So a local school to me is selling off 27 inch I Macs that they do not need for £80, and I was wondering if I could use one as a monitor for my PC, via an HDMI cable?
2.4ghz Core 2 duo, 4GB Ram, Radeon 7800 graphics, so not really worth it apart from using as a monitor.
Ah ok, I presume the screen is 1080p? Value wise, that sounds ok for a 27 inch monitor if you could get it to work.
The problem is, my monitor is dying fast, and I don't have the money to spare to buy this, and then buy another monitor if it does not work (before selling it on)
I will tell you this now... If it is an iMac, it is an all in one computer... basically a super overpowered tablet with some usb ports and no touch screen (and a stand) You can export video from them, but not into them. Also 80 pounds (is that what that is? I am from America so I don't know) is a hella good deal on something like that with those specs. Buy as many as you can, sell them on eBay for their real value, and then buy yourself a monitor that could melt your face with all the money you probably just made.
I tried to do this with my Surface and got nowhere. Like above comment said, it's an all-in-one. There's no place to plug a 'Video-In' on that PC and also no way to run it without the computer part of the system. Of course, you could probably do some tear-down and wiring magic to get this to work (probably) but I personally wouldn't be hopeful.
No, they will not work as a monitor, but they are a good deal. I would make sure they aren't sold for parts or without certain things. Out school district has to destroy hard drives before selling PCs.
Seems decent even as a standalone computer, core 2 duo is still decent, and even my brother's old laptop with one (with integrated graphics!) could run Windows 10 just fine. As Linus from LinusTechTips was saying in a Mac video, it would've been useful to use the screen once your iMac has become obsolete. Apple try to make their products obsolete to make you buy a new one. Sadly, my school didn't sell their old Core2Duo Optiplexes. They could've been upgraded to a Core2Quad as well, which I would've done if they were cheap. Make sure it's not an early Core Duo, which can be easily mistaken for a Core 2.
I agree. Just replace the old HDD with an SSD and it should run pretty quick. I've recently met a colleague who uses a Core2 Duo Macbook Pro 15", and I was amazed of how fast it still worked. I think he has installed an SSD though.
You can use it as a monitor with Target Display Mode if it is compatible with your model. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204592 I would say go for it since they are excellent displays with fairly decent color accuracy.
Welp, should have expected that. I was going to go down to the bank tomorrow to see how much money I had in my savings account, to buy some of these, however someone has already bought ALL of them up. I can't blame them, really. (I really must get my account set up with an online banking mode).
