Cintiq 22HD on a Mac Pro

**sigmadog** · August 23rd, 2012, 01:12 PM

While I haven't as yet purchased the new Cintiq 22HD, I expect to do so in the next week or so (once I finish building my new desk).

This thread is meant to document my preparation and ultimate set-up of the 22HD on the Mac Pro as part of a 3-Monitor configuration. Hopefully it will help any others with a similar configuration by serving as an information resource, or at the very least a cautionary tale...

To begin, my configuration is as follows:

Mac Pro 3,1 (early 2008 model) 2.8 GHz Dual Quad Core Intel Xeon
14GB RAM
ATI Radeon 5770 (Apple version)
Two 23-inch Apple Cinema Displays (ACD)

I plan on keeping my two ACD's and using the Cintiq as a third monitor. I am a graphic designer most of the time, but also do a fair amount of illustration, so the two ACD's will serve me well for the former and the Cintiq for the latter.

Issue #1: Cable Adapters
The first issue I encountered in researching a potential 3-monitor setup was the problem of cable adapters. The graphic card I purchased through Apple (ATI Radeon 5770) has two mini-DV ports and one DVI port. Since both my monitors currently have DVI connectors, I purchased an Apple mini-DisplayPort to DVI adapter for one of the monitors. This worked fine for a two monitor setup - one monitor connected directly to the DVI port, while the other used the Apple adapter to connect to the mini-DisplayPort port.

One would think that to add another DVI connected monitor, I would simply need to purchase another Apple mini-DisplayPort to DVI adapter, but this is not the case. In fact, I did just that and found that with two Apple adapters plugged in to both mini-DisplayPorts, only one monitor would work.

Upon further research I found out that Apple's adapters are PASSIVE, but ACTIVE adapters are required. I don't know why this is so (I tried to read an explanation but was frustrated by my puny artist-brain).

The good news is that mini-DisplayPort to DVI ACTIVE Adapters are available for roughly the same price as Apple's passive adapters (about $33 at this time). I ordered two of the adapters.

Last week I received my ACTIVE adapters and promptly plugged them in. I am happy to report that both Apple Cinema Displays are working perfectly via the two mini-DisplayPorts, thus leaving the DVI port free and clear for my future Cintiq 22HD purchase.

The moral of the story: Don't rely on Apple Adapters to power a 3+-monitor setup

More to come... eventually.

**philofmars** · August 23rd, 2012, 02:31 PM

Thank you for this, I think it is going to be a "must read" for anyone wanting to embark on this journey.

**Malifer** · August 24th, 2012, 10:14 PM

I had issues with apple adapters as well. I tried connecting a mini display port to dvi connector to a macbook pro and 21ux which resulted in shimmering red pixels all over the screen. contacted wacom because I thought my cintiq was faulty and they had me get rid of the apple adapter and use a kanex adapter. This fixed the problem. so moral of the story, your right dont use apple adapters.

**oferk** · August 25th, 2012, 09:32 AM

This issue worries me a bit. I ordered a cheap adapter from dealextreme and it doesn't work at all on any monitor i tested. Im planning on getting the cintiq in about two weeks, and the only adapters I can get are the ones from apple or a brand named NEDIS. Kanex are not available here. I hope they will work...

**sigmadog** · October 9th, 2012, 12:04 AM

UPDATE:
I ordered my Cintiq 22HD a couple weeks ago and it arrived last week. Did the Active MiniDV to DVI adapters work? In a word: YES.

Right now, I'm running three monitors on my Mac Pro using one ATI Radeon 5770 in the following configuration:
A. Two 23" Apple Cinema Displays plugged into the 2 MiniDV ports via the active adapters
B. One Cintiq 22HD plugged into the DVI port.

I have no problems to report. The Cintiq runs like a champ.

The only hitch: I had to play with the calibration to get the colors close to my other monitors. It's not an exact match, but it is very close for my purposes.

I'm really enjoying watching my hand as I draw after years of Intuos madness (in truth, I still use my Intuos 4 for photoshop work and other things). It's the way I learned to draw and it feels so natural. I think my work is going to improve dramatically in terms of speed and quality.

**oferk** · October 11th, 2012, 02:28 AM

Hi sigmadog,
Do you have any problems with the anti-glare on the 22HD? I read some people complains it makes the image on screen fuzzy. Does it make the glass a bit less smooth?

**Mankiko** · October 13th, 2012, 07:26 PM

Hi, I just started working with my Cintiq which is conected to my imac. But now I wanted to conect it to my windows laptop instead and it doesn't work. I did everything in the display options in the laptop but Cintiq continues black. Can you guys send me any tip about it? Thanks a lot!

Originally Posted by sigmadog

UPDATE:
I ordered my Cintiq 22HD a couple weeks ago and it arrived last week. Did the Active MiniDV to DVI adapters work? In a word: YES.

Right now, I'm running three monitors on my Mac Pro using one ATI Radeon 5770 in the following configuration:
A. Two 23" Apple Cinema Displays plugged into the 2 MiniDV ports via the active adapters
B. One Cintiq 22HD plugged into the DVI port.

I have no problems to report. The Cintiq runs like a champ.

The only hitch: I had to play with the calibration to get the colors close to my other monitors. It's not an exact match, but it is very close for my purposes.

I'm really enjoying watching my hand as I draw after years of Intuos madness (in truth, I still use my Intuos 4 for photoshop work and other things). It's the way I learned to draw and it feels so natural. I think my work is going to improve dramatically in terms of speed and quality.

**Malifer** · October 14th, 2012, 05:47 PM

Originally Posted by Mankiko

Hi, I just started working with my Cintiq which is conected to my imac. But now I wanted to conect it to my windows laptop instead and it doesn't work. I did everything in the display options in the laptop but Cintiq continues black. Can you guys send me any tip about it? Thanks a lot!

install the cintiq driver on the windows machine then reboot and the cintiq screen should then work. it will not work without the driver installed. once the screen is working you will likely have to change the screen settings from mirror to extended desktop then set the primary display. this will allow you to pick the correct resolution for the cintiq.

**sigmadog** · October 17th, 2012, 02:53 PM

oferk;
Sorry for the delay in responding, I've just returned from vacation.

I don't find the anti-glare screen a problem at all, nor do I find that it gets in the way of precision work. Any screen is going to seem fuzzy if you get close enough. I think the key is to find a good distance from the screen that works for you. As for myself, I keep my head about 18-20 inches from the screen; at that distance, I don't notice any fuzziness at all.

The screen itself is very smooth and is much preferable to my Intuos4 tablet, which wears nibs out at a prodigious pace. I don't feel any bumpiness, grit, or resistance at all when working, so I think my nibs will last much longer on the Cintiq 22HD.

Overall, I am very pleased with the purchase.