Section 8.13. Monitors

8.13. Monitors

Your Mac can use standard monitors of the type found in the Windows world. Every Macintosh can drive multiple screens at the same time, too, meaning that you can use your old PC screen either as your Mac's main monitor (if it's a Power Mac, Mini, or Cube) or as a second, external screen (if it's a laptop or any other model).

If one of those arrangements appeals to you, the only complication might be the connector. Most PC screens, of course, have a standard VGA connector (or a more modern DVI connector) at the tip of their tails . Your Mac may or may not have a place to plug in that VGA or DVI cable:

• Flat-panel iMacs, recent Mac laptops, and the Mac Mini come with a short adapter cable. One end clicks into the Mac; the other end mates with your monitor's VGA cable.

• If you have a Power Mac, you may have both a proprietary Apple monitor connector and a VGA connector, or you may have at least one DVI connector. (If not, you can always buy a second graphics card.)

• Some older Mac models come with an ADC connector (a proprietary Apple monitor connector), but you can buy an ADC-to-DVI converter for use with any DVI-connected monitor. (For example, you can buy the $35 DVI Extractor adapter from www.drbott.com.)

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Tip: It's even possible to connect both your Mac and your PC to the same monitor, and switch from one to the other at will. If this arrangement appeals to you, you'll need a so-called KVM switch (which also lets you switch your keyboard and mouse between your two computers). You can find KVM switches for sale at electronics stores, and online from manufacturers like Belkin (www.belkin.com).

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In any case, most recent Mac models (except for iBooks, eMacs, and some iMacs) let you choose either mirror mode (where both screens show the same thinga handy setup in classroom situations) or desktop extension mode (where one screen acts as additional real estate, an annex to the first). You specify which mode you want using the Displays pane of System Preferences, or using the Displays menu-bar icon. (See Section 13.11.2 for some caveats of this multi-monitor arrangement.)