External monitor to iMac

[Awsmits]

Hi, I have a 2012 27" iMac that I love, running El Capitan (10.11.6) and I wish to connect a single external monitor (VGA and DVI inputs) to it. I thought I could just use one of the two Thunderbolt ports, but System Info says they are not working, so I would like to use one of the 4 USB ports to connect to the external monitor. Can you recommend the best one, and what drivers/software I need?

[AndrewJDawson]

Hi Awsmits,

Based on your post about it being a 2012 iMac, I am presuming that the USB ports are USB-A and not USB-C. I am also presuming that the external monitor using VGA/DVI is only 1080p and not 4K resolution.

Based on those assumptions, we have a list of products on our website here (https://www.displaylink.com/products/find?cat=3&vid_dvi=1&usba=1) that all meet those requirements. The drivers you will need are the standard DisplayLink drivers for MacOS that can be downloaded from our website here (https://www.displaylink.com/downloads/macos).

Hope that's helpful.

Regards,
Andrew

[Awsmits]

Andrew,

Thanks for the response. Yes, your assumption regarding my Mac's USB ports and external monitor are correct.

I haven't decided to get just a USB Adapter or a USB hub. I've been to your website and gone through the search process for which models you recommend.

Here's the rub, though. When I select "Buy", I get re-directed to a website, mostly Amazon, and the description of the unit I've picked says it's not Mac-compatible. Can I assume that if I download the correct drivers for my MacOS from your website, that will remedy the compatibility issue???

Thanks,
Allan

[Awsmits]

PS: I am very interested in the UD3900H universal docking station.

Should I keep my MacOS at 10.11, or upgrade to Mojave?

Allan

[AndrewJDawson]

Hi Allan,

Apologies for my delay getting back to you.

As we do not sell the equipment ourselves, our website redirects you to other sites where you can purchase the item.

There's not a whole lot to tell between the different items. I couldn't say for certain whether some of them that specifically say that they do not support MacOS will do so with the correct driver as I haven't tested all configurations, but I would generally avoid those if I had a Mac. I have noticed that it is the devices made by Plugable that tend to list MacOS as not supported. The StarTech one (https://www.startech.com/uk/AV/display-and-video-adapters/USB-Video-Adapters/USB-3-to-HDMI-DVI-External-Video-Card~USB32HDDVII) lists MacOS as supported.

The docking station you've said you're very interested in, is again made by Plugable, which means that it's listed as not supporting MacOS - therefore I would recommend a different manufacturer. It's slightly more expensive, but the Dell D3100 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-D3100-Docking-Station-452-BBOT/dp/B00O0M46KO/) is known to support MacOS and I think would be most suitable for your requirements. However, if you wanted to make it a bit more powerful, the Dell D6000 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-Docking-Displays-130-Watt-452-BCYT/dp/B072K6HJBN/) is what I would call the gold standard at the moment.

Hope that's helpful.

Andrew

[Awsmits]

Thanks, Andrew. No worries on the delay. I will definitely focus my research on the Dell and Startech products.

Best,
Allan