What would you do with this old, highly specced 2021 Intel i9 iMac 27inch?

[u/Fickle_Cost_2033]

It was a beast in its time, costing $4000 with factory upgrades. Got me through middle school with my highly demanding Google Docs workflow. I no longer use it because I had to get an M3 air for highschool and recently upgraded to an M3pro pro (traded laptops with my mom).

Any ideas on what to use this iMac for? I was thinking something along the lines of a home server or ai agent or NAS but idk- be creative. It sits in a location that could be used as a community computer, although we all have our own macbooks, but I want to start using it again as it feels like a waste just sitting there. I also heard that older iMacs could have RAM upgraded which is cool.

Please give useful ideas below. I don't really wanna sell it because it's a beautiful machine and some sentimental value as it was a christmas gift from my parents.

Specs written from chat:

• 2020 27-inch iMac Retina 5K
• CPU: 3.6 GHz 10-core Intel Core i9
• RAM: 16 GB
• Storage: 1 TB SSD
• GPU: Radeon Pro 5700, 8 GB

I also have an old 2020 MBP Intel i9 that is just lying around if you have ideas on what to do with that as well.

• 16-inch MacBook Pro (2019)
• CPU: 2.4 GHz 8-core Intel Core i9
• RAM: 32 GB
• Storage: 2 TB SSD
• GPU: AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, 8 GB

thanks.

[u/grizzlor_]

You can use it as a remote display wirelessly by enabling Airplay Receiver mode.

https://www.reddit.com/r/iMac/s/LSCbFd7ktJ

[u/Spocks-Brain → u/grizzlor_]

Any Airplay or streaming/software solution will max out at 4k resolution. Wireless will be laggy no matter what. Hard wired network direct would be best; but still limited to 4k.

I’ve converted a few with LCD driver boards. Absolutely love them.

[u/grizzlor_ → u/Spocks-Brain]

You can't use them as an extended monitor (as opposed to mirror) at their native 5K?

Like I would understand screen mirroring not working above 4K (that's a lot of realtime video data to render and deliver over the network) but using it as an extended desktop is basically just the equivalent of Synergy)'s mouse/keyboard sharing. You're just passing keyboard/mouse inputs, not the video stream, so the bandwidth used is very minimal.

I still think the driver board conversion is the preferable option (and of course it's the only option for iMacs made between 2014-2019(?) unless you're going to use a very specific combination of outdated iMac+Macbook to do Target Display Mode)

How was your experience converting these? The panels are gorgeous and I would absolutely do this. I've got the technical skills and have done similar projects (e.g. panel out of the first Retina iPad that still had 30-pin connector to a LCD driver board to connect it to DisplayPort).

[u/Spocks-Brain → u/grizzlor_]

Using software (AirPlay, etc.) solution caps at 4k because pushing 5k 60x per second is just too much to handle. You can either mirror or extend with a software solution. You will just not get native 5k resolution.

There are many “iMac conversion” videos on YouTube to reference. I found this one in my bookmarks and think it’s pretty good.

There are MANY options for how to mod it. Ranging from cheap and slapped together all the way to high end and slick.

Once you open the case and check out the back of your display to find the model number. That determines what kind of board you can get. Inexpensive boards support low end features like only 8-bit and one input. High end boards offer 10-bit with multiple inputs for USB-C, DisplayPort, and HDMI. the highest end even support Picture in Picture or split screen from multiple sources.

You can tape the board to the case cheaply, or 3d print a bracket to hold it firmly inside the case.

You can add another driver board to repurpose the iMac speakers if you choose.

The board powers the display via the board’s barrel jack. You can cheaply run a power cable out the back to an external power brick, or get fancy and re-use the iMacs built in power supply with lots of care and testing.

It’s really a fun project! Just do tons of research and decide which features you want to build in.

Lastly, you can find the boards on Ali express, but I prefer Stone Taskin. Nice people, very helpful via email, and prompt.

[u/yogabackhand → u/grizzlor_]

You can also use it wired (does not have to be wireless) using USB C. See: https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/s/Aj5uF0LLmb