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Apple DVI to ADC Adapter

Apple messed this one up in more ways than one

Written by BP from Fort Collins

Oct 6, 2009

I have owned Macs and been a Mac fanatic since the original 128k Mac came out and I have to say that this was the worst thing Apple has ever done. (The "hockey puck" mouse was an ergonomic mess but at least it worked.) First, when you upgrade to their new powerbooks they charge you $100 to get an adapter to use your Apple 30" display. Second, you have to wait months to actually get the adapter. Third when you finally get the adapter it produces noise on the beautiful 30" display to the point that at times (when there was dark background) it was almost unusable. Fourth, when you find out through these posts that everyone is having the same problem Apple does nothing to admit to the problem or contact people that bought these that there is a problem.

Finally with no official word from Apple and all the sometimes contradictory information on these posts (and after waiting for Snow Leopard to come out since some information inferred that it was fixed in software but alas is wasn't) it was finally revealed that there was a firmware upgrade in the new adapters that fixes the problem. So after a trip to an apple store 2 hours away, and some push back about exchanging my old adapter for a new one (since it has been a year since I ordered it), the new adapter does work much better. however I have to say that there are still occasional static streaks visible on black backgrounds.

So after purchasing nearly a hundred Macs over the last 20+ years Apple has really disappointed me on this one.

16 of 20 people found this useful

Apple DVI to ADC Adapter

A charm with PowerBook 17" 1.67 GHz and 23" HD Cinema Display

Written by RL from Victoria

Aug 19, 2009

Debated buying the DVI to ADC adapter for months based on some bad user experiences in the reviews but my product has been solid and wish I had bought it months ago when my PowerMac Dual 2.0 GHz motherboard died. Now my very costly (and soon to be 6 year old!) original Apple 23" HD Cinema display is back in use and flawless as ever, saved by a relatively modest additional expense.

I tested my Cinema display as the secondary display and all features worked with the PowerBook display running as the primary display. Now I keep the PowerBook lid closed so the PowerBook is my temporary 'desktop' computer... until 2010. I hope I'll be able to use the display on next year's Mac Pros but the docs do not specifically say the adapter works with current Mac Pro graphic cards.

Do not know if this product has had any engineering or manufacturing changes in the last year to explain the improvement I see compared to the older reviews. Best to borrow a page from the App Store and associate the version of a product with the review - of course we the consumer don't always know what version of the product we have unless the part number (model) actually changes. Recent reviews should guide your purchase decision.

22 of 22 people found this useful

Apple DVI to ADC Adapter

As advertised

Written by MF from Chesterfield

Jul 22, 2009

Works great connecting my Cinema Display to my Macbook Pro. For those complaining about size, bear in mind that the unit contains the power supply for the monitor. No complaints from this user.

26 of 27 people found this useful

Apple DVI to ADC Adapter

ADC/DVI ADAPTER AND BOOT CAMP

Written by MP from STATEN ISLAND

Jul 8, 2009

I bought the ADC/DVI adapter to use with my original 23 inch Cinema HD Display. With my Mac Pro and the Nvidia 8800GT graphics card it's great in Mac OS. What I didn't expect was that there are no drivers from Apple or Nvidia to support the monitor working through the ADC/DVI adapter in Boot Camp.

I have Win XP Pro SP3 installed and the monitor goes to the dimmest setting and can't be adjusted after the Windows desktop appears. Anyone wanting to use an old ADC Cinema display with a newer Mac Pro in Boot Camp, check it out first. I haven't tried it with VMWare Fusion 2. Otherwise, its a great, though bulky adapter, that keeps a great old monitor working (at least in Mac OS). 1 star lost for the Boot Camp problem.

21 of 26 people found this useful

Apple DVI to ADC Adapter

Rebirth of a Relic

Written by DO from YUMA

Jul 4, 2009

Ok, I had this adapter for about 2-months and I’m currently using it for my first generation MacBook Pro. It works without any problems and it brought my old first generation Apple 22-inch cinema display back to Life! Back then, the flat panel cost me 5K!!! Now I’m planning to hook it up to my MacPro that arrives this week. So for those who want miracles, all I can say is that this allows you to retain a quality display with a generous cord on both the brick and your old display. This measures around 7-feet so I couldn’t be more pleased.
Regards,

11 of 12 people found this useful

Apple DVI to ADC Adapter

does not work with Mac Pro

Written by SA from IOWA CITY

Jul 2, 2009

I was told my Apple Cinema HD 23 inch display would work with my new Mac Pro. I was told wrong. It only works WITH this DVI to ADC adapter AND the USB ports don't work, the on/off switch does not work, the Monitor Preferences button does not work, and brightness control does not work. In other words, the DVI to ADC computer does not work well at all on the Macintosh Pro.

8 of 11 people found this useful

Apple DVI to ADC Adapter

Do your research, this is a good product.

Written by JS from Salem

Jun 27, 2009

I don't know why people are complaining so much about this. It works! Thanks to ebay I now have a beautiful 20" apple display coming out of my tiny 13" Macbook and the image is as good as any display I have seen on any tower. It is a bigger box because it is not just an adapter, it is converting the signal and amplifying and adjusting to fit these great old displays. It is also powering the monitor. PSUs take up some space. Just know what you are getting into before you get an old display with an ADC cable coming out of it. If you didn't do your research, you cannot complain.

7 of 8 people found this useful

Apple DVI to ADC Adapter

It works like Apple says it should

Written by AB from San Diego

Jun 24, 2009

I bought this product to connect my new 2009 MBP to a 23" Cinema Display. It is working flawlessly and helping me extend a 2003 purchase (of the ADC adapter) into a long term investment.

The only draw back seems that you can not hot-swap the connectors... you need to start the display when you start up the laptop. For whatever reason, hot swaps do not seem to work (for me).

5 of 5 people found this useful