YouTuber turns a 27-inch iMac into a fully functioning ‘Studio Display’ for half the price

When Apple’s new Studio Display was released last month, many people were quick to point out that panel is nearly identical to the one that Apple used in the 27-inch iMac starting in 2014. Because of the similarities between the two, YouTuber Luke Miani decided to see if he could convert an old iMac into a Studio Display.

Can an iMac be converted into a Studio Display?

Miani explains:

Apple’s new Studio Display is quite an interesting product, but at $1,599 it’s an arguably bad value. But since there are so few other displays out there that offer 5K resolution at 27 inches, for some it’s the only option. Until today. If you don’t fancy spending $1600 on the Apple Studio Display, you can make your own!

The obvious choice would be Target Display Mode. This feature allows you to use your iMac’s display as an external monitor for another Mac. Apple has since discontinued Target Display Mode with macOS Mojave. The Retina iMac wasn’t supported by this feature.

With that in mind, Miani set out to convert an iMac from 2014 into a standalone, fully functional external display for $600. This process involved completely gutting the iMac, which is something you have to do by removing the front panel of the iMac itself. After this complex process was complete, Miani needed to find the right conversion board to allow you to connect your iMac.

The finished product is pretty impressive. The iMac has USB-C connectivity, and its built-in webcam works perfectly. The total all-in cost for this project turned out to be $829, which is around half the price of the Studio Display. You miss out on some features, such as P3 color gamut support, but it’s an impressive result for under $,1000.

Watch Miani’s complete video. This is a fascinating process that many people would not dare to attempt.