Does anyone know if a monitor equipped with a DisplayPort (e.g. the Dell U2311h LCD screen) can be connected to the Thunderbolt port on a Mac?
I want to connect two of these LCDs (one via Thunderbolt, the other via HDMI) to my Mac Mini 2011 and am wondering what my options are.
Vice-versa, can I connect a Thunderbolt display to a Mac with a Mini DisplayPort?
Update: What is the compatibility like for Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C DP Alt mode?
It is possible to connect USB-C DP Alt mode monitors to thunderbolt 3 hosts. But is it possible to connect thunderbolt monitors (ones that don't explicitly advertise DP alt mode support) to USB-C DP Alt mode hosts?
Best Answer
Connect a DisplayPort display to Thunderbolt port
As Apple says on their Thunderbolt product page:
To confirm this, here's what Intel says:
... emphasis mine.
This means that you can attach your DisplayPort-equipped monitor to any Mac with a Thunderbolt plug. If your display has DisplayPort only (i.e. not Mini DisplayPort), you will of course need an adapter to do this.
For the other display, just use the HDMI connection. You could also daisy-chain two displays together, if these displays support it and have two DisplayPorts each.
Connect a Thunderbolt display to (Mini) DisplayPort
The opposite seems to be possible, as the physical connection is the same. However, Apple states differently. Their tech specs don't mention the Mac Pro being capable of using it. The problem will be that you can't update the display's firmware and use the data pipe.
So, all in all, it won't work.
Ars Technica has a recent article about this, which states that there might be issues: