# iMac 24" dual monitor setup - am I getting it right?



## The7artist7 (Oct 14, 2006)

Hi Guys,

This follows on from me asking if a mac mini would cope with my graphical needs - thanks to all who advised me not to go with that idea however cute the mini is!

Basically, I now need to check with you guys that what I've chosen to buy will provide what I need!  I am planning in order to give me best performance for my money to get the best hardware I can afford and gradually buy the software upgrades.  So that I'm not stuck meanwhile the plan is also to set up a network + KVM + synergy system thingy so I can run my old G4 400mhz side by side with my new iMac from the same keyboard.

I've attached a screenshot of my saved basket - I assume to setup the network side of things I simply need to connect both macs via usb or firewire?

One other question is any idea if my wacom intuos2 will work ok with this setup?

sorry if this is all a bit of a mess - feel free to ask me to clarify any points if need be - Thanks in advance!


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## eric2006 (Oct 14, 2006)

That looks like it will work. About networking them; you can connect via firewire, but I find it much easier to connect via the ethernet. Just pick up an ethernet switch, and you can share the internet and transfer files.

As for the tablet, check here. I'm not sure if the different chip architectures will affect the usability of the tablet or not..


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## The7artist7 (Oct 14, 2006)

sorry to sound a little stupid but what exactly is an ethernet switch?  I've heard ethernet mentioned a lot but never understood what it actually is!

As far as the tablet goes - I know it'll work on both machines just wasn't sure if it would at the same time through the KVM thingy - I'll just make sure both have the latest driver and hope for the best!


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## nixgeek (Oct 14, 2006)

An ethernet switch is a device that has multiple network connections on it and allows you to network a bunch of networkable devices such as computers, printers, and anything with a network port so that they can talk to one another.  This is different from an ethernet hub in that the switch gives you a full speed connection on each port, while the hub shares the total speed and divides it up among all the ports that it has.

As for "ethernet," it's one type of networking technology used in networks.  For a more detailed explanation of Ethernet and how it works, check out the Wikipedia link for Ethernet.


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## The7artist7 (Oct 14, 2006)

soooo - I now know that ethernet is simply yet another type of cable connector   - so it's faster than firewire?  And is there any reason I can't simply connect the two mac direct to each other using an ethernet cable??  or is it essential to have the switch... and if so um... ...why?? as, as far as I can work out.... hold on, wait a minute think I might have got it... ... no still can't see why I'd need a switch if I only have two Computers!


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## eric2006 (Oct 14, 2006)

Well, if you want to share an ethernet internet connection, a switch would be ideal. Otherwise, you can wire the two macs up with one ethernet cable. You don't need a crossover cable because OS X automatically detects it. If the older computer has Airport, you could even get a wireless connection going on (which would be slower than a wired one..).


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## The7artist7 (Oct 14, 2006)

Well I work from home with a 2MB broadband connection - the broadband modem is a usb one - so I'm guessing simply connecting the 2 macs together via a ethernet cable would do the trick

I'm also guessing it'd be better to connect as much stuff like the modem and printers/ speakers etc to the new mac?


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## eric2006 (Oct 14, 2006)

Well, everything that you want to use, yes. You can network your printer, and share the internet connection if you want.


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## The7artist7 (Oct 14, 2006)

Looks like I'm finally there with what I need to get  - Thank you very much for the help!  The next thing is getting all the money together to buy it!  May be a month or so but you never know...  Will let you know for sure how it all works out as I hadn't got a clue before you helped me out much appreciated!!   (props to all the other guys who made suggestions and helped out too! )

Dude... 24" iMac, dual monitor setup - can't wait!


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