Apple’s studio display is much cheaper than its Pro Display XDR for $ 5,000. But with a starting price of $ 1,600, it’s not cheap. However, for those who need 14,745,600 pixels, such as video editors and graphic designers, there are several options besides Apple’s expensive monitor, especially after Apple discontinued its 27-inch 5K iMac desktop when it announced Studio Display in March.
That didn’t stop YouTuber’s Luke Miani from finding an old iMac and turning it into a makeshift studio display for about $ 870, including a webcam and 5K.
In a video describing the process, Miani noted that the performance of the Studio Display panel is similar to what Apple has been offering for years, so he chose to use the 2014 iMac instead of the latest 27-inch iMac from 2020. for your project. The iMac costs the Miani $ 620, he said.
Miani decided not to use Sidecar – a feature that allows you to use the iPad as a second monitor for the Mac – because it requires a working iMac and poses a potential concern for delays. Apple’s “Target Display Mode”, which allows you to use your iMac as a monitor, does not work with newer iMacs and requires a connection to a Mac from 2019 or earlier with macOS Catalina or earlier. So instead, Miani stripped the iMac of its components and turned it into a 5K monitor.
First, Miani opened the iMac with display glue, using iFixit sponsor’s iMac repair manuals to disassemble the system. It removed all computing components of the system and other internal elements, such as speakers, fan and power supply.
Increase / Remove iMac 2014 components.
Miani also bought an HDMI adapter, noting that finding a conversion board that works with 5K is “quite difficult.” eBay made this possible for $ 179. The board has two HDMI ports that support 4K resolution and two DisplayPort 1.4 ports that support 5K separately or, for older graphics cards, together.
Miani also spent $ 12 on a USB-C-to-DisplayPort cable before assembling the pieces.
“I connected the LED driver and the LVDS connection and glued it roughly to the back of the panel, then connected USB-C to the DisplayPort 1.4 cable and 12-volt power supply,” Miani said in the video. “I then ran the wires through the back of the box, popping out the RAM access door, which is very convenient for this type of project.”
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Since Studio Display has a webcam, Miani wanted to make sure she included one in her project. The one that comes with the 2014 iMac was difficult to use due to its ribbon cable serving other parts, such as microphones and ambient light sensors. So Miani removed the webcam from 2014 and replaced it with a USB camera designed for use with something like a Raspberry Pi or Arduino. It costs him about $ 30, he said, plus $ 9 for the USB-A-to-C extension.
The DIY monitor retains Mac features, including the ability to use zoom options and Night Shift, according to Miani.
YouTuber said the only obvious physical difference was the wires protruding from the RAM hatch.
In addition, the monitor does not support P3 color spaces. That’s a drop compared to LG’s studio display and 27-inch UltraFine 5K monitor, which claims 99 percent of DCI-P3’s coverage. However, as Miani explained, this can be fixed with the help of the iMac, which came out in 2015 or later.
Miani said that in parallel comparisons, DIY Apple Studio had worse levels of black, attenuation of backlight and contrast. He recommended using a newer iMac model for improved display performance, but said the image quality of the DIY monitor was “quite close” to the studio display. The differences are difficult to notice in the comparative images he shared.
In the end, the video system cost $ 871, including $ 19 iFixit display tape. But you can save money if you don’t want a webcam or you’re ready to start with a damaged iMac instead of a fully functional one.
Mianie gets to the heart of finance and what it takes to make a more accessible studio display in the video below.
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