Hello Neil. I am fairly sure that the HDMI cables operate in both directions. This was designed so TV accessories can send and receive date, for example. Regards, Stephen Chape Mac by choice Windows because my employer knew no better
On 7 Jul 2026, at 8:27 pm, neil--- via WAMUG <[email protected]> wrote: Hi Daniel, After seeing Stephen Chape's heads-up about Microsoft Office 2019 files entering a "reduced functionality mode," becoming read-only, on July 13 - I realised that I could no longer keep my 2009 27" iMac going until Apple released a new 28" or 32" Apple silicon iMac (I kept hoping...) - the old i7 iMac still works pretty well after upgrading to an internal SSD for OSX & apps, plus 3TB internal drive for data, plus RAM upgrade to 20GB (was 24GB until one 4GB chip got flaky) but an upgrade of the 17 year old machine is long overdue. I had been contemplating a Mac mini or Mac Studio when the M5 versions came out - however my overriding requirement was to keep MS Office going - all accounting and reporting for my SMSF is handled by a large Excel workbook - 35 (and rising) linked worksheets, and some 20 years of invested work, generate the Annual Report, Annual Tax Return, and all audit worksheets - so I decided to bite the bullet on a M4 machine. So, late on 9 June, I ordered: Mac Studio with M4 Max chip Hardware: 36GB unified memory Accessory Kit 1TB SSD storage 14-core CPU, 32-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine Down here, in Albany, I’m used to things taking a bit longer so the estimated delivery of 20^th to 28^th August was as soon as I expected, given your warning about special orders. Well, for once, Apple under-promised and over delivered! The computer was picked up in Shenzen (China) at 7:35pm on 1 July and landed on my doorstep at 10:40am this morning – so less than 6 days after pick-up in Shenzen and not even 4 weeks after placing the order! One thing I am really looking forward to is having a multiple monitor set-up – I am frequently working with several large Excel workbook/worksheets open and at present I am limited to my 27” iMac screen and a 32” QHD monitor (same res as the iMac screen) but with the new studio I will have (as a starting minimum) three 4k monitors (one 28” and two 32”). All 3 monitors have both HDMI and DisplayPort inputs and I am envisaging driving one from the Studio HDMI port to the Monitor HDMI input via a standard HDMI cable – this will probably be the 28” monitor which I have already been using with our MacBook Air, via a USB-C hub and HDMI cable. So, what I am wondering is the best way to connect the two new 32” monitors to the Thunderbolt ports on the Studio? Two options seem to be simplest: * USB-C to Display Port cable * USB-C to HDMI cable I am aware that either option is physically compatible – ie they can be plugged into each other – but I am wondering if either option is preferable from the signal protocol point of view. I was caught out when I first tried to connect my 32” QHD monitor to the iMac (which has a mini Display Port video output) I first used a mini Display Port to HDMI cable but the iMac would not recognise the native QHD resolution of the monitor – the best it would do was FullHD. A bit of Googling later (this was pre AI) I found that a mini Display Port to Display Port cable was recommended – new cable bought – full QHD resolution enabled. I believed that this was because this connection used the display port signal end to end – whereas the initial set-up required a Display Port to HDMI conversion and my hardware for this (in the cable, I presume?) was OK at FullHD but couldn’t handle QHD. This is my first experience with the Thunderbolt interface, but Wikipedia tells me that it uses the Display Port interface for the video signal. Wikipedia tells me a lot about HDMI – most of which went over my head – but it included this: Adapters and active converters are also available for connecting HDMI to other video interfaces, including the older analog formats, as well as digital formats such as DisplayPort. My first reading of this seems to suggest that I would be better with a USB-C to Display Port cable than a USB-C to HDMI cable? However the USB-C to HDMI cables seem to be much more common. I was also surprised with a quick peruse of Office works (which we have in Albany) to see the reviews of this [1]https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/comsol-displaypo rt -to-usb-c-4k-cable-2m-codpum02 which says that the cable only works one way (the wrong way for me) – the computer has to have the Display Port and the monitor has to have the USB-C Looking at places like Amazon shows a HUGE selection of different brands and prices from around $10 to hundreds of dollars! Some saying 4k and some saying 8k but often the 8k items are much cheaper than other 4k items. Anyway that is more than enough rambling from me, I guess that my questions are: What are the pros/cons of using either the HDMI or Display Post input on the monitor when driving from the Thunderbolt output on the Studio Are there any particular brands to avoid or recommended or will any do the job Many descriptions refer to cables including chips and being one-directional – is this a general thing or just with cheaper cables. If anyone has any recommendations/horror stories I’d love to hear. I figure with his many corporate clients, Daniel probably has a lot of experience with this – any input most welcome :o) TIA Neil -----Original Message----- From: WAMUG <[2][email protected]> on behalf of Daniel Kerr via WAMUG <[3][email protected]> Reply to: WAMUG <[4][email protected]> Date: Thursday, 04 June 2026 at 18:24 To: WAMUG <[5][email protected]> Cc: Daniel Kerr <[6][email protected]> Subject: Re: [WAMUG] Delay on login window becoming active ? Good luck getting a Mac mini (or Mac Studio at the moment). Most options have an “at least” 12 week wait time for special orders. :)) Also,..waiting for the M5 to go into the Mac mini and Mac Studio currently too. I had a Mac Studio on order for a client (with 64GB RAM upgrade). Ordered it mid-March. It was delivered today. The run on component parts from AI server farms has made delays in a lot of products (and let’s not get started on what it’s done to SSD pricing.!!! I nearly fell off my chair the other day when I had to price one up for a client!! But yes,..that Mac mini and external screens are good options. I’ve done a lot of them for my clients. (Replaced a whole business from 2012/2013 iMac 27” models to all Mac minis with 3rd party various screens). Plenty of range and choice available for different budgets (and depending on “features” wanted. :) They’re great little machines’ the little Mac mini. Kind regards Daniel --- Daniel Kerr MacWizardry p : 0414 795 960 e : <daniel AT [7]macwizardry.com.au> w : <[8]http://www.macwizardry.com.au> **For everything Apple** NOTE: Any information provided in this email may be my personal opinion and as such should be taken accordingly, and may not be the views of MacWizardry. Any information provided does not offer or warrant any form of warranty or accept liability. It would be appreciated that if any information in this email is to be disseminated, distributed or copied, that permission by the author be requested. References 1. https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/comsol-displayport-to -usb-c-4k-cable-2m-codpum02 2. mailto:[email protected] 3. mailto:[email protected] 4. mailto:[email protected] 5. mailto:[email protected] 6. mailto:[email protected] 7. http://macwizardry.com.au/ 8. http://www.macwizardry.com.au/ -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- Archives - <https://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/> Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> Settings & Unsubscribe - <https://lists.wamug.org.au/mailman/listinfo/wamug>
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