I want to watch a movie on my HTPC, the audio etc, will be glitchy unless I "replace" in the ATI command center when changing monitors.
 
wrxdrunkie said:
I am not totally convinced it is apples problem.
Click to expand...

From what I have read, I don't believe it is, either. Basically, what it looks like is ATI goofed and released the 5800s and 5700s with not-quite-to-spec DisplayPort ports, and then fixed the problem for the 5970-- which is why I'm wondering if the 5870 Eyefinity 6 now works, did they fix it as well?

Of course, all of this is completely speculative, since neither ATI nor Apple want to weigh in on the subject.
 
It is just as finicky via hdmi in my case. Dvi seems the be the only really really reliable connection for the 5850.
 
Did anybody try the new firmware that Apple just released? It mentions compatibility updates for target display mode
 
TerraPhantm said:
Did anybody try the new firmware that Apple just released? It mentions compatibility updates for target display mode
Click to expand...

Ayep.

No dice with the three-headed 5870.

EDIT: And the SMC update that showed up this morning in Software Update that claimed to sort out some DisplayPort compatibility issues didn't fix the problem, either. It did, however, make it so the iMac recovers much more easily from said compatibility issues.
 
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Anders And said:
Thanks for the info RadiAnt04.

Getting tired of waiting for a 5850 solution I decided to go for a Sapphire 4890 VaporX. After a lot of trouble getting it to work, I found that the DP wasnt plugged completely into my card because the card was not aligned correctly with the cabinet (no room for connector). After cutting some of the plastic off the connector, it works every time :)

BUT event though I see the "ATI DP Output" in the Sounds settings, it is disabled, i.e. I can not select anything. I can make a sceendump when I get home.

Any idea whats wrong?

Regards

Edit: Here is the sceendump.
akix04.jpg
Click to expand...
Bump. Anyone, please?
 
Hey, is it only connected to the apple display? My hdmi setup does the exact same thing if I don't "replace" desktop. I can see hdmi but can not select it. The only way it wil work is if it is only displaying to one desktop. If my display is displaying in 2 places, no hdmi audio. Idk if you can do this, but my suggestion would me to boot up in windows on one monitor, replace the desktop to the apple monitor via ati control center.

That's what works when getting sound from hdmi on my 5850.
 
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Thanks for the reply.

Initially I booted with the iMac and a DVI monitor, but after I resolved the connector problem, and the iMac displays the desktop correctly every time, I boot with only the iMac conencted.

I am not sure, I know that you mean by "replace the desktop", could you please carify this?
 
When you boot up in windows, open up the ATi control center and go to "desktops and displays"

You will get options to "extend" the desktop, mirror the desktop, and "replace" the desktop.

"Replace" will just make it so the picture goes from your windows monitor to your Mac monitor.

This is just a suggestion though, I do not have a mac yet so I am yet to troubleshoot it myself.

So is it working? Are you able to display to the mac with a 5xxx series card??
 
I only have one monitor connected, the iMac, so I cannot see how I can extend/replace.

I own an 4890, so I do not know about any 5xxx.

Thanks anyway.

wrxdrunkie said:
When you boot up in windows, open up the ATi control center and go to "desktops and displays"

You will get options to "extend" the desktop, mirror the desktop, and "replace" the desktop.

"Replace" will just make it so the picture goes from your windows monitor to your Mac monitor.

This is just a suggestion though, I do not have a mac yet so I am yet to troubleshoot it myself.

So is it working? Are you able to display to the mac with a 5xxx series card??
Click to expand...
 
Arasirsul said:
Now that the Eyefinity6 version of the 5870 is shipping, it gets me to wondering: Since it has MiniDisplayPorts (like the 5900), did ATI fix their bug so that this version of the 5870 will talk to the 27" iMac's DisplayPort input? Has anybody tried it?

Unfortunately, I'm not in the position to gamble the $500 on it being fixed. :)
Click to expand...

I talk to myself all the time.

Anyhow, I finally found myself in a position where I could indeed gamble the $500 on it being fixed. (Plus, there was a return policy if I was wrong...)

It is. The ATI 5870 "Eyefinity 6" model works just fine using a 27" iMac's DisplayPort input.
 
Ok, this is my saga... I just got a 27" iMac and I don't have much space on the table to keep both iMac and an old 22" monitor with a PC... So I wanted to connect PC to my iMac in monitor mode.

First I bought XFX Radeon HD 5670 DDR5 with DisplayPort, but it didn't work with iMac, no matter what I did. Then I started googling and saw this forum, read this thread carefully and started searching for cards that work.

