2011 27" iMac

QwertyJuan

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How many "alternate" displays can be used? Can I run THREE desktops at the same time? As in one on the 27" and two more on alternate monitors? Or can the video card only handle two displays(desktops) at a time?

Thanks.
 
You can run up to three monitors including the internal, no matter the way they are connected. It's because the iMac 27 has two Thunderbolt ports but only one controller (in essence not giving it any advantage over the lower end models with regards to performance).
 
You can run up to three monitors including the internal, no matter the way they are connected. It's because the iMac 27 has two Thunderbolt ports but only one controller (in essence not giving it any advantage over the lower end models with regards to performance).

lamboman is correct on the number of displays that can be used.
 
Ok, so they can all be used to extend the desktop? Or do they mirror one another?

I need to be able to play a video on one display, play keynote on the other, and then use the iMac itself as the desktop.

Thanks.
 
Ok, so they can all be used to extend the desktop? Or do they mirror one another?

I need to be able to play a video on one display, play keynote on the other, and then use the iMac itself as the desktop.

Thanks.

You can do this. Mission Control is kinda funky on multiple displays though, especially if you can't see all of your active displays from the same vantage point. Hopefully you aren't using the machine to do real work at the same time as someone else is watching videos or a keynote on another display.
 
It's for work... they already have the iMac... and are using it to display a keynote presentation, but now would like to play a video clip from the machine at the same time on a different screen. I know with a "real" computer (mac or windows based) you can just pop in another video card. Didn't know if the iMac would do with without adding some sorta external video card of some sort.
 
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