I did not want to spend $400 on Radeon HD 5870 since I don't play that much, and I could not find any 4890 series card with DisplayPort in stock, not even on eBay :(

Finally, I've seen a Jaton Radeon PX4350-DP card on Newegg for $54:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814139056

This is not exactly a gaming card, but I took the chance, ordered, installed it and it worked right from the start! It works with a single iMac in monitor mode or with two monitors - iMac on DisplayPort and Samsung 22" on DVI. It supports iMac's maximum display resolution with no problem. I just use Command-F2 to switch between OSX and external PC.

For the DisplayPort cable I use the DP-miniDP one bought on Monoprice for $5:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10246&cs_id=1024606&p_id=6007&seq=1&format=2

Unfortunately, PX4350-DP is not really good for modern games. Vista performance for Aero fell down to 3.5 and 3D graphics performance fell to 4.9. My old card - Radeon HD 2600XT had graphics performance of 5.9. But I can still use my PC for work, QuickBooks and some graphics, so I am a happy camper! :D
 
Arasirsul said:
It is. The ATI 5870 "Eyefinity 6" model works just fine using a 27" iMac's DisplayPort input.
Click to expand...

So this leads us to the question ... what the hell have they stuffed up on the original 5870 that so many of us have for this not to work? And why won't they admit there is a fault and correct it?
 
Stush said:
When I have this problem I shut down the PC, disconnect the displayport cable, and then start up the PC with my DVI monitor connected. I wait until it has booted into Windows (or the Windows login appears) then connect the displayport cable to the iMac and this works every time.
Click to expand...

I figured this out after a while. It sure does get annoying after a while. And the issue is definitely w/ the video card not the iMac. I can plug in the intregrated DisplayPort on my H55 motherboard and it is completely hassle free. No need to disconnect the computer when doing a cold start.
 
frankle said:
So this leads us to the question ... what the hell have they stuffed up on the original 5870 that so many of us have for this not to work? And why won't they admit there is a fault and correct it?
Click to expand...

I wish I knew. The version of the card that does work is $100 more, and I'll be lucky if I only lose about $50 re-selling my 5870 non-Eyefinity-6 model-- while I'm happy I got something that works, I'm kinda unhappy that I'm the one who had to do the testing to find out the original card didn't conform to the spec.
 
Gluk2 said:
VisionTek 900241 Radeon HD 4850 got back in stock on NewEgg!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129112

This should work with iMac just fine. I almost rushed to buy it, but reviewers on NewEgg say that they received it with 2DVI+HDMI instead of DP... hm.... :confused:
Click to expand...

I have just received it and I see that Newegg description was wrong. This card does not come with DisplayPort. I am returning it and will stick to Jaton 4350 until I see something better for a reasonable price.
 
Hey Alien, looking forward to hearing your luck with that PowerColor. I have been checking back on this thread every few days, trying to narrow down a working card for my 27" iMac.

Has anyone had any luck with the 5850 series of cards? Sapphire only just put out a $300ish 5850 card that wouldn't be as quite a huge jump as the eyefinity 6, even though that eyefinity 6 ASUS card is pretty gorgeous looking.

If anyone is curious about which new Sapphire card i'm yakking about, it's this one right here: Sapphire 5850 It appears to be fairly new, since Amazon has this same model on pre-order, so, i'd assume it's a very recent model.

The restocking fee isn't too bad, so if others have had luck with 5850s, I just might make the jump, and report back if this does the trick :)
 
Twistedsheep said:
Hey Alien, looking forward to hearing your luck with that PowerColor.
Click to expand...

no ETA as yet no distributor has stock yet.

Note the middle auto link in my post above links to a HiS card that does NOT have minidisplayport. The one to get when available for the money is http://www.powercolor.com/au/products_features.asp?id=240#Specification
I am 98% sure this will work.

Twistedsheep said:
If anyone is curious about which new Sapphire card i'm yakking about, it's this one right here: Sapphire 5850 It appears to be fairly new, since Amazon has this same model on pre-order, so, i'd assume it's a very recent model.
Click to expand...

Twisted the above card also has NO minidisplayport and I bet is teh same technology as the previous gen 5850 cards with regular displayport. It seems in the proper eyefinity releases with MINIdisplayport they have fix the bug that prevented iMac compatibility. Try it if you like but I bet it does not work. Get Eyefinity 6 with MINIdisplayport if you need a higher end card.
 
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So are we currently at the point where no ATi 5850 has ever displayed to the mac correctly?
 
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